Neptune (ship, 1803)
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| Ship data | ||
| Surname: | Neptune | |
| Keel laying : | 1801 | |
| Launching ( ship christening ): | 1803 | |
| Completion: | 1804 | |
| Builder: | Naval shipyard in Toulon | |
| Crew: | 690 men officers and men | |
| Fate: | Scrapped in 1820 after almost twelve years of service in the Spanish Navy | |
| Technical specifications | ||
| Type: | Battery ship (timber construction, two-decker) | |
| Main battery deck length: | 195 feet 2 inches (59.49 m) | |
| Width: | 51 feet, 4.5 inches (15.659 m) | |
| Draft: | 26 feet, (7.9 m) | |
| Drive: | sail | |
| Tonnage : | 2312 t | |
| Displacement : | 1,800 t | |
| Armor system: | without | |
| Armament | ||
| 12 pounders on the quarterdeck : | 12 | |
| 36-pounder carronades on the forecastle deck: | 6th | |
| 12 pounder on the forecastle: | 6th | |
| 24-pounder on the upper battery deck : | 32 | |
| 36 pounder on the lower battery deck: | 30th | |
The French two-decker Neptune was an 80-gun ship of the Bucentaure type of French design. Production began at the time of the Revolutionary Wars , but the ship was not put into service until the Napoleonic Wars . The ship only spent five years in the French Navy before it passed to the Spanish in 1808. During this time, however, it took part in several skirmishes, not least in the Battle of Trafalgar . It is also worth mentioning that the Neptune was one of three ships that took part in this battle and had the Roman god of the sea as their namesake. The other ships were the HMS Neptune , a second rank ship with three cannon decks, and the Spanish Neptuno , a two-decker with eighty guns.
Manufacturing and commissioning
The Neptune was laid on the keel and manufactured in Toulon in 1801 according to the designs of Jacques-Noël Sané . She was a Bucentaure-type ship and a typical French 80-gun two-decker. At the time of the renewed outbreak of war between France and Great Britain in May 1803 as a result of the failure of the Peace of Amiens , she was still in the shipyard, but was launched a few months later. This was followed by the construction of the masts, yards and rigging until the ship was finally put into service at the end of 1804 under the command of Commodore Esprit-Tranquille Maistral.
The road to Trafalgar
The Neptune joined the rest of the fleet at the end of October 1804 with the order to sail towards the Caribbean. The ships under the command of Vice Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve were supposed to attack British possessions in the Caribbean with 6,500 soldiers. However, their departure was prevented by a blockade of British ships under Horatio Nelson . It wasn't until January 17th that Villeneuve dared to retire. However, the French ships were discovered by British frigates. The bad weather that also occurred caused him to turn back. Nelson had meanwhile been informed of his failure, but did not expect a return from Villeneuve. Instead, he searched the Mediterranean for its ships until he found out about their position six weeks later.
It was not until March 29 that the French attempted to break out again, during which they were also able to escape the British. On April 8, the French fleet sailed the Strait of Gibraltar , reached Cádiz and sailed from there to Martinique , where it arrived on May 14 and where it was joined by several Spanish ships.
A fleet from Brest was waiting for them there, but a blockade of the port also prevented it from leaving the port. The Neptune sailed back to Europe with Villeneuve's fleet on June 11th when it was revealed that Nelson had arrived in Barbados .
However, a British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder was able to track down the French in European waters, which led to the battle of Cape Finisterre . The Neptune held eleventh position in the battle line, behind the Berwick and ahead of the Bucentaure .
After the loss-making battle, which was not very eventful for the Neptune , she reached Cádiz with the rest of the fleet on August 20, with stops in Vigo (July 28) and Ferrol (August 2). After months of renewed blockade, Villeneuve decided to leave for mid-October and Commodore Maistral began to equip the Neptune accordingly.
Trafalgar
At the beginning of the Battle of Trafalgar , the Neptune was in twelfth position in the battle line. On the port side there was the redoutable aft and the flagship , the Bucentaure, ahead . The two-decker intervened 25 minutes after the start of the battle after it had fallen further. An inexperienced crew ensured that the Spanish '74 San Justo pushed the Neptune from its position behind the flagship. To make matters worse, the also Spanish 64 San Leandro left its position behind the Neptune and positioned itself leeward of the San Justo . This caused a gap in the order of the battle that could not be closed in time , even through the efforts of the Redoutable .
The HMS Victory pushed through the French-Spanish fleet in front of the Neptune , so that the 80s ship of the line could fire a broadside from the port battery at Nelson's ship, which damaged the bow area of the larger ship. Maistral immediately ordered to move away from the heavily armed Victory . Instead, the Neptune opened fire on the HMS Temeraire , which was about to break through the gap that had been opened by the Victory , and was able to damage her rigging and masts so badly that the ship was unable to maneuver and now the San Justo was also under fire was taken.
At 2:30 p.m. Maistral's ship finally reached the HMS Belleisle , a 74 that had been cut off from the British fleet. However, the Bellesle received support and after a brief firefight with the 64 ship of the line HMS Polyphemus , the Neptune joined the retreat to Cádiz when it became clear that the Franco-Spanish fleet would be overwhelmed. The damage to the Neptune was minor and only 15 dead and 39 wounded were mourned.
Spanish service period
The remnants of the French fleet including the Neptune under Vice-Admiral François Étienne de Rosily-Mesros were blocked again in Cádiz. When Spain finally joined the war against France on July 4, 1808 on the side of Great Britain, Rosily attempted to relocate the fleet, but was attacked by Spanish naval and land forces on July 9. Negotiations about keeping the fleet with France were unsuccessful and so the French fleet surrendered to the Spanish on July 14th. The Neptune was renamed Neptuno and sailed under the Spanish flag for 12 years until she was scrapped in 1820.
literature
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Goodwin, Peter (2005), The Ships of Trafalgar: The British, French and Spanish Fleets October 1805 , Conway Maritime Press, ISBN 1-84486-015-9
- ^ A b c d e f Adkin, Mark (2007), The Trafalgar Companion: A Guide to History's Most Famous Sea Battle and the Life of Admiral Lord Nelson , London: Aurum Press, ISBN 1-84513-018-9
- ↑ Mostert, Noel (2008), The Line Upon a Wind: The Greatest War Fought At Sea Under Sail: 1793-1815 , London: Vintage Books, ISBN 978-0-712-60927-2
- ^ Oman, Carola (1987), Nelson , London: Hodder & Stoughton, ISBN 0-340-40672-0
- ↑ a b c Clayton, Tim; Craig, Phil (2004), Trafalgar: The Men, The Battle, The Storm London: Hodder, ISBN 0-340-83028-X