''Prudent'' was a 74-gun ship-of-the-line in service with the Royal French Navy. Built in Rochefort in 1753, she entered service during the opening year of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

(1754–1763). During the 1758 Siege of Louisbourg she was one of a fleet of 11 ships trapped in

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...

by a superior

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 F ...

force; during the final night of the siege, she was boarded by British sailors and set afire, resulting in her loss.Demerliac, Alain. ''Marine de Louis XV : Nomenclature des navires français de 1715 à 1774.''

References

1753 ships Ships of the line of France Maritime incidents in 1758 {{France-stub