French ship Tilsitt (1810)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Tilsitt.

Tilsitt was a 3rd rank, 90-gun Bucentaure-class ship of the line built for the French Navy during the first decade of the 19th century. Completed in 1811, she played a minor role in the Napoleonic Wars.

Robuste, sister ship of Tilsitt
History
France
Name	Tilsitt
Namesake	Treaties of Tilsit
Ordered	June 1807
Builder	Anvers, Belgium
Laid down	1807
Launched	15 August 1810
Stricken	10 February 1814
Fate	Broken up in 1818
General characteristics
Class & type	Bucentaure-class ship of the line
Displacement	3,868 tonneaux
Tons burthen	2,034 port tonneaux
Length	59.28 m (194 ft 6 in)
Beam	15.27 m (50 ft 1 in)
Draught	7.8 m (25 ft 7 in)
Depth of hold	7.64 m (25 ft 1 in)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Crew	866 (wartime)
Armament	90 guns: Lower gun deck: 30 × 36 pdr guns Upper gun deck: 32 × 24 pdr guns Forecastle and Quarterdeck: 14 × 12 pdr guns & 14 × 36 pdr carronades

Description

Designed by Jacques-Noël Sané, the Bucentaure-class ships had a length of 59.28 metres (194 ft 6 in), a beam of 15.27 metres (50 ft 1 in) and a depth of hold of 7.64 metres (25 ft 1 in). The ships displaced 3,868 tonneaux and had a mean draught of 7.8 metres (25 ft 7 in). They had a tonnage of 2,034 port tonneaux. Their crew numbered 866 officers and ratings during wartime. They were fitted with three masts and ship rigged.^[1]

The muzzle-loading, smoothbore armament of the Bucentaure class consisted of thirty 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck and thirty-two 24-pounder long guns on the upper gun deck. The armament on the quarterdeck and forecastle varied as the ships' authorised armament was changed over the years that the Bucentares were built. Tilsitt was fitted with fourteen 12-pounder long guns and fourteen 36-pounder carronades.^[1]

Construction and career

Tilsitt was ordered in June 1807 and laid down in Antwerp that same month. The ship was named on 28 July and launched on 15 August 1810. She was commissioned with a Flemish crew on 4 January 1811 and completed in May.^[2] Tilsitt was assigned to the Scheldt Squadron in February 1812 and participated in the defense of Antwerp in March 1813. She was given to Holland with the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1814, and commissioned in the Royal Netherlands Navy as Neptunus.^[3]