Le Bucentaure

Posted by F.F. on Monday 29th of September 2025 15:26

Misprintings to be corrected, in my former comment:

• Hull thickness at the waterline was:
❶ 2" = 60,96 ㎝
❷ 75,80 ㎝ ≈ 2' 5.84"

• As measured in Europe, without outside planks, beam was:
❶ 50' 2" ≈ 15,29 ｍ
❷ 15,27 ｍ ≈ 50' 1.1"

Posted by F.F. on Monday 29th of September 2025 15:09

A 80-gun ship of the line, of le Tonnant's class, and the first of a new subclass (with lighter carcass, in order to receive more weight on board without increasing displacement), le Bucentaure was for sure a very fine sailer, so outstanding were the sailing qualities of that class. The Victory, also, was a famous fine ship.

Le Bucentaure was retaken by her crew when the French and the Spanish ships, under Cosmao-Kerjulien, counter-attacked, on the 23ʳᵈ, but, her hull being heavily damaged, she sank in the following storm. Nearly one half of her complement was rescued by l’Indomptable, but she sank too, also because of the damages endured in the battle of the 21ˢᵗ of October.

Comparison of: ❶ Nelson’s flagship (rated as a 100-gun first rate three-decker in the British Royal Navy); and: ❷ Villeneuve's flagship, le Bucentaure (rated as a 80-gun second rate two-decker in the French Marine impériale):

• Armament:
❶ 100 guns and 4 carronades? or 102 guns and 2 carronades?
❷ 80 guns and 6 howitzers

• Broadside:
❶ 1,080 ℔ ≈ 490 ㎏ (long guns) + 68 ℔ ≈ 31 ㎏ (carronade)?
Or: 1,080 ℔ ≈ 490 ㎏ (long guns) + 100 ℔ ≈ 45 ㎏ (carronades)?
❷ 1 032 livres ≈ 505 ㎏ ≈ 1,114 ℔ (long guns) + 108 livres ≈ 53 ㎏ ≈ 117 ℔
[The carronades were useful at short range only; the howitzers were almost useless at any range; true carronades were given to French ships a few months after Villeneuve left Toulon; for a 80-gunner, broadside thus would have been: 996 livres ≈ 488 ㎏ ≈ 1,075 ℔ (long guns) + 180 livres ≈ 88 ㎏ ≈ 194 ℔ (carronades).]

• Height of the lower port, above water:
❶ 4' 6" ≈ 137,16 ㎝
❷ 5 pieds 6 pouces ≈ 178,66 ㎝ ≈ 5’ 10⅓"


• Standard complement:
❶ 850
❷ 856 (866 from 1793, according to wikipedia)

• Dimensions, as measured in the British Navy:
❶ 186' (gun deck) × 51' 10" (beam, outside planking) × 21' 6" (depth of hold); burthen: 2,162 tons.
≈ 56,69 ｍ × 15,80 ｍ × 6,55 ｍ
❷ 59,28 ｍ × 15,73 ｍ × 7,11 ｍ
≈ 194' 5.98" × 51' 7.20" × 23' 4"; burthen: 2,255 tons.

• Draught of water, aft:
❶ 24' 5" ≈ 7,44 ｍ
❷ 23 pieds 6 pouces ≈ 7,63 ｍ ≈ 25' ½"

• Dimensions, as measured in Europe:
❶ 56,69 ｍ × 15,29 ｍ (beam, but without outside planks) × ca. 7,1 ｍ (depth to deck)
≈ 186' × 50' 2" × 23' 3½"
Displacement: ≈ 3500 / 3600ｔ (SI) ≈ 3,500 long tons
❷ 59,28 ｍ × 15,27 ｍ × 7,63 ｍ
≈ 194' 5.98" × 40' 1.1" × 25' ½"
Displacement: 3787ｔ (SI) ≈ 3,727 long tons

• Hull thickness, at the waterline:
❶ 2" = 60,96 ㎝
❷ 73,09 ㎝ ≈ 2' 4.78"

Despite being rated as second rates in France, and as third rates in England, the French line-of-battle ships of le Tonnant's class were easily a match for British first rates designed before the outbreak, in 1793, of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.