''Vengeur du Peuple'' ("Avenger of the People") was a

74-gun The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

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 ...

. Funded by a ''

don des vaisseaux The ''don des vaisseaux'' (lit. "gift of ships of the line") was a subscription effort launched by Étienne François de Choiseul, Duke of Choiseul and secretary of State to the Navy in 1761 as an effort to rebuild the French naval power, diminis ...

'' donation from the

chamber of commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

, she was launched in 1762 as ''Marseillois''.The name is sometimes written ''Marseillais'', which is the modern orthography. Se
The dictionary of French naval fighting ships - General remarks
for details. She took part in the

naval operations in the American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War saw a series of battles involving naval forces of the British Royal Navy and the Continental Navy from 1775, and of the French Navy from 1778 onwards. Although the British enjoyed more numerical victories, thes ...

in Admiral d'Estaing's squadron, duelling '' Preston'' in a single-ship action on 11 August 1778, taking part in 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 ...

where she duelled HMS ''Intrepid'', and supporting the flagship '' Ville de Paris'' at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

. She also took part in the

Battle of Saint Kitts The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle fought on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet u ...

. After the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

, she was renamed ''Vengeur du Peuple''The name is often shortened to ''Vengeur''. See French ship ''Vengeur'' for details. and took part in the

Glorious First of June The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...

. There, she was disabled after a furious duel with HMS ''Brunswick'' and surrendered after losing hope of being rescued by a French ship. After a few hours, as British ships were beginning rescue operations, she listed and foundered, taking almost half her crew with her. The sinking of ''Vengeur du Peuple'' was used as propaganda by the

National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year National ...

and

Bertrand Barère Bertrand Barère de Vieuzac (, 10 September 175513 January 1841) was a French politician, freemason, journalist, and one of the most prominent members of the National Convention, representing the Plain (a moderate political faction) during the F ...

, who gave birth to the legend that the crew had gone down with the ship fighting, rather than surrender. The Scottish historian

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian and philosopher. A leading writer of the Victorian era, he exerted a profound influence on 19th-century art, literature and philosophy. Born in Ecclefechan, Dum ...

repeated the tale in his '' The French Revolution: A History'', yielding a rebuttal by Rear-Admiral John Griffiths, who had witnessed the events. Although discredited in naval history circles, the legend lived on as a folk tale, inspiring numerous representations and a fictional account by

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

in ''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-Ju ...

''.

Career

The French Navy had lost 29 ships during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

, casualties being particularly high at the

Battle of Lagos The naval Battle of Lagos took place between a British fleet commanded by Sir Edward Boscawen and a French fleet under Jean-François de La Clue-Sabran over two days in 1759 during the Seven Years' War. They fought south west of the Gulf of C� ...

and 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 ...

. To replace these losses, in 1761 the

Duke of Choiseul Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

launched subscriptions, called ''

'', whereby French individuals and organisations could donate to the Crown the funds necessary to build and equip a warship. 13 million

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

were raised and 18 ships, including two three-deckers, were built and named after their patrons. The ''Marseillois'' was funded by the

, for 500,000

.Under

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, a French livre contained 0.29 grammes of pure gol

this puts ''Marseillois'' worth at of gold. For a 110-gun ship like French ship Bretagne (1766), ''Bretagne'', the raw wood was already worth 490,000 livres, and the total construction cost amounted to 1,150,000 livres (see ''Les Européens et les espaces océaniques au XVIIIe siècle''
p.17
''Marseillois'' was ordered on 16 January 1762, to be built 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 ...

on a design by the engineer

Coulomb The coulomb (symbol: C) is the unit of electric charge in the International System of Units (SI). In the present version of the SI it is equal to the electric charge delivered by a 1 ampere constant current in 1 second and to elementary char ...

, and named the same day by

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 ...

, following the request of her patrons. The chamber of commerce of Marseille further requested that the ship be built in Marseille, but Coulomb determined that the harbour there was too shallow for the launch of a 74-gun ship, and the order for ''Marseillois'' was eventually confirmed at Toulon. There, lack of timber in the shipyards, that were already busy building ''

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (; , ; oc, Lengadòc ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately ...

'', '' Zélé'' and ''

Bourgogne Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

'', delayed the construction of ''Marseillois'' until 1764. Her building was directed by the engineer Chapelle.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 10. She was launched on 16 July 1766, and completed quickly, decorated by sculptures carved by Pierre Audibert. After her completion, she was put in

reserve Reserve or reserves may refer to: Places * Reserve, Kansas, a US city * Reserve, Louisiana, a census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish * Reserve, Montana, a census-designated place in Sheridan County * Reserve, New Mexico, a US vi ...

, where she would remain for 11 years. On 1 February 1778, ''Marseillois'' was hove down for maintenance and repairs of her hull, which was found to be in "very good shape", although her keel had hogged by ;not an uncommon figure for ships of the era maintenance completed two days later, and she was commissioned under Captain Louis-Armand de La Poype de Vertrieu.

American Revolutionary War

The outbreak of 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 ...

had caused relations between France and Great Britain to deteriorate, and diplomatic ties were broken on 16 March 1778.

Admiral d'Estaing Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, Count of Estaing (24 November 1729 – 28 April 1794) was a French general and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the ...

took command of a squadron of thirteen ships of the line and four frigates in Toulon. ''Marseillois'' was assigned to this fleet, the first active service she would see. The fleet set sail on 18 April 1778, crossed Gibraltar on 16 May, and arrived at the mouth of the Delaware River on 8 July.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 12.

Campaign of 1778–80, La Poype de Vertrieu

Entree de l escadre francaise en baie de Newport 1778 Ozanne

The French squadron arrived unopposed off

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on 8 July. British forces there amounted to a squadron of nine smaller ships of the line and two frigates under Admiral Lord Howe; in order to avoid battle with the more numerous and powerful French ships, Howe retreated under the protection of the strong defences of New York. D'Estaing wished to press the attack, but his pilots advised that the harbour was too shallow for his ships, so the squadron spent two weeks at anchor blockading Howe, resupplying and conferring with the American government.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 13. On 22 July, he departed for Newport to join the

American Revolutionaries American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, where he arrived on 28 July and anchored his fleet outside the harbour to better coordinate his attack with that of the Revolutionary land forces. ''Marseillois'' anchored in front of the main channel with most of the fleet, while ''Fantasque'', ''Sagittaire'' and the frigates blockaded the

Sakonnet River The Sakonnet River is a tidal strait in the state of Rhode Island which flows approximately 14 miles between Mount Hope Bay and Rhode Island Sound. It separates Aquidneck Island from the eastern portion of Newport County. Crossings Below is ...

, and ''Protecteur'' and ''Provence'' blocked the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 14. On 8 August, the French squadron sailed into Newport harbour, ''Marseillois'' coming sixth in the line. They had begun to disembark troops the following day when Howe's squadron arrived from New York. D'Estaing found his anchored ships were now vulnerable to attacks from land batteries, warships and

fireship A fire ship or fireship, used in the days of wooden rowed or sailing ships, was a ship filled with combustibles, or gunpowder deliberately set on fire and steered (or, when possible, allowed to drift) into an enemy fleet, in order to destroy sh ...

s, and cancelled the landing, putting to sea to challenge Howe in battle.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 15 Howe's force moved off, pursued by the French. On 11 August the French closed in and the two fleets manoeuvred in preparation for a battle, but around 16:00, a

Nor'easter A nor'easter (also northeaster; see below), or an East Coast low is a synoptic-scale extratropical cyclone in the western North Atlantic Ocean. The name derives from the direction of the winds that blow from the northeast. The original use o ...

storm broke out, scattering both fleets. ''Marseillois'' sustained damage to her rigging, losing her

mizzen The mast of a sailing vessel is a tall spar, or arrangement of spars, erected more or less vertically on the centre-line of a ship or boat. Its purposes include carrying sails, spars, and derricks, and giving necessary height to a navigation ligh ...

and her

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Middle L ...

, and was cut off from the bulk of the French squadron. The next day, around 20:00, having only just erected

jury rigging In maritime transport terms, and most commonly in sailing, jury-rigged is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. It can describe the actions of temporary makeshift running repairs made with only the tools and materials on board; and the subsequent r ...

, she was attacked by the 50-gun HMS ''Preston'', under William Hotham. The two ships duelled indecisively for one hour before parting. ''Marseillois'' rejoined the French fleet on 14 August.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 16. ''Marseillois'' took part in the

Battle of St. Lucia The Battle of St. Lucia or the Battle of the Cul de Sac was a naval battle fought off the island of St. Lucia in the West Indies during the American Revolutionary War on 15 December 1778, between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. Back ...

in September, coming third in the French line of battle,Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 19 and was present at other encounters with the British fleets in the

Anglo-French War The Anglo-French Wars were a series of conflicts between England (and after 1707, Britain) and France, including: Middle Ages High Middle Ages * Anglo-French War (1109–1113) – first conflict between the Capetian Dynasty and the House of Norma ...

. The next year, on 6 July 1779, ''Marseillois'' took part in 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 ...

, sailing in the rear of the French fleet. Later in the year, she took part in 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 ...

, where she was eighth in the line of battle.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 42 The French fleet sustained damage at the siege of Savannah and eventually returned to Europe. ''Marseillois'' returned to Toulon with ''Zélé'', ''Sagittaire'', ''Protecteur'', and ''Experiment''. During the campaign, 46 members of her crew had died; of these, only three had been killed in combat. La Poype de Vertrieu wrote his report and recommendations for the refitting of ''Marseillois'' on 24 December 1779; he found her a passable ship, but her high

poop Poop or pooped may refer to: Informal * Feces, the solid or semisolid remains of the food that could not be digested in the small intestine ** To poop, to defecate, to eliminate waste material from the digestive tract via the anus Other * ...

hindered her sailing when

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

, and he recommended improvements to the

gun port A gunport is an opening in the side of the hull of a ship, above the waterline, which allows the muzzle of artillery pieces mounted on the gun deck to fire outside. The origin of this technology is not precisely known, but can be traced back to ...

s of the castles, which were obstructed and allowed only two guns on the quarterdeck and one on the forecastle to be used. Furthermore, substantial repairs on the rigging were needed, and she needed her hull heated to kill worms. La Poype de Vertrieu wrote "it appears that ''Marseillois'' shall never be an exceptional sailor, but I am convinced that she will give satisfaction".Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 51.Translated from the original: "''Il est apparent que Le Marseillois n'aura jamais une marche distinguée, mias je suis persuadé que l'on en sera content quand on le naviguera à trente pouces de différence et que l'on évitera de trop entasser les poids sur son avant.''" Original quote in Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 51.

Campaign of 1780, Albert de Rions

After the repairs had been completed, Captain d'Albert de Rions was given command of ''Marseillois''. She was appointed to a two-ship squadron under Suffren, who had his flag on '' Zélé''. They set sail on 19 May 1780 to patrol off

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and joined up with a division under Rear-Admiral de Beausset in Cadiz on 17 June.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 11. On 6 November, ''Marseillois'' departed Cadiz with a joint Franco-Spanish fleet under Admiral d'Estaing, bound for

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

, where she arrived on 3 January 1781.

Campaign of 1781–82, Castellane Majastre

In Brest, command of ''Marseillois'' passed to Captain Henri-César de Castellane Majastre, and she became part of a squadron under Admiral

François Joseph Paul de Grasse François Joseph Paul, Comte de Grasse, Marquis of Grasse-Tilly SMOM (13 September 1722 – 11 January 1788) was a career French officer who achieved the rank of admiral. He is best known for his command of the French fleet at the Battle of the ...

Champmartin Champmartin is a village in the district of Avenches in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. On January 1, 2002, the municipality Champmartin merged with Cudrefin Cudrefin () is a municipality in the district of Broye-Vully in the canton of Vaud i ...

was the first officer, and a young

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve (31 December 1763 – 22 April 1806) was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and the Spanish fleets that were defeated by Nelson at the Batt ...

served aboard as an ensign. On 22 March 1781, the fleet sailed for America to reinforce D'Estaing's forces there, arriving off

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in th ...

on 29 April. There, the fleet met the British forces under Admiral Hood, and the

Battle of Fort Royal The Battle of Fort Royal was a naval battle fought off Fort Royal, Martinique in the West Indies during the Anglo-French War on 29 April 1781, between fleets of the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. After an engagement lasting four hours, th ...

broke out, an inconclusive long-ranged artillery duel that lasted until the British retreated the next day due to the damage sustained by HMS ''Intrepid'', ''Centaur'' and ''Russell''.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 102 De Grasse put to sail on 5 July, bound for Saint-Domingue where he arrived on 16 July. At Cap-Français, the fleet joined with the frigate ''

Concorde The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France an ...

'', under Captain de Tanouarn, which brought news of the status and plans of the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. Letters from Washington and Rochambeau requested that de Grasse set sail either to New York, or into

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

. Reinforcing his fleet with the squadron under Admiral de Monteil and with 3,300 soldiers taken from the garrisons of the island, De Grasse decided to sail for the Chesapeake.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 105. On 5 September 1781, the French and British squadrons met in the

. ''Marseillois'' was in the van of the French squadron, and exchanged the first shots of the day with the 64-gun HMS ''Intrepid'', under Captain Anthony Molloy. In early April, ''Marseillois'' took part in the four-day

. She was sailing at the rear of the fleet, and the French and British ships were already trading shots for ten minutes when she took her position in the line of battle.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 156 Later in the afternoon, she maintained a position in the line ahead of the flagship '' Ville de Paris'', and supported her until she struck her colours,Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 155 at which point Admiral de Vaudreuil ordered the fleet to regroup and follow him to Saint-Domingue. The fleet reached Cap-Français in several waves, the main corps arriving on 25 April; ''Marseillois'', along with ''Hercule'', ''Pluton'' and ''Éveillé'', arrived on 11 May.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 158 On 25 and 26 January 1782, ''Marseillois'' took part in the

, where she held the 5th position in the line of battle.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 215 ''Marseillois'' returned to France at some point in 1782, where she was listed on 1 September to be decommissioned.

Campaign of 1782–83, Lombard

In October 1782, she was hove down and coppered. She was then recommissioned in December 1782 in Brest under chevalier de Lombard, and was part of a two-ship squadron along with '' Protecteur''.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 12. Negotiations for peace with England started in January 1783, and ''Marseillois'' was decommissioned in

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 ...

on 13 February 1783. She remained in this state until 1794, with some repairs being conducted in 1785 and 1788.

French Revolutionary War

By February 1794 the still decommissioned, ''Marseillois'' had been renamed ''Vengeur du Peuple'', probably a response to the participation of the city of Marseille in the

Federalist revolts The Federalist revolts were uprisings that broke out in various parts of France in the summer of 1793, during the French Revolution. They were prompted by resentments in France's provincial cities about increasing centralisation of power in Pa ...

of 1793. She was recommissioned in Rochefort, and on 24 March 1794, Captain

Jean François Renaudin Jean François Renaudin (13 July 1750Levot, p.430 – 29 April 1809Levot, p.433) was a French Navy officer and Rear-Admiral. He is mostly known for captaining the ''Vengeur du Peuple'' at the Fourth Battle of Ushant. Career Early life Rena ...

took command.Barthélemy, pp. 288 and following On 1 April 1794, she sailed to

Île-d'Aix Île-d'Aix () is a commune and an island in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), off the west coast of France. It occupies the territory of the small Isle of Aix (''île d'Aix''), in the ...

, where she joined up with ''

Pelletier Pelletier is a common surname of French origin. Notable people with this surname include: *Anne-Marie Pelletier, French Bible scholar *Anne-Sophie Pelletier, French politician *Annie Pelletier, Canadian diver *Benoît Pelletier, Quebec Liberal Par ...

'', and on 11 April, the squadron sailed on again, reaching Brest on 18 April, having been joined en route by '' Jemmapes''. Upon their arrival the ships were assigned to the squadron under Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse.

Glorious First of June

On 16 May 1794, the fleet departed from Brest with the mission of protecting a convoy of ships carrying food to France, beginning the

Atlantic campaign of May 1794 The Atlantic campaign of May 1794 was a series of operations conducted by the British Royal Navy's Channel Fleet against the French Navy's Atlantic Fleet, with the aim of preventing the passage of a strategically important French grain convoy t ...

. On 1 June, the French squadron encountered the British fleet, in an engagement known as the

. ''Vengeur'' was third in the French

line of battle The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...

, after the flagship '' Montagne'' and between '' Achille'' and ''

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

''.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 338 The British fleet approached the French line in an oblique manner, leading to individual engagements as the British ships attempted to break through at several points. Around 9:30, the British flagship HMS ''Queen Charlotte'' cut the French line aft of ''Montagne'', firing a devastating

raking Raking (also called "raking ratio estimation" or " iterative proportional fitting") is the statistical process of adjusting data sample weights of a contingency table to match desired marginal totals. References {{Statistics-stub Estimation m ...

broadside that killed ''Montagne''s commander, Captain Bazire. The ship astern of ''Montagne'', ''

Jacobin , logo = JacobinVignette03.jpg , logo_size = 180px , logo_caption = Seal of the Jacobin Club (1792–1794) , motto = "Live free or die"(french: Vivre libre ou mourir) , successor = Pa ...

'', attempted to prevent ''Queen Charlotte'' breaking through by accelerating to close the gap between herself and her flagship; this left a gap behind her, between ''Jacobin'' and '' Achille'', that HMS ''Brunswick'', under Captain

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics * John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician * John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture ...

, attempted to exploit to cut the line and assist ''Queen Charlotte''. ''Achille'' accelerated and closed the gap, and ''Brunswick'' turned her fire against ''Vengeur'', while ''Achille'' engaged HMS ''Ramillies'' and ''

Valiant Valiant may refer to: People * James Valiant (1884–1917), English cricketer * The Valiant Brothers, a professional wrestling tag team of storyline brothers ** Jerry Valiant, a ring name of professional wrestler John Hill (1941-2010) ** Jimmy ...

''.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 348. Glorieux combats de juin 1794

Prevented from cutting the French line ahead of ''Achille'', HMS ''Brunswick'' turned and tried to cross aft of her, between ''Achille'' and ''Vengeur''. Seeing the manoeuvre, Renaudin also accelerated to close this new gap, and ''Brunswick'' and ''Vengeur'' collided, the anchor of ''Brunswick'' becoming entangled in the rigging of ''Vengeur''. ''Vengeur'' fired an entire broadside at point-blank range, but was then unable to fire her main batteries again, the ships being so close as to prevent French gunners from ramming ammunition into their guns; in contrast, British gunners used rammers with semi-rigid rope handles instead of wooden handles, and were able to reload and maintain a sustained fire, riddling ''Vengeur'' with holes.Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 354 The fight went on for four hours, until ''Brunswick'', after shattering the rudder of ''Vengeur'' to prevent her from manoeuvring, separated at 12:45. Her fire also opened a large hole in the hull of ''Vengeur''. During the duel between ''Vengeur'' and ''Brunswick'', the undamaged HMS ''Ramillies'' had approached and put herself in a favourable position to rake ''Vengeur'', and was waiting for ''Brunswick'' to separate to open fire. When she did so, ''Ramillies'' fired two broadsides, leaving ''Vengeur'' with only her foremast standing, which fell half an hour later. ''Ramillies'' sustained some damage herself.Toude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 349. Soon afterwards, seawater inundated the powder room of ''Vengeur'', denying her all means of defence, and 250 of her crew were out of action.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 17. The '' Trente-et-un Mai'' closed in around 3:30,Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 16. attempting to provide assistance, but the proximity of several British sails endangered her so that she eventually sailed away. Renaudin, seeing the hapless condition of his ship, ordered his flags hoisted half-mast in surrender and distress around 14:00,Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 355. but after her surrender no British ship managed to get men aboard to take possession. This left ''Vengeurs few remaining unwounded crew to attempt to salvage what they could. Ultimately the ship's pumps became unmanageable, and ''Vengeur'' began to sink. Only the timely arrival of boats from the undamaged HMS ''Alfred'' and '' Culloden'', as well as the services of the cutter ''

Rattler Rattlesnakes are venomous snakes that form the genera ''Crotalus'' and ''Sistrurus'' of the subfamily Crotalinae (the pit vipers). All rattlesnakes are vipers. Rattlesnakes are predators that live in a wide array of habitats, hunting small anima ...

'', saved any of the ''Vengeur's'' crew from drowning, these ships taking off nearly 500 sailors between them.Gardiner, ''Fleet Battle and Blockade'', p. 33 Lieutenant John Winne of ''Rattler'' was especially commended for this hazardous work. By 18:15, ''Vengeur'' was clearly beyond salvage and only the very worst of the wounded and the dead remained aboard, though some possibly stayed aboard in the hope of being rescued by a French ship rather than a British and avoid captivity. ''

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

'' rescued about 100 men; ''

'', about 40; and '' Culloden'', 127, including Captain Renaudin, who abandoned his ship and left in the very first British boat. He was taken to ''Culloden'' and served a meal in the officers' mess; as he dined with his son and other French and British officers, a commotion was heard; racing to the gallery of ''Culloden'', the party witnessed ''Vengeur'' sink with the remaining wounded aboard. Figures of the casualties on ''Vengeur'' are not precisely known, but amount to approximately 250 killed during the battle, 106 drowned in the sinking, and 367 rescued by the British.Cunot (p.432) gives 267 survivors, including Renaudin, his brother and their two sons who served on ''Vengeur'' as boys; 250 men killed; and 206 drowned in the wreck.

Legacy

The sinking of ''Vengeur du Peuple'' was exploited for political purposes in France, as several sailors were said to have cried "''Vive la Nation, vive la République!''" ("Long live the nation, long live the republic") from the bow of the ship as she foundered; this was bloated out of proportion by French politicians, who added that the sailors had waved the

tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

, sung ''

La Marseillaise "La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song was written in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in Strasbourg after the declaration of war by France against Austria, and was originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du R ...

'' in defiance, and even continued firing guns until water reached them while the ship foundered, to eventually sink with her rather than surrender.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 13. They also extrapolated that the entire crew had disappeared with the ''Vengeur'', a claim disproved by the return of captured crewmembers as they were quickly released from British captivity.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 34.Barère, ''Rapport...'', p.4 The origin of the legend is a speech made by

at the

on 21 messidor (9 July), ''Rapport sur l'héroïsme des Républicains montant le vaisseau ''le Vengeur, where he claimed that ''Vengeur'' had refused to surrender, nailing her flag, and that all the sailors had died with the ship, giving a last shout of "long live the Republic" and waving all sorts of flags and pennants while the ship disappeared. Lord Howe denies the account entirely, claiming that it never occurred, a position followed by many British sources.Fraser, p.365

originally included the legend in his '' The French Revolution: A History'', prompting Rear-admiral John Griffiths – who, as a lieutenant on HMS ''Culloden'' at the time, had been an eyewitness to the sinking – to publicly challenge Carlyle's tale. Carlyle set out to get to the bottom of the story, eventually unearthing the official report of ''Vengeur's'' captain, Renaudin. Carlyle concluded that Barère had concocted a "cunningly devised fable", and changed his account of the sinking of the ''Vengeur'' in subsequent editions.In later editions of '' The French Revolution: A History'', Carlyle added a paragraph that dismisses his own previous account. See for instance the Centenary Edition
p.242
/ref> The three most serious reports of the events are the report of Jean François Renaudin, captain of ''Vengeur'', written in captivity on 1 Messidor an II (19 June 1794), signed by Renaudin, Jean Hugine, Louis Rousseau, Pelet, Trouvée, Lussot and others, then in British custody in Tavistock;Troude, ''Batailles navales'', p. 357.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 19 and following the report of Cyprien Renaudin, first officer of ''Vengeur'' (and cousin to Jean François Renaudin),Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 52–58 which was found around 1929 in family archives;Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 27. and later accounts written in 1838 by Rear-admiral John Griffiths, who had witnessed the event 44 years earlier.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 29. Vengeur nails the flag

In French drawings, ''Vengeur'' is often depicted as flying the

Tricolour A tricolour () or tricolor () is a type of flag or banner design with a triband design which originated in the 16th century as a symbol of republicanism, liberty, or revolution. The flags of France, Italy, Romania, Mexico, and Ireland were ...

, which had been recently ordered by the Convention to be flown as

battle ensign A battle ensign is the name given to a large war ensign (flag) hoisted on a warship's mast just before going into battle. In what could become a very confusing situation with thick clouds of gunsmoke the ensign gave additional identificatio ...

; however, due to a lack of bunting in Brest, Villaret had not been able to distribute this flag to all his ships, and thus ''Vengeur'' probably still flew the white flag with a canton of three equal columns of red, white, and blue.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 36 The notion that the ship would have nailed her flag and never surrendered, as Barère claimed, is never accounted in any of the reports. Though Jean François Renaudin never explicitly states that he surrendered, he does mention that he had his flag flown half-mast in distress when he was surrounded by British ships, indicating that he was requesting assistance from the enemy.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 24 Griffiths observes that ''Vengeur'' was dismasted to the point that there would have been nothing on which to nail a flag anyway, and James makes mentions of ''Vengeur'' hoisting the

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

in submission. The exact cause of the sinking was also the subject of dispute. Barère's account describes ''Vengeur'' as sinking from the shots that would have holed her hull; actually, Cyprien Renaudin mentions only two such holes in the lower hull of ''Vengeur''Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 25 and a noise "like a strong waterfall" at the poop, which he could not identify;Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 28 this is consistent with James' account of "''the ''Brunswick'', by a few well-directed shot, split the Vengeur's rudder, and shattered her stern-post ; besides making a large hole in her counter, through which the water rushed in great quantity.''"James, ''Naval History''
p. 163
/ref> In any case, the superstructures were very much battered, prompting Lieutenant Rotheram, of ''Culloden'', to report that he "could not place a two-feet rule in any direction, he thought, that would not touch two shot-holes".

Claude Farrère Claude Farrère, pseudonym of Frédéric-Charles Bargone (27 April 1876, in Lyon – 21 June 1957, in Paris), was a French Navy officer and writer. Many of his novels are based in exotic locations such as Istanbul, Saigon, or Nagasaki. One of ...

attributes the sinking to ineptitude of the crew who had failed to close damaged lower gunports.Farrère, p. 271 The later study conducted by Captain Diaz de Soria in the 1950s suggests that water did enter from the gun ports of the lower battery, ripped off in the collision with ''Culloden'' and shattered by artillery fire, and that the crew failed to obstruct them with temporary contrivances. The panicking crew would have aggravated the situation by failing to man the pumps, explaining why it took four hours for ''Vengeur'' to sink between her surrender around 14:00 until her sinking between 18:00 and 18:30.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 26 The most debated point is the patriotic shouts, sometimes claimed to have been accompanied by singing of the ''Marseillaise''. These shouts are denied entirely by Griffiths, but are mentioned in French accounts. Renaudin's report does claim that sailors shouted "''Vive la République''", but that it was in desperation for being unable to reach the British craft; it does not mention any particular defiance in the intent, though, nor does it mention flags or ''La Marseillaise''; this position is followed by Troude and Farrère. Guérin proposes a variation, that knowing themselves doomed, the sailors remaining on ''Vengeur'' made a last display of patriotic and political fervour before dying.

William James William James (January 11, 1842 – August 26, 1910) was an American philosopher, historian, and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the lat ...

provides an alternative theory when he suggests that any person who behaved in such a manner on the stricken ship was acting under the influence of alcohol;James, ''Naval History''
p. 164
/ref> Troude, otherwise very critical of Barère's account, vehemently dismissed this idea.Troude, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 356–357. Captain Renaudin was said in a naval registry to have swum to safety.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 30 He had in fact abandoned his ship with the first British boat, leaving his men behind in disregard for military customs and the 1765 standing order that Captains had to be last to abandon ship,Guérin (vol.6, p.46) suggests that Renaudin left his ship as a sign that he was surrendering her to the custody of the British. and though his account insinuates that he was on a boat close to ''Vengeur'' when she foundered, he was actually dining in the mess of ''Culloden'' at the moment of the sinking. In 1795, Loutherbourg depicted the rescue of ''Vengeur''s crew by British ships in his large canvas of the battle, '' Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June''.

Contemporary reactions in France

The speech of 9 July by Barère at the National Convention inflamed the nation, and as it specifically encouraged artists to exalt the story, poets like

Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun Ponce Denis Écouchard Lebrun (11 August 1729 – 31 August 1807) was a French lyric poet. Biography Lebrun was born in Paris at the house of the prince de Conti, to whom his father was valet. Among Lebrun's school friends was a son of Louis Raci ...

and

Marie-Joseph Chénier Marie-Joseph Blaise de Chénier (11 February 1764 – 10 January 1811) was a French poet, dramatist and politician of French and Greek origin. Biography The younger brother of André Chénier, Joseph Chénier was born at Constantinople, but ...

composed eulogies to commemorate the event, wrote new words for existing songs, and even produced a three-act opera. Barère had the following decree passed at the National Convention on 21 June 1794: The reappearance of the purportedly sunk crew,Guérin, vol.6, p.506, note 39 and the

Thermidorian Reaction The Thermidorian Reaction (french: Réaction thermidorienne or ''Convention thermidorienne'', "Thermidorian Convention") is the common term, in the historiography of the French Revolution, for the period between the ousting of Maximilien Robespie ...

, prevented the completion of this programme. Captain Renaudin was posthumously promoted to contre-amiral on 29 August 1794;RENAUDIN Jean-François.Contre-Amiral
/ref> he was later exchanged for the captain of HMS ''Thames'', Captain James Cotes. On 10 September 1794,

Jean-Jacques Bréard Jean-Jacques Bréard (; October 1751- January 2, 1840) was born into a family of a navy inspectors. He moved to France as a young boy in 1758. His first involvement in politics included organizing elections to the Estates General in Marennes and a ...

declared before the Convention: In spite of these facts, the myth lived on: in his ''Histoire de la révolution française'',

Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic. Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...

wrote an account repeating Barère's version, where ''Vengeur'' refused to surrender. In 1847

Alphonse de Lamartine Alphonse Marie Louis de Prat de Lamartine (; 21 October 179028 February 1869), was a French author, poet, and statesman who was instrumental in the foundation of the Second Republic and the continuation of the Tricolore as the flag of France. ...

even invented the story that Renaudin had been killed heroically, cut in half by a cannon shot like Dupetit-Thouars. Some reports however indicate that the legend was not seriously accepted: Carlyle suggests one near-eyewitness French account amounted to "not a recantation of an impudent amazing falsehood, but to some vague faint murmur or whimper of admission that it is probably false". Captain Diaz de Soria relates the story, probably apocryphal, that in 1840, the

Prince of Joinville The first known lord of Joinville (French ''sire'' or ''seigneur de Joinville'') in the county of Champagne appears in the middle of the eleventh century. The former lordship was raised into the Principality of Joinville under the House of Guise ...

, while decorating the purported last survivor of ''Vengeur'', would have told him "we do this for the legend, my good man: nations, after all, live only of legends". In 1857, Guérin wrote "one wonders how, after that, history could remain so credulous"."''On se demande comment, après cela, l'histoire a pu rester si crédule''". By "that" ("''cela''"), Guérin refers to the reappearance of the crew of ''Vengeur'', reported sunk with their ship.

Jules Verne's depiction

In ''

'', published in 1870,

reported the incident with its revolutionary slant:

Models

At least two models of ''Vengeur du Peuple'' are known. One, a

scrimshaw Scrimshaw is scrollwork, engravings, and carvings done in bone or ivory. Typically it refers to the artwork created by whalers, engraved on the byproducts of whales, such as bones or cartilage. It is most commonly made out of the bones and teeth ...

model crafted by a prisoner of war, is on display at

Vancouver Maritime Museum The Vancouver Maritime Museum is a maritime museum devoted to presenting the maritime history of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the Canadian Arctic. Opened in 1959 as a Vancouver centennial project, it is located within Vanier Park ...

. The other is a 1/55th arsenal model realised by master Boubénec between 1951 and 1952, under the direction of Captain Diaz de Soria. It was built from the plans of the hull and rafter of the ship, though sculptures were undocumented and had to be reconstituted from drawings.Diaz de Soria, ''Le Marseillois'', p. 7 It is currently on display at the Musée de la Marine et de l'Économie de Marseille.

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

*
Répertoire de vaisseau de ligne français de 1781 à 1815
Ronald Deschênes *

* ttp://fandancetres.oldiblog.com/?page=lastarticle&id=1505827 LISTE EQUIPAGE VAISSEAU LE MARSEILLAIS*
VILLENEUVE, Pierre-Charles de, (1763–1806), vice-amiral
*
Le Vengeur livre son dernier combat
Fabienne Manière, herodote.net *

9 July 1794 ''The World's Famous Orations'', Retrieved 29 May 2008 *
Letter to Mary Rich
10 December 1838 ''The Carlyle Letters'', Retrieved 29 May 2008 *
RENAUDIN Jean-François. Contre-Amiral
Amis du Patrimoine Napoléonien *
1794 - Marins de la Tremblade (17) survivants du naufrage du Vengeur, héros oubliés
*
Guerres navales révolutionnaires
Jérémie Benoît, histoire-image.org *
Bone Model ''Le Vengeur du Peuple''
Bridgeman Art Library *
Featured Exhibits
, vancouvermaritimemuseum.com *

marseille-images.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Vengeur du Peuple Ships of the line of the French Navy Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean 1766 ships Maritime incidents in 1794 Don des vaisseaux Ships built in France