The ''Zélé'' was a
74-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 Royal 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 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 ''Régisseur général des finances''.
Career
On 6 July 1779, she participated 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 ...
as a member of the Vanguard. Under
Bruyères-Chalabre, she was part of the French blockade during
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 1779.
In 1781 and 1782, was part of
de Grasse's fleet 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 ...
. She took part in the
Invasion of Tobago in May 1781 and in the
Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781. under
Charles-René de Gras-Préville
Charles-René de Gras-Préville (Tarascon, 1732 — Lyon, 11 December 1793) was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence, earning membership in the Society of the Cincinnati.
Biography
Gras-Préville was born t ...
.
In the night of 11 to 12 April 1782, ''Zélé'' collided with
''Ville de Paris'', damaging ''Zélé'' which had to be taken in tow to repair at Martinique. This precipitated the French disorganisation and subsequent defeat in the
Battle of the Saintes later that day.
''Zélé'' was broken up in May 1806.
Citations
References
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External links
Ships of the line
Ships of the line of the French Navy
Ships built in France
César-class ships of the line
1763 ships
Don des vaisseaux
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