French ship Northumberland (1780)

Northumberland was a 74-gun Annibal-class ship of the line of the French Navy.

French ship Northumberland (1780) image
History
Ensign of the French Royal Navy Ensign of the French Navy during the RevolutionFrance
NameNorthumberland
NamesakeHMS Northumberland, a previous ship captured from the Royal Navy and commissioned in the French Navy
Laid down24 February 1779[1]
Launched3 May 1780[1]
CommissionedJuly 1780[1]
Honours and
awards
CapturedGlorious First of June, by Royal Navy
Royal Navy EnsignGreat Britain
NameNorthumberland
AcquiredJune, 1794
FateBroken up, December 1795
General characteristics
Class and typeAnnibal-class ship of the line
Tons burthen1500 tonnes
Length54.7 m (179 ft 6 in)
Beam14.3 m (46 ft 11 in)
Draught7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
PropulsionSails
Armament74 guns of various weights of shot

Career

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She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781 under Bon Chrétien de Bricqueville. Seven months later, she took part in Battle of the Saintes on 12 April 1782 under Captain Cresp de Saint-Césaire, who was killed in the action.[2] The ship was saved by the active help of Swedish officer Henrik Johan Nauckhoff, who was later to become a Swedish admiral and at the time was on leave from Swedish service to gain experience fighting with the French.[3] In 1782, she captured the 14-gun sloop HMS Allegiance.

Northumberland was captured during the Glorious First of June in 1794, where she was captained by François-Pierre Étienne. She was recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Northumberland, and was broken up the next year in December 1795.[1]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e Roche (2005), p. 329.
  2. ^ Antier (1991), p. 322.
  3. ^ Grandin, Gunnar (1987). "Hindric Johan Nauckhoff". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon (in Swedish). Vol. 26. p. 457 – via Swedish National Archives.

References

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