''Algésiras'' 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 ...
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
ship of the line built at
Lorient in 1804, named after the
Battle of Algeciras.
In 1805 she sailed to the
West Indies with where they joined a French fleet under Vice-Admiral
Villeneuve.
In October 1805 she took part in the
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval battle, naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–De ...
, under Rear Admiral
Charles Magon. She was engaged by at point-blank range, and Magon attempted a boarding, but the boarding party was annihilated by British fire which killed all but one of the party, who was made prisoner. Magon was killed. The fight went on for an hour with ''Tonnant''s starboard guns duelling with the ''Algésiras'', the port guns with , and the forward guns aimed at the . ''Algésiras'' finally surrendered to ''Tonnant'' at around 14:30.
During the storm after the battle, her crew rose up against the British prize crew, and recaptured the ship. She sailed to
Cádiz
Cádiz (, , ) is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the Province of Cádiz, one of eight that make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cádiz, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, ...
flying French colours.
On 14 June 1808 she
was captured by the Spanish along with all the other French ships in Cadiz.
See also
*
List of ships captured in the 19th century
Throughout naval history during times of war battles, blockades, and other patrol missions would often result in the capture of enemy ships or those of a neutral country. If a ship proved to be a valuable prize efforts would sometimes be made to ...
References
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Algesiras
Ships of the line of the French Navy
Téméraire-class ships of the line
1804 ships
Captured ships
Napoleonic-era ships
Ships built in France