''Scipion'' was a French warship of the 18th century, lead ship of her class. She was completed in 1779. Accounts cited that she was one of the three new naval vessels - along with '' Hercule'' (1798) and ''

Pluton In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...

'' (1778) - built by the French that was so top-heavy, they nearly capsized. To correct ''Scipion'''s problem, a stowage was altered and a ballast replaced a part of the water supply. These remedies, however, failed so the French had to shorten the mast to make the ship seaworthy. ''Scipion'' took part in the

American War of Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, notably sailing at the rear of the French squadron at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

under

Antoine Pierre de Clavel Antoine Pierre de Clavel (1734 in Toulon – 1797) was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence. Biography Clavel was born to the family of a Navy captain. He joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine on 6 July 1750, and had ...

Combat du Scipion conte le London-Rossel de Cercy mg 5095c

In the

action of 18 October 1782 The action of 18 October 1782 was a minor naval engagement of the American Revolutionary War, in which the French 74-gun ship of the line ''Scipion'', accompanied by the 40-gun frigate ''Sibylle'', was chased by two Royal Navy ships of the line ...

, under Captain Nicolas Henri de Grimouard, ''Scipion'' fought gallantly against two British ships of the line of 90 and 74 guns. Through good sailmanship, she managed to damage and escape, but was destroyed the next day after she was chased and ran aground.

Citations

References

* * * * History of the Royal Navy Ships of the line of the French Navy Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea Scipion-class ships of the line Maritime incidents in 1782 1778 ships {{Mil-hist-stub