''Artésien'' (' Artesian') 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 tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

, lead ship of her class. She was funded by a

don des vaisseaux The ''don des vaisseaux'' (English language, English: gift of the vessels) was a Subscription (finance), subscription programme launched by French statesman Étienne François de Choiseul, Duke of Choiseul in 1761 to rebuild the French Navy to mak ...

donation from the Estates of Artois.

Career

''Artésien'' was built in 1765 as a part of a series of twelve ships of the line began by Choiseul to compensate for the losses endured by the French Royal Navy during the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

. She was paid by the province of

Artois Artois ( , ; ; Picard: ''Artoé;'' English adjective: ''Artesian'') is a region of northern France. Its territory covers an area of about 4,000 km2 and it has a population of about one million. Its principal cities include Arras (Dutch: ...

and

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, and named in its honour, according to the practice of the time. During the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, ''Artésien'' took part in the Battle of St. Lucia on 15 December 1778, in the Battle of Martinique on 17 April 1780, in the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the second battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

, under Captain Thomassin de Peynier. In 1781, ''Artésien'' was attached to a division under Suffren, departing France for the

Dutch Cape Colony The Cape of Good Hope () was a Dutch United East India Company (VOC) supplystation in Southern Africa, centered on the Cape of Good Hope, from where it derived its name. The original supply station and the successive states that the area was ...

and Isle de France (

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

). Off

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

, ''Artésien'' detected a British squadron, resulting in the

Battle of Porto Praya The Battle of Porto Praya was a naval battle that took place during the American Revolutionary War on 16 April 1781 between a British squadron under Commodore George Johnstone and a French squadron under Pierre André de Suffren. Both squadr ...

.Liste des régiments et vaisseaux.
Théatre d'opérations : Etats-Unis 1777-1782 Her captain, Cardaillac, was killed by a bullet to the chest at the beginning of the action, and was replaced by First officer de la Boixière. At the Battle of Sadras on 17 February 1782, she was commanded by Captain Bidé de Maurville. On 7 July 1782, following the Battle of Negapatam, Suffren replaced Maureville with Armand de Saint-Félix. ''Artésien'' went on to take part in the Battle of Trincomalee from 25 August to 3 September 1782.

Fate

''Artésien'' was decommissioned in 1785 and used as a shear hulk.

Legacy

A finely crafted 1/28th scale model was used to instruct

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

in naval studies. The model is now on display at the Musée de la Marine.

Citations

References

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External links

Ships of the line of the French Navy 1765 ships Don des vaisseaux Artésien-class ships of the line {{France-mil-ship-stub