First and Second Rate Ships of the 18th Century

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HMS Royal Sovereign (1786).





. . HMS Royal Sovereign was ordered by the British government on February 3rd, 1786 and constructed by Plymouth Dockyard in Plymouth, her keel being laid down on January 7th, 1774. She was officially put out to sea on September 11th, 1786.

As built, HMS Royal Sovereign was given a running length of 183 feet, 10.5 inches with a beam measuring 52 feet and a draught of 22 feet, 2.5 inches. She was a three-masted, fully-rigged vessel with each mast carrying a name for quick identification purposes - the first in line being the foremast, the central perch becoming the mainmast and the aft post the mizzenmast. To this were added individual names to each sail fitting, from the moonmast and staysail, the royal and topgallant and, finally, to the topsail and forecourse. Forward sail spans (those running from the foremast to the jibboom - the post protruding from the bow over the figurehead at the "beak" of the ship) were identified as the flying jib, outer jib, inner jib and fore topmast staysail. At the stern there resided the "spunker", also recognized as the "driver". Wind powered ships of the period making use of an underwater rudder critical in maneuvering. The captain's cabin was situated at the upper stern of the ship with crew quarters, gundecks and stores about the hull of the ship. Various lines and netting were affixed from the masts to the deck to allow the crew to climb the rigging and masts as well as management of the sails in general.

History
UK
Name:	HMS Royal Sovereign
Ordered:	3 February 1786
Builder:	Plymouth Dockyard
Laid down:	7 January 1774
Launched:	11 September 1786
Renamed:	HMS Captain, 17 August 1825
Honours and awards:	Participated in: Glorious First of June Battle of Trafalgar
Fate:	Broken up, 1841
Notes:	Harbour service from 1826
General characteristics
Class and type:	100-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen:	2175 (bm)
Length:	183 ft 10 1⁄2 in (56.0 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	52 ft 1 in (15.88 m)
Depth of hold:	22 ft 2 1⁄2 in (6.8 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Armament:	Gundeck: 28 × 32-pounder guns Middle gundeck: 28 × 24-pounder guns Upper gundeck: 30 × 12-pounder guns QD: 10 × 12-pounder guns Fc: 4 × 12-pounder guns

HMS Royal Sovereign served the British Royal Navy during the latter portion of the 18th Century and the early portion of the 19th Century and is famously remembered for her participation (alongisde Horatio Nelson's HMS Victory) in the Battle of Trafalgar- a decisive British naval victory over the combined French-Spanish fleet.



The day after Trafalgar, the Victory under canvas endeavouring to clear the land, the Royal Sovereign disabled and in tow by the Euryalus, in the collection of the National Maritime Museum; Nicholas Pocock; 19th century



The vessel was termed a "100-gun first-rate, ship-of-the-line" which not only identified her armament but also her fighting qualities within the British fleet. First rate ships typically were fielded with 100 guns or more and these were then followed by second-, third- and forth-rate ships with fewer guns. A well-experienced naval tactician would then use his fleet by observing enemy maneuvers and positioning his warships as required to deliver lethal broadsides. As all armament was set to fire from the port and starboard sides of the warship, broadsides were the attack of choice, essentially one ship moving into parallel position with his target and firing all guns.


Not the fastest or most mobile of the fleet, the Royal Sovereign none-the-less packed a punch. At its core, the vessel was a fighting ship and, as such, granted a collection of 100 guns across three main decks (identified along her sides by numerous gunports. There was the primary gundeck armed with 28 x 32-pounder cannon, the middle gundeck with 28 x 24-pounder cannon and the upper gundeck with 30 x 12-pounder cannon. 10 x 12-pounders were added to the quarterdeck while the forecastle carried an additional 4 x 12-pounders.


One of Royal Sovereign's first notable actions occurred on June 1st, 1794 when the British fleet under Lord Howe faced off against the French and Villaret-Joyeuse. The Royal Navy met with 25 ships-of-the-line versus France's 26. The battle became known as the "Glorious First of June" and the "Third Battle of Ushant" and occurred during the French Revolution, which included several wars fought from 1792 into 1802.The battle took place west of the French hold of Ushant in the Atlantic and ended in a British tactical victory while also representing a French strategic victory. Casualties included 1,200 Royal Navy personnel against 4,000 French of which a further 3,000 were taken prisoner. The French Navy also lost as many as seven warships. The Royal Sovereign lost 14 souls and saw a further 41 wounded.

Royal Sovereign's next notable action occurred during the span of June 16th-17th, 1795 in what was termed "Cornwallis's Retreat". This engagement was also undertaken during the French Revolutionary War period and consisted of a defending action on the part of the British, five ships-of-the-line staring across at twelve enemy ships-of-the-line along with eleven frigate type vessels (the French commanded by Admiral Villaret de Joyeuse). The combat took place off the coast of Brittany in the Atlantic ocean with the French ultimately failing to break the British defense under Vice-Admiral William Cornwallis. French-British engagements did not end there for they only set the stage of the most famous Royal Navy sea battle of them all - the Battle of Trafalgar.

The Battle of Trafalgar took place on October 21st, 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Spain (near the Strait of Gibraltar) the vessel fell under the command of Vice-Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood while Admiral Horatio Nelson headed HMS Victory. They faced off against a combined French-Spanish force led by Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve and Admiral Federico Gravina repectively. Numbers included 33 Royal Navy ships versus 41 of the enemy fleet. The British managed 27 ships-of-the-line versus 18 fielded by the French Navy and 15 by the Spanish.

By this time, French leader Napoleon Bonaparte had amassed an army at Boulogne designed to invade Britain proper. However, his troop barges were unarmed and would be ripe for the taking under the guns of the vaunted British fleet. As such, he commissioned Admiral Villeneuve to form the French fleet and destroy the British warships. A contingent of Spanish would also assist. Villeneuve formed approximately 50% of available French naval power to meet Napoleon's deadline and rendezvoused with the Spanish off the coast of Cadiz before sailing out to meet the British on October 19th, 1805.



Royal Sovereign - First Through The Line By Richard Grenville, Battle of Trafalgar


Under Nelson's orders and going by a well-planned attack route, the British plunged into the action to limit the French-Spanish response. HMS Royal Sovereign engaged the Spanish ship Santa Ana to which the vessels both took on damage in the fray as lines of ships delivered broadsides in passing. Royal Sovereign lost her mainmasts, mizzen and rigging, losing much control and ordered towed away from the action (by this time Nelson had been reported injured to Collingwood). Coming under attack during the rescue, tow lines to HMS Royal Sovereign from HMS Euralus - a 36-gun frigate - were severed. Royal Sovereign was saved for the interim by a collection of British ships rallying together near her to help fight off the incoming enemy. Saved, though barely afloat, the Royal Sovereign was barely able to respond and of little tactical use. A second rescue action on the British ship was moot and Collingwood then boarded the arriving Euryalus who had, once again, been attempting to run lines to the Royal Sovereign.

The battle was now over with the enemy fleet in defeat, Nelson lay dead (killed by a sniper during the commotion) and Collingwood assuming command. Royal Sovereign casualties numbered 141 while the vessel itself was recovered and salvaged. With the battle over, the British claimed a decisive victory at sea at the total expense of 458 dead and 1,208 wounded. The enemy fleet suffered 13,781 casualties including 2,218 Frenchmen dead and 1,025 Spaniards. 10 French ships were captured along with 11 Spanish vessels with, amazingly, no loss of ships dealt to the British (only five of the enemy ships would ever be put into action again). Additionally, 4,000 persons were taken prisoner while some 3,000 drowned after the battle had ended. Villeneuve was taken prisoner by the British while Gravina, though escaping the barrel wounded, died a few months later. The battle became one of Britain's most revered naval engagements and made Horatio Nelson a household name.

Key to the victory was Nelson's use of a two-column approach against a numerically larger foe. Doctrine of the day called for a single-line pattern approach to make the most of the broadsides and keep the chain of communications open during the confusion. Nelson's direction allowed for his outnumbered fleet to handle the French Navy one of its worst losses and keep British supremacy of the sea intact, this through combining confusion and limited maneuverability of the enemy while falling to the guns of British firepower. The battle lasted for approximately 4.5 hours, having begun at 12PM and ended around 4:30PM.



Stuart Bolton, Century , H. Royal Sovereign emerging from her refit and lying in the Hamoaze, Plymouth Sound

HMS Royal Sovereign was docked for an extended period while undergoing repairs. She was set out to sea once more in 1806 and this time toured the Mediterranean Sea. She participated in the naval blockade action of Toulon against France where she stayed on station into November of 1811. After this period, she was called back to England and joined the Channel Fleet in defense of the English Channel. The Channel Fleet held a long-running history, formed in 1690 and managed to defend the critical English waterway until 1909 with ships based out of Plymouth, Falmouth and Torbay.

Once her fighting days were deemed behind her, HMS Royal Sovereign underwent a period of modification which saw her begin life anew on August 17th, 1825 as a harbor service craft named HMS Captain. Her tenure as the Captain did not last long for, in June of 1926, the vessel was pulled from service and broken up for scrap at the Plymouth shipyard with only four cannon claimed as memorial showpieces (the Collingwood Memorial, Tynemouth). This process would last until August of 1841 before history brought an end to the long-lasting career of HMS Royal Sovereign.

Collingwood, now Admiral, died on March 7th, 1810 at the age of 61 aboard HMS Ville de Paris while on duty (as Commander-in-Chief) in the Mediterranean Sea. He was sailing home due to poor health. Collingwood is buried alongside Nelson at St Paul's Cathedral in London.

From 1826 onwards, the Royal Sovereign was relegated to a period of harbor service before being broken up in 1841, bringing an end to her long-lasting carrier on the high seas.

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HMS Britannia.




The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 Oct 1805; engraving, wood. Ships (right to left): Britannia, La Hogue (uncertain), Santisima Trinidad, Victory.

HMS Britannia, also known as Old Ironsides, was a 100-gun first-rateship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was ordered on 25 April 1751 from Portsmouth Dockyard to the draught specified in the 1745 Establishment. Her keel was laid down on 1 July 1751 and she was launched on 19 October 1762. The cost of building and fitting totalled £45,844/2s/8d. Her main gundeck armament of twenty-eight 42-pounder guns was later replaced by 32-pounders. In the 1790s ten of her quarterdeck guns and two of her forecastle guns were replaced by the same number of 32-pounder carronades.

History
Great Britain
Name:	HMS Britannia
Ordered:	25 April 1751
Builder:	Portsmouth Dockyard
Cost:	£45,844/2s/8d
Laid down:	1 July 1751
Launched:	19 October 1762
Renamed:	HMS Princess Royal – 6 January 1810 HMS St. George – 18 January 1812 HMS Barfleur – 2 June 1819
Fate:	Broken up, 1825
Notes:	Participated in: Battle of Cape Spartel Battle of Genoa Battle of Cape St. Vincent Battle of Trafalgar
General characteristics
Class and type:	1745 Establishment 100-gun first rateship of the line
Tons burthen:	2116
Length:	178 ft (54.3 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	51 ft (15.5 m)
Depth of hold:	21 ft 6 in (6.6 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Complement:	850 officers and men
Armament:	100 guns: Gundeck: 28 × 42 pdrs Middle gundeck: 28 × 24 pdrs Upper gundeck: 28 × 12 pdrs Quarterdeck: 12 × 6 pdrs Forecastle: 4 × 6 pdrs

Britannia was first commissioned in September 1778, and saw service during the War of American Independence. From 1793–1795 she was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Hotham. She fought at the Battle of Cape St Vincent and at the Battle of Trafalgar, where she carried the flag of Rear-Admiral of the White William Carnegie, Earl of Northesk. She lost 10 men killed and 42 wounded at Trafalgar, and following that battle she was laid up in ordinary in the Hamoaze at Plymouth in 1806.

The ship was renamed on 6 January 1810 as HMS Princess Royal, then on 18 January 1812 as HMS St George and once more on 2 June 1819 as HMS Barfleur.

She was third of seven ships to bear the name Britannia, and was broken up at Plymouth in February 1825.
She was known as Old Ironsides long before USS Constitution.

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HMS Queen Charlotte (1790)




Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June by Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg, painted 1795, shows the two flagships engaged on 1 June 1794. Queen Charlotte is to the left and Montagne to the right.


HMS Queen Charlotte was a 100-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 15 April 1790 at Chatham. She was built to the draught of Royal George designed by Sir Edward Hunt, though with a modified armament.

History
Great Britain
Name:	HMS Queen Charlotte
Ordered:	12 December 1782
Builder:	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down:	1 September 1785
Launched:	15 April 1790
Completed:	7 July 1790
Fate:	Blown up by accident, 17 March 1800
General characteristics
Class and type:	100-gun first-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen:	2,286
Length:	190 ft (58 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	52 ft 5.5 in (15.989 m)
Depth of hold:	22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Sail plan:	Full-rigged ship
Armament:	100 guns: Gundeck: 30 × 32-pounder guns Middle gundeck: 28 × 24-pounder guns Upper gundeck: 30 × 18-pounder guns QD: 10 × 12-pounder guns Fc: 2 × 12-pounder guns

In 1794 Queen Charlotte was the flagship of Admiral Lord Howe at the Battle of the Glorious First of June, and in 1795 she took part in the Battle of Groix.

Fate.

At about 6am on 17 March 1800, whilst operating as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Lord Keith, Queen Charlotte was reconnoitering the island of Capraia, in the Tuscan Archipelago, when she caught fire. Keith was not aboard at the time and observed the disaster from the shore.

The fire was believed to have resulted from someone having accidentally thrown loose hay on a match tub. Two or three American vessels lying at anchor off Leghorn were able to render assistance, losing several men in the effort as the vessel's guns exploded in the heat. Captain A. Todd wrote several accounts of the disaster that he gave to sailors to give to the Admiralty should they survive. He himself perished with his ship. The crew was unable to extinguish the flames and at about 11am the ship blew up with the loss of 673 officers and men.

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HMS Ville de Paris.



The Ship Ville de Paris under Full Sail, a painting of Thomas Buttersworth

HMS Ville de Paris was a 110-gun first rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 July 1795 at Chatham Dockyard. She was designed by Sir John Henslow, and was the only ship built to her draught.

History
UK
Name:	HMS Ville de Paris
Ordered:	25 May 1788
Builder:	Chatham Dockyard
Laid down:	1 July 1789
Launched:	17 July 1795
Fate:	Broken up, 1845
General characteristics
Class and type:	110-gun first rate ship of the line
Tons burthen:	2351 (bm)
Length:	190 ft (58 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	53 ft (16 m)
Depth of hold:	22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Armament:	·110 guns: ·Gundeck: 30 × 32-pounder guns ·Middle gundeck: 30 × 24-pounder guns ·Upper gundeck: 32 × 18-pounder guns ·QD: 14 × 12-pounder guns ·Fc: 4 × 12-pounder guns

HMS Ville de Paris was named after the French ship of the line Ville de Paris, flagship of François Joseph Paul de Grasse during the American Revolutionary War. That ship had been captured by the Royal Navy at the Battle of the Saintes in April 1782, but on the voyage to England, as a prize, she sank in a hurricane in September 1782.


She served as the flagship of John Jervis, 1st Earl of St Vincent, with the Channel Fleet.

On 17 August 1803, the boats of Ville de Paris captured the French privateer Messager from among the rocks off Ushant. Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded Lieutenant Watts, of Ville de Paris, with an honour sword worth £50 for his role in the cutting out expedition. Messager was pierced for eight guns but had six mounted, and had her owner and 40 men aboard when Watts arrived with his pinnace and 18 men. The British captured her before the other boats from Ville de Paris could arrive. The French put up a minimal resistance and only suffered a few men lightly wounded; the British suffered no casualties. The action occurred in sight of the hired armed cutter Nimrod. In January 1805 head and prize money from the proceeds of the French privateer Messager was due to be paid.

On 18 January 1808, following the Battle of Corunna, Ville de Paris (Captain John Surman Carden) evacuated twenty-three officers of the 50th, three of the 43rd, four of the 26th, three of the 18th, one of the 76th, two of the 52nd, two of the 36th, four Royal Engineers, and two Royal Artillery - a total of 44 officers, including General Sir David Baird, his ADC Captain Hon Alexander Gordon, Sir John Colborne and Lieutenant Henry Percy. Ville de Paris also embarked several thousand soldiers.

Later, Admiral Collingwood died aboard her of cancer while on service in the Mediterranean, off Port Mahón, on 7 March 1810.

On 22 July 1814, at the conclusion of the Peninsula War, Ville de Paris arrived off Portsmouth carrying the 43rd Light Infantry Battalion along with the 2nd Rifles.
Ville de Paris was placed on harbour service in 1824, and she was broken up in 1845.

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HMS Hibernia (1804)




HMS Hibernia was a 110-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was launched at Plymouth dockyard on 17 November 1804, and was the only ship built to her draught, designed by Sir John Henslow.

History
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Hibernia
Ordered:	9 December 1790
Builder:	Plymouth dockyard
Laid down:	November 1797
Launched:	17 November 1804
Fate:	Sold 1902
General characteristics
Class and type:	110-gun first-rate ship of the line
Tons burthen:	2,530 (bm)
Length:	201 ft 2 in (61.32 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	53 ft 1 in (16.18 m)
Depth of hold:	22 ft 4 in (6.81 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Armament:	110 guns: Gundeck: 32 × 32-pounder guns Middle gundeck: 32 × 24-pounder guns Upper gundeck: 34 × 18-pounder guns QD: 12 × 32-pounder carronades Fc: 4 × 32-pounder carronades + 2 × 18-pounder guns

Between 1807 and 1808, Hibernia, under the command of Sir William Sidney Smith, led the British escort of the Portuguese Royal Family during the transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil.

Hibernia was flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet from 1816 until 1855, when she became the flagship for the Royal Navy's base at Malta and stationed in Grand Harbour She remained in this role until she was sold in 1902.

After the Napoleonic Wars ended in 1815, HMS Hibernia was used in the service of the British Empire in other ways, such as to transport convicts to the colony of New South Wales. In 1818-1819, for example, the ship carried 160 male convicts to Sydney from Portsmouth sailing on 20 November and arriving 18 June. Also on board as passengers were the first Minister of St James' Church, Sydney, Richard Hill and his wife.

The ten-day court-martial of the surviving officers and crewmen of the battleship HMS Victoria for the loss of their ship in a 22 June 1893 collision with the battleship HMS Camperdown was held on Hibernia's deck. The proceedings began on 17 July 1893.


Hibernia in Grand Harbour Valletta.

Hibernia was sold in 1902 and broken up. Her timber ended up being used to fire bakeries in Malta, leading to an outbreak of lead poisoning on the island. A statue of the Virgin Mary, in her mantle as Queen of Heaven, was carved from a section of the ship's main mast and can be seen in the Collegiate Parish Church of St Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta.


Figurehead of HMS Hibernia.


Her figurehead is now displayed at the Malta Maritime Museum, which is housed in the former Royal Naval Bakery building in Birgu, Malta.

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HMS Caledonia (1808)



HMS Caledonia, 120 guns, lying in Plymouth Sound

HMS Caledonia was a 120-gun first-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy, launched on 25 June 1808 at Plymouth. She was Admiral Pellew's flagship in the Mediterranean.

History
UK
Name:	HMS Caledonia
Ordered:	19 January 1797
Builder:	Plymouth Dockyard
Laid down:	January 1805
Launched:	25 June 1808
Renamed:	HMS Dreadnought, 1856
Honours and awards:	Participated in bombardment of Algiers, 1816
Fate:	Broken up, 1875
General characteristics
Class and type:	Caledonia-class ship of the line
Tons burthen:	2616​5⁄94 (bm)
Length:	205 ft (62 m) (gundeck)
Beam:	53 ft 6 in (16.31 m)
Depth of hold:	23 ft 2 in (7.06 m)
Propulsion:	Sails
Sail plan:	Full rigged ship
Armament:	·120 guns: ·Gundeck: 32 × 32 pdrs ·Middle gundeck: 34 × 24 pdrs ·Upper gundeck: 34 × 18 pdrs ·Quarterdeck: 6 × 12 pdrs, 10 × 32 pdr carronades ·Forecastle: 2 × 12 pdrs, 2 × 32 pdr carronades ·Poop deck: 2 × 18 pdr carronades

Construction.

The Admiralty orders for Caledonia's construction were issued in November 1794, for a 100-gun vessel measuring approximately 2,600 tons burthen. There were considerable delays in obtaining dockyard facilities and in assembling a workforce, and actual building did not commence until 1805 when the keel was laid down at Plymouth Dockyard. By this time the designs had also been amended to stipulate construction of a 120-gun vessel of 2,616​⁵⁄₉₄ tons. When completed to this new design in 1808, Caledonia entered Royal Navy service as the largest and most heavily armed vessel of the time.

Active service.

Caledonia proved to be a very successful ship, and it was said that 'This fine three-decker rides easy at her anchors, carries her lee ports well, rolls and pitches quite easy, generally carries her helm half a turn a-weather, steers, works and stays remarkably well, is a weatherly ship, and lies-to very close.' She was 'allowed by all hands to be faultless'. In later years she was to become the standard design for British three-deckers.

On 12 February 1814 she took part with HMS Boyne in action against the French ship of the line Romulus off Toulon; the French vessel managed to escape to Toulon by sailing close to the coast to avoid being surrounded.



Fight of the Romulus against HMS Boyne and HMS Caledonia, by Gilbert Pierre-Julien (1783 - 1860)

In 1831 she was part of the Experimental Squadron of the Channel Fleet under Sir Edward Codrington. On 12 September that year she took part in an experiment whereby she was towed by the frigate HMS Galatea by means of hand-worked paddles alone.

In 1856 she was converted to a hospital ship, renamed Dreadnought and became the second floating Dreadnought Seamen's Hospital at Greenwich, where she remained until 1870. In 1871 she was briefly returned to service to accommodate patients recovering from the smallpox epidemic of that year.^] She was broken up in 1875.



Caledonia as Dreadnought towed away on her final voyage.

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Commerce de Marseille (1788)



¹⁄₄₈th scale model on display at Marseille maritime museum


Commerce de Marseille was a 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of the Océan class. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the chamber of commerce of Marseille.

​
History
France
Name:	Commerce de Marseille
Namesake:	Marseille
Ordered:	1786
Builder:	Arsenal de Toulon
Laid down:	April 1787
Launched:	7 August 1788
Completed:	October 1790
Out of service:	2 August 1850
Struck:	1802
Captured:	Seized as prize by Great Britain on 29 August 1793
Fate:	Broken up in 1856
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Commerce de Marseille
Out of service:	Broken up in 1856
General characteristics
Class and type:	Océan-classship of the line
Displacement:	5,098 tonnes
Tons burthen:	2,746 tonnes
Length:	65.18 m (213 ft 10 in) (196.6 French feet)
Beam:	16.24 m (53 ft 3 in) (50 French feet)
Draught:	8.12 m (26 ft 8 in) (25 French feet)
Propulsion:	sail, 3,265 m2 (35,140 sq ft)
Complement:	1,079
Armament:	Lower deck: lower deck: 32 × 36-pounder guns middle deck: 34 × 24-pounder guns upper deck: 34 × 12-pounder guns Fc: 18 × 8-pounder guns + 6 × 36-pounder carronades
Notes:	Length of gun deck was 208 ft 4 in (63.50 m), the longest of any 3-decker ever built. She was 2,746 tonnes burthen, also a record.

Career.

Built on state-of-the-art plans by Sané, she was dubbed the "finest ship of the century". Her construction was difficult because of a lack of wood, and soon after her completion, she was disarmed, in March 1791.


Commerce de Marseille at Toulon in 1788


Commerce de Marseille came under British control during the Siege of Toulon. When the city fell to the French, she evacuated the harbour for Portsmouth. She was briefly used as a stores ship, but on a journey to the Caribbean Sea, in 1795, she was badly damaged in a storm and had to limp back to Portsmouth. She remained there as a hulk until she was broken up in 1856.