''Superbe'' 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 ...

. Her hull was copper sheathed.

Career

In 1787, ''Superbe'' was the flagship of the

Escadre d'évolution An Escadre d'évolution (French, literally "Evolution squadron") is a squadron of warships 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 ...

under Nieuil. She departed Brest in June for the training cruise and reached Lisbon before returning in August. She took part in the

Croisière du Grand Hiver The ''Croisière du Grand Hiver'' (French "Campaign of the Great Winter") was a French attempt to organise a winter naval campaign in the wake of the Glorious First of June. Context The Glorious First of June had ended on a strategic success f ...

, where she sank due to a leak. Her crew were rescued by

Pierre Maurice Julien de Quérangal Pierre Maurice Julien de Quérangal (13 December 1758 in Lorient – 1840) sometimes written Kerangal, was a French Navy officer and admiral. Biography Quérangal joined the Navy in 1775, rising to lieutenant by 1790. In 1791, he was sent to ...

Sources and references

Notes Citations References * * External links
Ships of the line
Ships of the line of the French Navy Téméraire-class ships of the line Shipwrecks in the Bay of Biscay 1784 ships Maritime incidents in 1795 Ships built in France {{France-line-ship-stub