''Indien'' was a 64-gun ship of the line 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 ...

, lead ship of her class. Originally built 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 th ...

, she was purchased by the Navy and saw service during the

War of American 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

''Indien'' was built for the

at Lorient, and entered service for her first commercial journey in January 1769. After the collapse of the Company, the French Navy purchased in April 1770, and recommissioned her as a 68-gun ship of the line. ''Indien'' took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, under La Grandière, as the lead ship in the 3rd Division of the White-and-Blue squadron of the French fleet. In 1780, under Captain

Balleroy Balleroy () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region of north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Balleroy-sur-Drôme. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Biardais'' or ...

, she was part of Guichen's squadron, and she took part in the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780, as well as in the actions of 15 May and 19 May 1780. Captained by Laubépine, she was later attached to the combined French-Spanish fleet under Córdova.

Fate

After returning to France, ''Indien'' was condemned in Toulon in 1783. She was sold in 1784.

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Indien (1774) Ships of the line of the French Navy 1768 ships