''Hector'' was a 74-gun

ship of the line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

, lead ship of her class. ''Hector'' was launched in 1755 and fought in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

during which she captured two ships of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

on 14 August 1778. In 1782, the ship was captured by the Royal Navy at the

Battle of the Saintes The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Bataille de la Dominique), also known as the Battle of Dominica, was an important naval battle in the Caribbean between the British and the French that took place 9–12 April 1782. The Brit ...

in 1782. Taken into service by the Royal Navy, the vessel was renamed HMS ''Hector''. On 5 September 1782. HMS ''Hector'' fought two French frigates. Severely damaged during the battle, and by a

hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

that followed later in September, ''Hector'' sank on 4 October 1782.

Career

French service

''Hector'' was launched on 23 July 1755, and commissioned under Captain Vilarzel d'Hélie. In 1757, the vessel departed

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

on 18 March, arriving in

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The harbour had been used by European mariners since at least the 1590s, when it was known as English Port and Havre à l'An ...

on 15 June. Returning to Brest on 23 November with 5,000 sick aboard, she spread

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

to the town; Épidémie de typhus à Brest en 1757
wiki-brest.net the ensuing epidemic caused 10,000 fatalities. She was then decommissioned and stayed in the reserve in Brest. In July 1762, while cruising off

Cap Français A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...

, she struck the bottom on a rock. The same spot had been the site of the wreck of on 17 March of the same year. Between 1763 and 1777, she was decommissioned in Toulon. During the

, she reactivated, sailing to

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

in July 1778. She arrived at Newport on 8 August 1778. On 14 August 1778, ''Hector'' and the 64-gun captured the 8-gun bomb vessel HMS ''Thunder''. The same day, she also captured the 16-gun HMS ''Senegal'' at

Sandy Hook Sandy Hook is a barrier spit in Middletown Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The barrier spit, approximately in length and varying from wide, is located at the north end of the Jersey Shore. It encloses the southern en ...

. In 1778, she was part of the fleet under Admiral d'Estaing, under Captain Moriès-Castellet, and Clavières as first officer. ''Hector'' then took part in the

Battle of Grenada The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. A British fleet led by Admiral John Byron (the grandfath ...

on 6 July 1779 and in the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the second battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutena ...

, before returning to Brest, arriving on 10 December 1779. She was laid up in ordinary at

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

on 21 December 1779, before rearming. On 1 September 1780, she departed Brest under

Louis Augustin de Monteclerc Louis Augustin de Monteclerc (La Rongère, Maine, 1727 – 25 March 1784) was a French Navy officer. He served in the War of American Independence. Biography Monteclerc joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine in 1743. Monteclerc was promoted to ...

for a cruise, returning on 31 December. The year after, she took part in the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1 ...

on 5 September 1781, under Renaud d'Aleins. During the

, from 9 to 12 April 1782, she battled and and was captured. Her captain, Lavicomté, died in the action.

British service

The British took her to

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, where she was repaired and recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS ''Hector''. She took part in the action of 5 September 1782, where she was damaged by the frigates and . Much damaged in this action and after suffering the

1782 Central Atlantic hurricane The 1782 Central Atlantic hurricane was a hurricane which struck a Kingdom of Great Britain, British fleet under Admiral Thomas Graves, 1st Baron Graves, Thomas Graves off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland in September 1782. It is believed to hav ...

of 17 September, she sank on 4 October 1782. The privateer ''Hawke'' saved 200 of her crew.

Citations

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hector (1756)

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

Captured ships 1755 ships Ships built in France Maritime incidents in 1782 Ships of the line of the Royal Navy