The ''Algonquin'' 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 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 launched from
Québec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the metropolitan area had a population of 839,311. It is the ...
in (
New France
New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...
), on 9 June 1753 and placed into service on 8 January 1754.
[W.J.Eccles, France en Amérique, p.123]
In 1755, she was placed into service for the transportation of nine companies of the
régiment de la Reine
The Régiment de la Reine (''Queen's Regiment'') was a French Army infantry regiment active in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is principally known for its role in the Seven Years' War, when it served in the North American theatre.
Early histo ...
who embarked in
Brest on 14 April 1755. The 74-gun ship was armed ''
en flûte
''En flûte'' (French: "as a fluyt") is a French naval expression of the Age of Sail to designate the use of a warship as a transport with reduced armament.Willaumez, p. 294
Some warships, ships of the line or frigates, were occasionally used wit ...
'' with 24 guns to allow for more room for the soldiers. The ship was commanded by Captain
Jean Baptiste François de La Villéon. The regiment was also reduced to 360 soldiers. ''Algonquin'' was part of the naval squadron that left for
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. She became separated from the other ships after the departure on 29 May, because of heavy fog at sea.
See also
*
Military of New France
The military of New France consisted of a mix of regular soldiers from the French Army ( Carignan-Salières Regiment) and French Navy ( Troupes de la marine, later Compagnies Franches de la Marine) supported by small local volunteer militia unit ...
*
History of the French Navy
Although the history of the French Navy goes back to the Middle Ages, its history can be said to effectively begin with Richelieu under Louis XIII.
Since the establishment of her present territory, France had to face three major challenges on th ...
Notes and references
Ships of the line of the French Navy
1753 ships
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