French frigate Machault (1757)
.jpg) Drawing of an 18th Century French Frigate[1]
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg){kind=small} France | |
| Name | Machault |
| Laid down | 1756 |
| Launched | 1757 |
| Fate | Sunk on 8 July 1760 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | 32-gun frigate |
| Tons burthen | 500 tons (550 tonnes) |
| Length | 123 ft 3 in (37.57 m) (gundeck) |
| Beam | 33 ft 3 in (10.13 m) |
| Depth of hold | 16 ft 5 in (5.00 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | 32 guns of various weights of shot |
Machault was a 32-gun ship of the French Navy, launched in 1757 at Bayonne, France.[2]
She was built as a privateer and owned by Joseph Cadet, a general merchant and arms supplier in New France, and associate of the Intendant, Francois Bigot. She was hired by the French Navy in March 1759. Governor Vaudreuil had asked the French King to send supplies and re-enforcements. The French merchants acquiesced to this demand by sending five merchant ships to New France in 1760, escorted by Machault.
Her captain was François Chenard de la Giraudais. Machault took part in the Battle of Restigouche on 8 July 1760. She had 250–337 persons on board, of which 150 were sailors. She was sunk in the action, with her wreck later being explored and a number of artefacts salvaged.
In 2006, Atholville resident and historian Allan Muzzerall contributed small pieces of wood salvaged from the ship in the 1970s during excavation for a local mill to the Six String Nation project. This material now forms the bridge of Voyageur, the guitar at the heart of the project.[3]
See also
Notes
- ^ C. Sullivan, Legacy of the Machault, Parks Canada p. 10
- ^ W.J.Eccles, France en Amérique, p. 123.
- ^ Jowi., Taylor (2009). Six string nation : 64 pieces, 6 strings, 1 Canada, 1 guitar. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre. ISBN 9781553653936. OCLC 302060380.
- Bryce, Douglas (1984). Weaponry from the Machault An 18th-Century French Frigate. Studies in Archaeology Architecture and History. Ottawa: Parks Canada. ISBN 0-660-11708-8.