Argonaute-class ship of the line explained

The Argonaute class was a class of two 74-gun ships of the French Navy, built to a common design by naval constructor François-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers. The design was lengthened by 4feet 9½ inches (4½ pieds) from the designer's previous, which had been found to lack stability. The designer died on 10 October 1780, and the construction of these ships was completed by Jean-Denis Chevillard, who was appointed his successor as ingénieur-constructeur en chef at that dockyard in July 1781.^[1]

Ships

• Argonaute^[2]

Builder: Rochefort Dockyard

Ordered: June 1779

Begun: August 1779

Launched: 5 June 1781

Completed: December 1781

Fate: Cut down (raséed) to a 'heavy' frigate 1793-94 and renamed Flibustier; disarmed in December 1795 and later taken to pieces.

• Brave ^[3]

Builder: Lorient Dockyard

Ordered: June 1779

Begun: October 1779

Launched: 6 June 1781

Completed: November 1781

Fate: Cut down (raséed) to a 'heavy' frigate 1793-94 (but not renamed); reduced to a hulk at Brest in January 1798, and later taken to pieces.

Notes and references

Bibliography

• Book: Roche, Jean-Michel. 2005. Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. 978-2-9525917-0-6. 165892922. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. 1. 508.
• Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S. (2017) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626–1786: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. .
• Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen S. (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. .

Notes and References

1. Winfield & Roberts, French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861, p.86.
2. Roche, p.48
3. Roche, p.84