''Lion'' was a 74-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third ...

ship of the line of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, which later served in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

. She was named ''Lion'' on 23 April 1790 and built at

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

from August 1791 until June 1794. She was renamed ''Marat'' on 28 September 1793 (7 months before being launched) and then ''Formidable'' on 25 May 1795, with the changing fortunes of the French Revolution. She took part in the

action of 6 November 1794 The action of 6 November 1794 (Known in French as the ''Combat du 16 Brumaire an III'') was a naval engagement during the French Revolutionary Wars. Two British ships of the line, HMS ''Alexander'' and HMS ''Canada'' were intercepted while ...

, managing to rake .

Capture in the Battle of Groix

Fighting under captain Linois on 23 June 1795 at the

Battle of Groix The Battle of Groix was a large naval engagement which took place near the island of Groix off the Biscay coast of Brittany on 23 June 1795 ( 5 messidor an III) during the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle was fought between elements of the ...

, she was captured by near the French port of

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

. She was taken into service in the

, but because the Navy already had a , she was renamed ''Belleisle'', apparently in the mistaken belief that she had been captured off

Belle Île Belle-Île, Belle-Île-en-Mer, or Belle Isle ( br, Ar Gerveur, ; br, label=Old Breton, Guedel) is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the ''département'' of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is from the Quiberon peni ...

, rather than the

Île de Groix Groix (; br, Enez Groe) is an island and a commune in the Morbihan department of the region of Brittany in north-western France. Groix lies a few kilometres off the coast of Lorient. Several ferries a day run from Lorient to Groix. There are ...

Battle of Trafalgar 1805

Captained by

William Hargood Admiral of the White Sir William Hargood (6 May 1762 – 12 December 1839) was a British naval officer who served with distinction through the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars, during which he g ...

, she was the second ship in the British lee column at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

in 1805, and as such was engaged by the Franco-Spanish ships , , , , , and . She was soon completely dismasted (the only British ship which suffered that fate), unable to manœuvre and largely unable to fight, as her sails blinded her batteries, but kept flying her flag for 45 minutes until the British ships behind her in the column came to her rescue. With 33 dead and 93 wounded, she was then towed to

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

after the battle by the frigate . File:Belleisle PU4054.jpg, ''Belleisle'', fifteen minutes past noon at Trafalgar File:Photo of a painting of HMS BELLEISLE (7974879939).jpg, The dismasted ''Belleisle'' later on in the battle

Danish West Indies 1807

Following the concern in Britain that neutral

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

was entering an alliance with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

, the ''Belleisle'' sailed as the flagship of Rear-Admiral

Alexander Cochrane Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral. He had previously captai ...

, who commanded the squadron of ships that was sent to occupy the

Danish West Indies The Danish West Indies ( da, Dansk Vestindien) or Danish Antilles or Danish Virgin Islands were a Danish colony in the Caribbean, consisting of the islands of Saint Thomas with ; Saint John ( da, St. Jan) with ; and Saint Croix with . The ...

. The squadron, which included ''HMS Prince George'', ''HMS Northumberland'', ''HMS Canada'', ''HMS Ramillies'' and ''HMS Cerberus'', captured ''Telemaco'', ''Carvalho'', and ''Master'' on 17 April 1807. The actual occupation of the Danish West Indies did not occur until December, after receipt of news of the second battle of Copenhagen.

Channel Fleet

From 1811 she was in

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

harbour, and in 1814 the decision was taken to have her broken up.

References

External links

*
« J’en ris encore »
Nicolas Mioque {{DEFAULTSORT:Belleisle (1795) Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Ships of the line of the French Navy Téméraire-class ships of the line 1794 ships