César-class ship of the line

The César class or Zélé class included two 74-gun ships of the line designed by Joseph Coulomb. They were a development of his earlier 74-gun ship, Zélé of 1763.

• César

Builder: Toulon

Ordered: 10 March 1767

Launched: 3 August 1768

Fate: Captured and burnt by the British at the Battle of the Saintes, 12 April 1782

• Destin

Builder: Toulon

Ordered: 7 February 1770

Launched: 21 October 1777

Fate: Captured by the British at Toulon in August 1793, and burnt by them there in December 1793

César (right) blowing up at the Battle of the Saintes
Class overview
Name	César
Builders	Toulon Dockyard
Operators	French Navy
Completed	2
General characteristics
Type	Ship of the line
Tonnage	1,500 tons
Displacement	2,900 tons
Length	157½ French feet[a]
Beam	43½ French feet
Draught	20 French feet 8 inches
Depth of hold	29¾ French feet
Complement	715 (later 734), + 6/12 officers
Armament	74 guns: Lower gundeck: 28 × 36-pounder long guns Upper gundeck: 30 × 24-pounder long guns Forecastle and quarterdeck: 6 × 8-pounder long guns

Notes

1. The French (pre-metric) foot was 6.575% longer than the equivalent French foot.