Soleil Royal (1670)

Soleil Royal

Rear view

Ship data flag  France Ship type Ship of the line class 1st rank Shipyard Brest Whereabouts Burned in 1692

Ship dimensions and crew length 61 m ( Lüa ) 55 m ( Lpp ) width 15.64 m Draft Max. 7.64 m displacement 1630  t   crew 900-950

Rigging and rigging Number of masts 3

Armament 104 cannons

The Soleil Royal , one of four ships of the same name in the French Navy , was a first rate liner of the 17th century and the flagship of Admiral Tourville .

It was designed by the architect Laurent Hubac and built between 1669 and 1671 in Brest . The maiden voyage is dated around 1680 to 1690. With 104 cannons, she was the flagship of the Flotte du Ponant . The Soleil Royal was named in honor of Louis XIV.

On May 12, 1692, the Soleil Royal led a fleet of 45 ships, which set course for Barfleur . On May 29th, those ships met the united fleets of the English and Dutch with a total of 97 ships. After a twelve-hour battle, the combined fleets fled with great losses. Damaged by the battle, three French ships, including the Soleil Royal , were pulled onto Cherbourg beach for repairs . On June 2nd and 3rd, 1692 the defenseless ships were set on fire and destroyed by the English and Dutch.

See also

• List of the largest wooden ships in the world

literature

• Bernd Monath : Versailles of the Seas: The baroque sailing ships of Louis XIV in the context of their time. Frank & Timme, 2016.

Web links

Commons : Soleil Royal  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Pictures and texts about the Soleil Royal (French)