French ship Bordelois

Bordelois was a 56-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the city of Bordeaux, and built by engineer Léon Guignace on a design by Antoine Groignard.[1] Complete too late to serve in the Seven Years' War, she was razéed into a frigate and used as an East Indiaman. She was rebuilt into a frigate to serve in the War of American Independence. Captured by HMS Romney, she was brought into British service as HMS Artois.

Watercolour portrait of sister-ship Flamand, by François Roux, commissioned by Willaumez
History
France
Name: Bordelois[notes 1]
Namesake: City of Bordeaux
Builder: Bordeaux[1]
Laid down: January 1762[1]
Launched: 26 April 1763[1]
In service: July 1763[1]
Out of service: 19 June 1779[1]
Renamed: États d'Artois in 1779
Notes:
UK
Name: HMS Artois
Acquired: captured by HMS Romney on 1 July 1780
General characteristics
Displacement: 1,100 tonnes[1]
Length: 50.7 m (166 ft 4 in)[1]
Beam: 13.8 m (45 ft 3 in)[1]
Draught: 6.3 m (20 ft 8 in)[1]
Propulsion: Sail, full-rigged ship
Armament:

Career

Bordelois was commissioned in July 1763 under Captain Charles de Cornick-Duchène, arriving in Rochefort on 6 September after the end of the Seven Years' War.[1][2] In 1768, she was razéed to a large frigate, while her spare timber was used to rebuild Ferme.[1]

From 1776 to 1778, Bordelois was used as an East Indiaman, after which she became a hulk in Lorient.[1]

In 1779, on the background of the Franco-American alliance, Bordelois was sold and razéed into a 40-gun frigate; her refitting having been financed by the States of Artois, she was renamed to États d'Artois . She entered drydock in June 1779, to be launched in January 1780 and commissioned in May 1780.[1]

On 1 July 1780 Artois was captured by HMS Romney, and brought into British service as HMS Artois.[1]

Captain MacBride in Artois taking two Dutch privateers, Hercules and Mars, in 1781

She participated in the Battle of Dogger Bank. "Artois was the finest frigate then known; had 28 18-pounders on her main deck with in addition to her complement of guns, heavy carronades on the quarterdeck and forecastle; Manned by 300 men".[3]:47

Notes and references

Notes
  1. "Bordelois" is an ancient graphy of "Bordelais"

References
  1. Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671 - 1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 79. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
  2. Levot, Prosper (1852). Biographie bretonne: recueil de notices sur tous les Bretons qui se sont fait un nom (in French). 1. Caudran. p. 456.
  3. Ross, Sir John. Memoirs of Admiral de Saumarez Vol 1.


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