French ship Royal Louis (1780)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Royal Louis and French ship Républicain.

Royal Louis was a 110-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy. She was designed and built at Brest Dockyard by Léon-Michel Guignace.

Républicain grounded on Mingant rock. Drawing by Pierre Ozanne.
History
France
Name	Royal Louis
Namesake	Louis of France
Builder	Brest Dockyard[1]
Laid down	8 March 1779[1]
Launched	20 March 1780[1]
Completed	June 1780[1]
Commissioned	June 1780[1]
Renamed	Républicain (29 September 1792)[1]
Fate	Wrecked, 24 December 1794
General characteristics
Class & type	106-gun ship of the line
Tonnage	2,400 tonnes[1]
Displacement	4,835 tonnes[1]
Length	60.4 metres[1]
Beam	16.2 metres[1]
Draught	8.6 metres[1]
Depth of hold	24½ French feet
Complement	1,150[1]
Armament	106 guns 30 × 48-pounders on the lower deck[Note 1] 32 × 24-pounders on the middle deck 32 × 12-pounders on the upper deck 12 × 8-pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle 4 more 8-pounders were added in 1784[Note 2]
Armour	timber

Career

In 1780, Royal Louis was under Beaussier de Chateauvert.^[2] She took part in the Battle of Cape Spartel on 20 October 1782 under Beausset, with Verdun de La Crenne as flag captain, although she did not engage.^[3]

She was renamed Républicain in September 1792. Under this name, she took part in the Third Battle of Ushant, being the last ship of the French rear. She was attacked, totally dismasted, and struck her colours; however, the British failed to possession, and she returned to Rochefort.^[1]

On 24 December 1794, she took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver. As the fleet exited Brest harbour, she ran aground with the loss of 10 men. Her crew abandoned ship, and the wreck was destroyed in a tempest a few days later.^[1]

Representations of Républicain (ex-Royal-Louis)

• 
  Vue du port de Brest by Jean-François Hue
• 
  Républicain, details of Vue du port de Brest by Jean-François Hue
• 
  Naive drawing of Républicain sinking

Notes

1. The 48-pounders were replaced by 36-pounders on 1782.
2. 4 more 8-pounders were added here in 1786, but these were replaced by 4 × 36-pounder obusiers in 1794