Redoutable (1791)

Type

Ship of the Line

Period

19th Century

Nation

France

Overview: Redoutable was a 74-gun Téméraire-class ship of the line of the French Navy, originally launched in 1791 as Suffren and renamed Redoutable in 1794/95. She is best remembered for her ferocious close-quarters action against HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), during which one of her marksmen fatally wounded Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, making her one of the most historically significant French warships of the Napoleonic era. Specifications: As a Téméraire-class 74-gun ship, Redoutable had a length of roughly 55.9 m (183 ft), a beam of about 14.5 m (47 ft), and a draught of around 7.15 m. Her armament comprised 28 x 36-pounder guns on the lower gun deck, 30 x 18-pounder guns on the upper gun deck, and 16 x 8-pounder guns on the forecastle and quarterdeck, with a full-rigged ship sail plan and a crew of roughly 705 men. Service History: Commissioned in Brest and originally named Suffren, the ship's crew took part in the Quiberon mutinies before she was renamed Redoutable. She served in the French Revolutionary Wars including the Croisière du Grand Hiver, the Battle of Groix, and the failed 1796 expedition to Ireland, then carried troops to Guadeloupe and Haiti during the Saint-Domingue expedition before joining Villeneuve's fleet for the Trafalgar campaign. Notable Facts: At Trafalgar, Redoutable rushed to cover the flagship Bucentaure's exposed stern and engaged HMS Victory directly, her crew's musket and grenade fire from the fighting tops killing Nelson before HMS Temeraire raked her with grapeshot and decimated her crew. Having struck her colours after being reduced to a wreck, she foundered in the violent storm that followed the battle on 22 October 1805, making her a popular and dramatic subject for Trafalgar-themed ship models and artwork.