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French ship Saint-Esprit

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For other ships with the same name, see French ship Scipion.
The Saint-Esprit in action.
(Detail of an English painting of 1784)
History
French Navy Ensign French Navy Ensign French Navy EnsignFrance
NameSaint-Esprit[1]
NamesakeOrder of the Holy Spirit
Ordered11 January 1762[1]
BuilderArsenal of Brest[1]
Laid downMay 1762[1]
Launched12 October 1765[1]
Christened20 January 1762 [1]
Commissioned1766[1]
Decommissioned26 January 1795[1]
RenamedScipion in April 1794[1]
FateWrecked off Brest on 26 January 1795[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeSaint-Esprit class ship of the line
Displacement1754 tonnes[1]
Length59.8 m (196 ft)[1]
Beam14.9 m (49 ft)[1]
Draught7.5 m (25 ft)[1]
Complement970
Armament

The Saint-Esprit ("Holy Ghost") was an 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.[1] She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Order of the Holy Spirit, and named in its honour.

Career

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She took part in the Battle of Ushant under La Motte-Picquet, and to the Armada of 1779.[1]

In 1781, on 29 April, she took part in the Battle of Fort Royal under Chabert-Cogolin.[2][3]

She was renamed Scipion in April 1794, and took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 under Huguet, where she was totally dismasted.[1] She was wrecked on 30 January 1795, during the Croisière du Grand Hiver.[1] Most of her crew were rescued by Trente-et-un Mai.[1][4]

As a young man, Swedish naval officer Johan Herman Schützercrantz served on board the Saint–Esprit; he would later become a rear admiral in Swedish service.[5]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Roche, p.394
  2. ^ Troude (1867), p. 100—101.
  3. ^ Kerguelen (1796), p. 182-183.
  4. ^ Levot, p.207
  5. ^ Benson, Adolph B. (1926). Sweden and the American Revolution. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. p. 117. OCLC 1414856625.

References

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