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French ship Solitaire (1774)

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History
French Royal Navy EnsignFrance
NameSolitaire
Launched22 October 1774
Captured6 December 1782, by Royal Navy
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameSolitaire
Acquired6 December 1782
FateSold, 1790
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeSolitaire class ship of the line
Tons burthen1521 tons
Length51 metres [2]
Beam13.2 metres [2]
Draught6.4 metres [2]
PropulsionSails
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament

Solitaire was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, built by Antoine Groignard[3] and launched in 1774, lead ship of her class. She was captured by the Royal Navy on 6 December 1782, and commissioned as the third rate HMS Solitaire. She was sold out of the Navy in 1790.

Career

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In 1776, Solitaire was under Chef d'Escadre Chartres as flagship of one of the three division of the Escadre d'évolution that year.[4] In June, she collided with Terpsichore and both ships had to repair in Cadiz.[5][6]

In 1778, Solitaire was part of the Third Division of the Blue squadron in the fleet of Orvilliers,[7] and took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778 under Captain Briqueville.[8][5]

In 1779, she was part of a division under Louis Augustin de Monteclerc, also comprising the frigates Inconstante and Surveillante, and led an expedition to hunt down privateers. The division returned to Brest on 4 May 1779 with 400 prisoners.[9] Later that year, Solitaire was attached to a squadron under Orvilliers.[9][10]

She took part in the Battle of Fort Royal on 29 April 1781 under Cicé-Champion.[11]

Solitaire was part of a squadron that comprised Triton, Résolue, Nymphe, and the brig Speedy. The French squadron sailed on 24 November 1782 from Saint-Pierre, Martinique.[12]

After a dark night, Solitaire, Captain de Borda, found herself in the morning close to a squadron of eight British ships under the command of Rear-Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, which was on its way from Gibraltar. The English gave chase and Solitaire sailed to delay them and give the rest of the French squadron a chance to escape.[12]

At 12:30 and engagement developed between Solitaire and HMS Ruby. As another British vessel approached Solitaire had to strike. Speedy was captured in the same action,[13] after a vigorous defence. In the action, her captain, Ribiers, was killed, together with a large part of her crew.[12] Among the crew members taken prisoners was the young Swedish naval officer Johan Herman Schützercrantz, who would later become a rear admiral in Swedish service.[14]

Citations

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  1. ^ Lavery, Ships of the Line vol.1. p182.
  2. ^ a b c d Roche, vol.1, p.86
  3. ^ Binet (1911). "La construction du vaisseau de 100 canons "La Bretagne"". Annales de Bretagne et des pays de l'Ouest. 27–2: 218. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  4. ^ Lacour-Gayet (1905), p. 80-81.
  5. ^ a b Roche (2005), p. 419.
  6. ^ Roche (2005), p. 433.
  7. ^ Lacour-Gayet (1905), p. 618.
  8. ^ Académie de Marine (2011), p. 2.
  9. ^ a b Contenson (1934), p. 228.
  10. ^ Troude (1867), p. 32.
  11. ^ Troude (1867), p. 102.
  12. ^ a b c Guérin (1857), Vol. 5, p.124.
  13. ^ Troude (1865), Vol. 2, p.212.
  14. ^ Benson, Adolph B. (1926). Sweden and the American Revolution. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor. p. 117. OCLC 1414856625.

References

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  • Académie de Marine (2011). "BRIQUEVILLE" (PDF). Académie de Marine. Retrieved 16 May 2020.


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