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Thread: French Frigate Concorde (36) Scrap Book Page

  1. #1

    Default French Frigate Concorde (36) Scrap Book Page

    I have been messing around and looking up some of these ships in the first offering.

    I thought it would be good to set up a scrap book page for each ship as some of them have very colorful histories.

    This ship is a good start as it started out as a French Frigate and ended in the service of the British.

    In each case she distinguished herself well and was a credit to the builders and men who served her.

  2. #2

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    LA CONCORDE:

    Class: Concorde - Fifth rate
    (Concorde Class Frigates URL)
    http://www.sailsofglory.org/showthre...6648#post16648
    French Navy 1777 – 1783
    Built in Rochefort
    Guns: 36
    Men: 300
    Theatres of war – American war of independence
    Captured HMS Minerva in the West indies

    Fate: Struck to the British HMS Magnificent (74) in 1783.

    Construction and French career:
    Concorde was one of a three-ship class of Concorde-class frigates built for the French Navy to a design by Henri Chevillard. She was built at Rochefort between April 1777 and January 1778, being launched on 3 September 1777. She went out to the West Indies after the French entry to the American War of Independence, and reached Martinique on 17 August 1778. On 28 August 1778 she came up on the 32-gun HMS Minerva, under Captain John Stott, and after two and a half hours of fighting, captured her. Minerva was towed to Cape Français on Saint-Domingue, where she was joined shortly afterwards by the captured HMS Active, which had been dismasted in a hurricane in late August and was taken on 1 September by the French frigates Charmante and Dédaigneuse.
    In 1781 Concorde was responsible for vital transfers of personnel, funds, and communications that contributed to the allied success at Yorktown. In March 1781 she carried despatches to George Washington and the Comte de Rochambeau from France. These despatches included a request from the comte de Grasse, commander of the West Indies fleet, for information on planned allied operations and the delivery of pilots familiar with the American coast. She also carried 6 million livres to support the war effort, and the new commander of the French naval squadron at Newport, Rhode Island, the comte de Barras. Following a conference of allied leaders in May, Concorde was sent to Cap-Français with despatches for de Grasse and the requested pilots. When de Grasse received these despatches, he made the critical decision to sail his fleet to the Chesapeake Bay to assist in land operations against British forces operating under the command of Charles Cornwallis in Virginia. Concorde carried de Grasse's letters for Washington, Rochambeau, and de Barras back to Newport; arrival of this news set in motion Washington's march to Virginia and the eventual entrapment of Cornwallis at Yorktown.

    The Capture of the Concorde:
    On 15 February 1783 she was sighted by the 74-gun HMS Magnificent, under Captain Robert Linzee. Magnificent had sailed from Gros Islet Bay on 12 February on a cruise in company with the 64-gun ships HMS Prudent and HMS St Albans, and on sighting the strange sail, Magnificent gave chase. She was close enough to identify the mysterious ship as a frigate by 18:00, and by 20:00 as darkness fell Concorde opened fire on her pursuer with her stern guns. Magnificent overhauled the French ship by 21:15, and after fifteen minutes forced her to strike her colours. Magnificent took possession of Concorde, the latter being described as carrying 36 guns and 300 men, and being under the command of M. le Chevalier du Clesmaur. Shortly after surrendering the Concorde's maintopsail caught fire, forcing the crew to cut away the mainmast to extinguish it. Prudent and St Albans came up two hours later and Magnificent towed Concorde to St. John's, Antigua.


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    LA CONCORDE TAKES MINERVE
    Last edited by Cpt Kangaroo; 08-28-2013 at 20:13.

  3. #3

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    STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION

    Attachment 6434
    Last edited by Cpt Kangaroo; 08-23-2013 at 11:09.

  4. #4

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    And....once more....reserved.

  5. #5
    Able Seaman
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    Name
    tom

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    How did the ship of the line catch up to a frigate?

  6. #6
    Surveyor of the Navy
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    UK

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    David

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    Could be any one of a number of factors or a combination. For example, marine growth (weed, slime, etc. greater on the frigate, poor trim, better ship handling, etc. Also you can't assume a frigate would always be faster than a SOL. In some wind conditions, sea states and points of sailing the SOL could be faster.
    Last edited by David Manley; 08-22-2013 at 07:07.

  7. #7

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    Thanks for the input David, I was wondering the same as Tom.

    I was thinking the English practice to gain the weather gauge would have a lot to do with it...

    But then the vessels sailing characteristics would have to come into play.

    Also, keep in mind the two other British ships, which may have greatly restricted the French options for maneuver.

    The weather gage (sometimes spelled weather gauge) is the advantageous position of a fighting sailing vessel relative to another. The concept is from the Age of Sail, and is now largely antiquated. A ship is said to possess the weather gage if it is in any position, at sea, upwind of the other vessel. Close proximity with the land, tidal and stream effects, as well as wind variability due to geography (hills, cliffs, etc.) may also come into play.
    An upwind vessel is able to maneuver at will toward any downwind point, since in doing so the relative wind moves aft. A vessel downwind of another, however, in attempting to attack upwind, is constrained to trim sail as the relative wind moves forward and cannot point too far into the wind for fear of being headed. In sailing warfare, when beating to windward, the vessel experiences heeling under the sideward pressure of the wind. This restricts gunnery, as cannon on the windward side are now elevated, while the leeward gun ports aim into the sea, or in heavy weather may be awash. A ship with the weather gage, turning downwind to attack, may alter course at will in order to bring starboard and port guns to appropriate elevations. Ships seeking to evade capture or attack, however, have the advantage being downwind if they are faster vessels or are close to friendly land.

  8. #8

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    Another great information thread.


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