Ships
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Formidable

Formidable

Captured

French Navy, then Royal Navy

TypeShip of the line
RateThird rate
Guns80
WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars

Service

1795–1805Formidable
from 1805Brave

Captured at Cape Ortegal

80-gun ship, Rear-Admiral Dumanoir's flagship. Escaped from Trafalgar with the van and was taken at Cape Ortegal; HMS Brave in British service.

Naval Combat between the French ship Formidable commanded by Captain Troude, three British ships, the Caesar, the Spencer, the Venerable and the English frigate Thames in sight of Cadiz, July 13, 1801 Photo: Pierre-Julien Gilbert, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Armament and specifications

Armament

French service

  • 30 × 36-pounder long guns
  • 32 × 24-pounder long guns
  • 18 × 12-pounder long guns
  • 4 × obusiers de vaisseau

British service

  • Lower deck: 32 × 32-pounder guns
  • Upper deck: 30 × 18-pounder guns
  • Quarterdeck: 2 × 12-pounder guns + 14 × 32-pounder carronades
  • Forecastle: 2 × 12-pounder guns + 4 × 32-pounder carronades
BuilderToulon
Laid downAugust 1794
Launched17 March 1795
Displacement3,868 tonneaux
Length194 ft 6 in (59.28 m) (gundeck) 159 ft 7.75 in (48.6601 m) (keel)
Complement690

As built, from the ship's Wikipedia article. Figures there may cover later refits too.

Career

Launched

17 March 1795

6 July 1801 · French Revolutionary Wars

Linois's flagship; her captain killed

12–13 July 1801 · French Revolutionary Wars

Fought off Venerable

22 July 1805 · Napoleonic Wars

Dumanoir's flagship

21 October 1805 · Napoleonic Wars

Dumanoir's flagship; escaped with the van

4 November 1805 · Napoleonic Wars

Dumanoir's flagship; Dumanoir wounded

Fate

Captured

Broken up in April 1816