''Robuste'' was an 80-gun 80-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 tactic known as the line of battle, which depended on the two colu ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in th ...

, designed by

Jacques-Noël Sané Jacques-Noël Sané (18 February 1740, Brest – 22 August 1831, Paris) was a French naval engineer. He was the conceptor of standardised designs for ships of the line and frigates fielded by the French Navy in the 1780s, which served during the ...

. She was commissioned under Captain

Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet (1757–1815) was a French Navy officer, famous for his bravery at the Battle of Trafalgar. He was born of humble origins near Toulon, a relative of André Masséna, he was rough and spoke in a strong Provençal ...

, and was later captained by

Julien Cosmao Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien (Châteaulin, Finistère, 27 November 1761 – Brest, 17 February 1825) was a French Navy officer, admiral, best remembered for his role in the Battle of Trafalgar. Career Early career Completing his stud ...

and

Antoine Marie François Montalan Antoine Marie François Montalan (Lyon, 19 March 1767 — Paris, 22 March 1818) was a French Navy officer active during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic wars. Career Early life Montalan was born to Marguerite Gastaldy and Jean ...

. From April 1809, she was the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

of a squadron. In late 1809, Vice-Admiral

Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume Count Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume (13 April 1755 in La CiotatLevot, p.206 – 28 July 1818 in AubagneLevot, p.208) was a French Navy officer and Vice-admiral. Ganteaume started sailing on Indiamen, before serving during the American War of ...

was organising shipment of reinforcements to

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ...

. ''Robuste'' became the flagship of a squadron under Julien Cosmao, along with '' Donawerth'', ''Génois'', ''Borée'' and ''Lion'', as well as the frigates ''Pauline'' and ''Pénélope'', and a dozen of transports. The fleet departed

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is the ...

on 24 April 1809, and returned on 1 May without incident. In October, the squadron attempted another ferry, under Rear-Admiral François Baudin. On 21 October the French were detected by HMS ''Pomone'', which reported to Lord Collingwood's squadron. Collingwood sent his three frigates as a vanguard and sailed with 15 ships of the line to intercept the French. On the morning of 23 October HMS ''Volontaire'' detected and reported the French squadron's position. The British gave chase, but lost contact. detected ''Robuste'', ''Borée'', ''Lion'' and ''Pauline'' at dawn on 24 October, but the fleets lost contact again. Contact was re-established in the morning of 25 October, the French sailing close to the shore, and the chase resumed. In the ensuing

Battle of Maguelone The Battle of Maguelone was a minor naval action that occurred in late October 1809, during the Peninsular War, between the escort of a French convoy, comprising three ships of the line and two frigates, and a six-ship squadron of the Royal N ...

, ''Robuste'' and ''Lion'' ran aground around noon near

Frontignan Frontignan (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety. Geography Frontignan is located in the ...

. After two hours of fruitless attempts to save the ships, Baudin ordered them scuttled, and they were set on fire in the evening. They exploded at 10h30.

Citations

References

* William James, ''The Naval History of Great Britain, from the Declaration of War By France in 1798 to the Accession of George IV'
p.142
* Jean-Michel Roche, ''Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours'', tome I {{DEFAULTSORT:Robuste (1806) Ships of the line of the French Navy Bucentaure-class ships of the line 1806 ships Ships built in France Maritime incidents in 1809 Ship fires Scuttled vessels Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea