The ''Vengeur'' was a 64-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 ...

Antoine Groignard Antoine Groignard (4 February 1727 – 26 July 1799), was a French naval constructor who developed standard designs for French war ships, and built and improved the dry docks at the French naval bases in Toulon and Brest. Family Groignard was so ...

. She saw action with Bailli de Suffren during 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 ...

Career

''Vengeur'' was originally built as an East Indiaman for the

French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...

, by

. Her plans, however, followed military specification, as she was supposed to be able to integrate a naval squadron if necessary. She cruised as a merchantman from 1757 to 1765, when she was sold to the Navy. After a refit in Brest, she was brought into service under Captain Christy de La Pallière. In October 1778, along with the frigate ''Belle Poule'', she captured the privateer ''St Peters''. She took part in the

Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and Militia forces under the command of Major General John Sullivan had been besieging the British forces in Newport, Rhode Isl ...

on 29 August 1778, 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, and the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

in September and October 1779, under Captain Croiset de Retz. She then took part in the Battle of Martinique on 18 December 1779 under Fournoue, when she, along with ''Annibal'' and ''Réfléchi'', saved a convoy from the British off

Fort Royal Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Histo ...

, and in the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780. Incorporated into Suffren's squadron, she was present at the

Battle of Porto Praya The Battle of Porto Praya was a naval battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under the Bailli de Suffren. Both squadrons w ...

under Comte de Forbin, although she did not take part in the action. She was similarly present at the Battle of Negapatam, there as well failed to take part in the action. In July 1782, in the wake of the Battle of Negapatam, Suffren appointed Cuverville to ''Vengeur'' in replacement of Forbin (Lieutenant Périer de Salvert replaced Cuverville on his old ship, ''Flamand''). At the

Battle of Trincomalee A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

, between 25 August and 3 September 1782, ''Vengeur'' caught fire, causing alarm to the ships around her. She left the French line of battle, which contributed to desorganising it. She took part in the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783 under Captain de Cuverville.

Fate

''Vengeur'' was sold to commerce in April 1784, and wrecked off

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in March 1785.

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * * * * * * External links
HMXMS ''Vengeur'', 64
3decks.pbworks.com Ships of the line of the French Navy {{France-line-ship-stub