French ship Formidable (1751)

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Plan of HMS Formidable (1759)
History
French Royal Navy EnsignFrance
NameFormidable
LaunchedJune 1751
Captured20 November 1759, by Royal Navy
Notes
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameFormidable
Acquired20 November 1759
FateBroken up, 1768
General characteristics [1]
Class and type80-gun third rate ship of the line
Tons burthen2002 tons
Length188 ft (57 m) (gundeck)
Beam49 ft 2.75 in (15.0051 m)
Depth of hold21 ft 4.5 in (6.515 m)
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament80 guns of various weights of shot
an image of French ship Formidable (1751)

Formidable was an 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, launched in 1751.

Career[edit]

In 1754, Formidable was under Duchaffault, part of a squadron under Mac Nemara.[2]

She fought at the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759, where she served as the flagship of Saint André du Vergé. HMS Resolution captured her at the battle and the Admiralty commissioned her in the Royal Navy as the Third Rate HMS Formidable.

Fate[edit]

Formidable was broken up in 1768.

In popular culture[edit]

The Formidable appears as a legendary ship fought in the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed: Rogue at the Battle of Quiberon Bay. In contrast to the game, the ship was sunk by the protagonist Shay Cormac with his ship, the Morrigan, instead of being captured by the Royal Navy. Like all men-of-war in the game, the ship is a 116-gun first rate ship of the line, contrary to its real world counterpart.

Citations[edit]

  1. ^ Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1. p178.
  2. ^ Taillemite (2002), p. 148.

References[edit]

  • Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650–1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.
  • Taillemite, Étienne (2002). Dictionnaire des Marins français. Tallandier. ISBN 2-84734-008-4. OCLC 606770323.