''Saint Michel'' 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 ...

, lead ship of Saint Michel class ship of the line, her class.

Career

Built for the Crown, ''Saint Michel'' was originally manned by officers of the French East India Company. During the War of the Austrian Succession, ''Saint Michel'' was part of a squadron under Admiral François-César de Vimeur de Rochambeau, de Rochambeau; on 17 August 1744, she captured the 20-gun near Gibraltar. In 1747, her command was transferred to Navy officers. In 1761, she was recommissioned in Rochefort under Captain de Lizardais to serve in the Seven Years' War, to serve in the Caribbean theatre, but she never actually departed. She was then refitted as a 60 gun ship in 1762. During the American Revolutionary War, ''Saint Michel'' took part in the Battle of Ushant (1778), Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, under Claude Mithon de Genouilly, Mithon de Genouilly. She and later took part in the capture of HMS Ardent (1764), HMS ''Ardent'' off Plymouth on 17 August 1779. She took part in the Battle of Martinique (1780), Battle of Martinique in the Caribbean on 17 April 1780, under Chevalier d'Aymar (French Navy officer), Chevalier d'Aymar. On 11 December 1781, Marquis de Bussy-Castelnau, Bussy-Castelnau departed Cadiz with a squadron comprising ''Saint-Michel'' and the 74-gun French ship Illustre (1781), ''Illustre'', escorting three transports, to make his junction at Tenerife with another squadron under Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, comte de Guichen, Guichen. the next day, they encountered a British squadron under Richard Kempenfelt, Kempenfelt. In the subsequent Battle of Ushant (1781), Second Battle of Ushant, most of the French transports were captured by the British, except ''Marquis de Castries'' and ''Neptune-Royal'', which reached Sainte-Croix carrying siege artillery and an artillery company. Bussy sailed on towards the Indian Ocean, arriving to Table Bay in early April. He landed his troops to reinforce the Dutch Cape Colony against a possible British attack, and on 2 May he sailed to Isle de France (Mauritius), Isle de France (Mauritius), where ''Saint-Michel'' and ''Illustre'' arrived on 31, the transports following a few days later. Informed that Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves had left the island on 7 December 1781 with his squadron to attack Trincomalee, Bussy decided to attach the 40-gun frigate French frigate Consolante (1775), ''Consolante'' to his squadron, as well as 800 men from the garrison which he embarked on 9 transports, and go reinforce him. On 21 August 1782, ''Ilustre'' and ''Saint-Michel'' arrived at Batacalo, making their junction with the squadron under Suffren. They were escorting 8 transports and preceded by the corvette HMS Fortune (1778), ''Fortune'', under Lusignan. Appointed to Pierre André de Suffren, Suffren's squadron in the Indian Ocean, she took part in the battles of Battle of Trincomalee, Trincomalee. After D'Aymar was promoted to ''Annibal'', Suffren appointed Lieutenant Beaumont le Maître to replace him. ''Saint Michel'' took part in the Battle of Cuddalore (1783), Cuddalore, before she returned to France in 1784. ''Saint Michel'' carried out another mission to the Indian Ocean in 1787 before returning to France to be hulked the next year.

Notes, citations, and references

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References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michel (1741) Ships of the line of the French Navy 1741 ships