French ship Zélé (1763)

Zélé was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Régisseur général des finances.^[1]

History
France
Name	Zélé [1]
Namesake	"Zealous"
Ordered	9 December 1761 [1]
Builder	Toulon (plans by Coulomb) [1]
Laid down	February 1762 [1]
Launched	1 July 1763 [1]
In service	1764
Out of service	1806
Fate	Broken up 1806
Notes	Offered by the receveurs généraux des finances
General characteristics
Displacement	2,900 tonnes
Tons burthen	1,500 tons
Length	55.39 m (181 ft 9 in)
Beam	14.13 m (46 ft 4 in)
Draught	6.71 m (22 ft 0 in)
Depth of hold	6.98 m (22 ft 11 in)
Armament	74 guns: Lower gundeck: 28 × 36-pounder long guns Upper gundeck: 30 × 24-pounder long guns Forecastle and quarterdeck: 16 × 8-pounder long guns

Career

On 6 July 1779, she participated in the Battle of Grenada as a member of the vanguard. Under Bruyères-Chalabre, she was part of the French blockade during Siege of Savannah in 1779.^[2]

In 1781 and 1782, was part of de Grasse's fleet in the naval operations in the American Revolutionary War. She took part in the Invasion of Tobago in May 1781 and in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781.^[3] under Charles-René de Gras-Préville.^[4]

In the night of 11 to 12 April 1782, Zélé collided with Ville de Paris, damaging Zélé which had to be taken in tow to repair at Martinique.^[3] This precipitated the French disorganisation and subsequent defeat in the Battle of the Saintes later that day.^[5]

Zélé was broken up in May 1806.^[1]