HMS ''Formidable'' was a 98-gun

second rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a second-rate was a ship of the line which by the start of the 18th century mounted 90 to 98 guns on three gun decks; earlier 17th-century second rates had fewer gun ...

man-of-war The man-of-war (also man-o'-war, or simply man) was a Royal Navy expression for a powerful warship or frigate from the 16th to the 19th century. Although the term never acquired a specific meaning, it was usually reserved for a ship armed w ...

serving the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

. She was launched on 20 August 1777 at

Chatham Dockyard Chatham Dockyard was a Royal Navy Dockyard located on the River Medway in Kent. Established in Chatham in the mid-16th century, the dockyard subsequently expanded into neighbouring Gillingham (at its most extensive, in the early 20th centur ...

. She had a fitted weight of 1945 tons. She was named after HMS Formidable captured at Quiberon in 1759 and broken in 1767. During her career, her armament was increased to 98-guns.

Battle of the Saintes

see article:

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 March 1782, ''Formidable'' was stationed at Gros Islet Bay between the island of St. Lucia in the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Great ...

and Pigeon Island. It was under the command of Admiral

Admiral Rodney Admiral George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney, KB ( bap. 13 February 1718 – 24 May 1792), was a British naval officer. He is best known for his commands in the American War of Independence, particularly his victory over the French at ...

, serving as his flagship at the head of 36

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 ...

. Meanwhile the French admiral,

Grasse Grasse (; Provençal oc, Grassa in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional it, Grassa) is the only subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region on the French Riviera. In 2017, the co ...

, headed 34 ship of the line at Fort Royal Bay in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago language, Kalinago: or ) is an island and an Overseas department and region, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of ...

(some thirty miles away). Rodney had been dispatched from Britain with 12 well-fitted ships to rescue the West Indies from a series of attacks from the French which had already resulted in the loss of several islands. They joined 24 ships on St Lucia which had already seen action against the French and were undergoing repairs. The French had allies in the Spanish, who had 13 ship of the line at Cape Haitien in

San Domingo Hispaniola (, also ; es, La Española; Latin and french: Hispaniola; ht, Ispayola; tnq, Ayiti or Quisqueya) is an island in the Caribbean that is part of the Greater Antilles. Hispaniola is the most populous island in the West Indies, and ...

. Together with transport ships the Spanish had a considerable force of 24,000 men. THey awaited the arrival of a further 10,000 French troops dispatched from Brest, under escort of five men-of-war, to further boost their strength. The plan was that Grasse's fleet, with at least 5000 further troops, would unite with the Spanish at Cape Haitien, and from there would attack and capture the island of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

with their conjoined armada of some 60 ships and some 40,000 troops. Rodney had been in communication with Grasse during March organising the exchange of prisoners, which were conveyed by

HMS Alert Sixteen ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS ''Alert'' (or the variants ''Alerte'' and ''Alaart''), while another was planned: * , an 8-gun cutter in service from 1753 to 1754. * , a 10-gun cutter launched at Dover in 1777, converted t ...

under Captain Vashon. The two officers had much mutual respect. Rodney's task was to intercept the French fleet en route to Cape Haitien. Grasse's vice admiral at the time was

Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil (18 April 1724 – 14 December 1802) was second in command of the French squadron off America during the American Revolutionary War. Biography Early life Louis-Philippe Rigaud de Vaudreuil was ...

. Third in command was

Louis Antoine de Bougainville Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (, , ; 12 November 1729 – August 1811) was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he took part in the Seven Years' War in North America and the American Revolut ...

. The French flagship was the huge 104-gun Ville de Paris. The troops were under the command of the Marquis de Bouille. The ''Formidable'' was accompanied by three 98-gun ships: HMS Barfleur, HMS Prince George and HMS Duke plus the 90-gun HMS Namur. The remaining 31 ships ranged from 64-gun to 74-gun. In total the British armada had 2620 guns in comparison to the French having 2526, but the French armour was superior. Most of the British fleet was equipped with

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century. Its main fu ...

s on the upper decks, which had a major advantage of flexibility, and were a great advantage at close quarters. The ''Formidable'' had a crew of 900 of whom only two were declared unfit for service on the day, thanks to the ship's physician, Dr Blane. Rodney's second in command was Admiral Samuel Hood. Third in command was Admiral

Francis Samuel Drake Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet (1729 – 19 October 1789) was an officer of the Royal Navy. He served during the Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, rising to the rank of Rear-admiral of the Red. Family and the Seve ...

who commanded the

vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

. Frederick Thesiger was Acting Lieutenant on board ''Formidable''. The ''Formidable'' took chase on 8 April and located the French fleet during the night. In the morning the Formidable and the bulk of the fleet were becalmed and unable to reach Hood in the

Barfleur Barfleur () is a commune and fishing village in Manche, Normandy, northwestern France. History During the Middle Ages, Barfleur was one of the chief ports of embarkation for England. * 1066: A large medallion fixed to a rock in the har ...

and seven advance ships who were initially attacked by 15 French ships. A rise in the wind at noon on 9 April allowed the ''Formidable'' and around half the fleet to join the melee. During this period the ''Formidable'' lost 3 men, including Lt Hill, plus 10 wounded. A further rise in the wind allowed the remainder of the British fleet to approach, causing the French to retreat. On 12 April ''Formidable'' was again involved in the action. Its gun decks were under the command of Sir Charles Douglas and Captain Thomas Symonds. Each gun was given 80 priming tubes (made of

quill A quill is a writing tool made from a moulted flight feather (preferably a primary wing-feather) of a large bird. Quills were used for writing with ink before the invention of the dip pen, the metal- nibbed pen, the fountain pen, and, event ...

s) and a pair of Kentish flints. Dr

Gilbert Blane Sir Gilbert Blane of Blanefield, 1st Baronet FRSE FRS MRCP (29 August 174926 June 1834) was a Scottish physician who instituted health reform in the Royal Navy. He saw action against both the French and Spanish fleets, and later served as a Co ...

on the ''Formidable'' later wrote on the great beauty of the battle scene: stretching from the Soufriere region of Guadeloupe, to the island of

Marie Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 th ...

and the huge volcanic summit of

Diablotin The black-capped petrel (''Pterodroma hasitata''), also known as the diablotín, is a small seabird native to the West Indies in the genus '' Pterodroma''. It is a long-winged petrel with a grey-brown back and wings, with a white nape and rump. ...

on Dominica. The ''Formidable'' flew the

White Ensign The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on ...

, Rodney being Admiral of the White. Her most important action was the breaking of the French line in the middle of the battle, and the final pursuit of the "Ville de Paris". In total she fired 80 broadsides during the battle, totalling 35 tons of shot. Her losses were relatively light given both the ferocity of the battle and the huge French losses: 14 killed and 39 wounded. After the battle she headed for

Port Royal Port Royal is a village located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest city in the Caribbean, functioning as the centre of shipping an ...

delivering the news of their salvation on her arrival on 29 April.Famous Fighters of the Fleet, Edward Fraser, 1904, p.162 She was broken up in 1813. Sketch of HMS Formidable on the day before its launch 19 August 1777.jpg, Sketch of HMS Formidable on the day before its launch 19 August 1777 Charles Edward Dixon HMS Formidable 1777 Admiral Rodney.jpg, HMS ''Formidable'' breaking the line by Charles Edward Dixon Thomas Luny - The Battle of The Saints.jpg, The Battle of the Saints, 12 April 1782, ''Formidable'' fires into ''Ville de Paris'', centre of picture by

Thomas Luny Thomas Luny (1759–1837), born in Cornwall, probably at St Ewe, was an English artist and painter, mostly of seascapes and other marine-based works. At the age of eleven, Luny left Cornwall to live in London. There he became the apprentice of ...

Citations and notes

References

*Lavery, Brian (2003) ''The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850.'' Conway Maritime Press. .

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Formidable (1777) Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Barfleur-class ships of the line 1777 ships