French ship Sévère (1778)

Sévère was a 64-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.

History
France
Name	Sévère
Builder	Lorient [1]
Laid down	December 1773 [1]
Launched	17 January 1775 [1]
In service	November 1778 [1]
Out of service	26 January 1784 [1]
Fate	Wrecked 26 January 1784
General characteristics
Class & type	Sévère class ship of the line
Tons burthen	1300 tons [1]
Length	51.2 metres [1]
Beam	13.2 metres [1]
Draught	6.7 metres [1]
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Armament	64 guns

Career

Built as an Indiaman by Roth on the lines of a previous ship, Superbe, that had been sold to the Austrian East India Company, Sévère was purchased by the Crown in November 1778 and commissioned for the American Revolutionary War.^[1]

She was incorporated into Suffren's squadron. She took part in the Battle of Negapatam in 1782, under Captain Villeneuve-Cillart; during the battle, Cillart panicked and attempted to strike, but was prevented from doing so by officers Dieu and Kerlero de Rosbo. Sévère ended up causing damage to HMS Sultan.^{[1][Note 1]}

In July 1782, in the wake of the Battle of Negapatam, Suffren relieved Cillart from duty and sent him to France to be Court-martialled,^[4] replacing him with Lieutenant Maurville de Langle.^[5] Maureville de Langle then captained Sévère during the Battle of Trincomalee between 25 August and 3 September 1782,^[6] and during the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783.^[7]

Fate

Sévère was later armed en flûte, and was wrecked on 26 January 1784 at the Cape of Good Hope.^[1] Consequently, Maurville de Langle was retired from the Navy on 25 July. ^[8]

Notes

1. When known in France, the anecdote yielded the pun that "Villeneuve-Cilart wanted to surrender, but "God" (Dieu, the name of the insubordinate officer) would not allow it".^[2] Dieu would be killed on Sévère at the Battle of Cuddalore on 20 June 1783.^[3]