''Tonnant'' was an 80-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

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 ...

. She was the flagship of the French fleet at the

Second battle of Cape Finisterre The second battle of Cape Finisterre was a naval encounter fought during the War of the Austrian Succession on 25 October 1747 (N.S.). A British fleet of fourteen ships of the line commanded by Rear-Admiral Edward Hawke intercepted a Frenc ...

, and later took part in the

Battle of Quiberon Bay The Battle of Quiberon Bay (known as ''Bataille des Cardinaux'' in French) was a decisive naval engagement during the Seven Years' War. It was fought on 20 November 1759 between the Royal Navy and the French Navy in Quiberon Bay, off the coast ...

, and 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 ...

. She was broken up in 1780.

Construction

Constructed in

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

between 1740 and 1744, it was armed with 80

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

Involvements

It was the flagship of

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

's fleet, and thus served as Admiral vessel to Marquis de l'Estenduère during the

in 1747. During this naval battle, eight French vessels were sacrificed when they took on the fourteen British ships by

Admiral Hawke Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, Order of the Bath, KB, Privy Council of Great Britain, PC (21 February 1705 – 17 October 1781), of Scarthingwell Hall in the parish of Towton, near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of ...

, to protect the merchant ships. The ''Tonnant'' was involved in fierce combat. Partly dismasted, it escaped by being towed by the ''Intrépide'' of Vaudreuil, who crossed British lines to secure the ship. The ''Tonnant'' also participated at the

in 1759; on board was the Chevalier de Bauffremont. It escaped and took refuge 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 ...

. It was refurbished in 1770, and participated in the campaign of Admiral Estaing in America in 1778–1779. It was present during the attack on Newport in 1778 and at the

Battle of Grenada The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfather ...

on 6 July 1779. It finished its naval career in 1780.

References

External links

* * 1743 ships Ships of the line of the French Navy {{France-line-ship-stub

Construction

Involvements

See also

References

External links