French ship Scipion (1798)

"Scipion" was a 74-gun French ship of the line, built at Lorient to a design by Jacques Noel Sane. She was launched as "Orient" in late 1798, and renamed "Scipion" in 1801. She was first commissioned in 1802 and joined the French Mediterranean fleet based at Toulon. Consequently she was one of the ships ships afloat in that port when war with England reopened in May 1803. [p195, Goodwin, Peter "The Ships of Trafalgar, the British, French and Spanish Fleets October 1805"] She was one of the ships of Vice Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Dumanoir commanded the six ship vanguard of the French fleet, with "Formidable", "Scipion", "Duguay-Trouin", "Mont-Blanc", "Intrépide" and "Neptune". Nelson's attacks left these ships downwind of the main confrontation and Dumanoir did not immediately obey Villeneuve's orders to return to the battle. When the ships did turn back, most of them only exchanged a few shots before retiring.

On 4 November 1805, British Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, with "Caesar", "Hero", "Courageux", "Namur" and four frigates, defeated and captured what remained of the squadron. "Scipion" was taken by the "HMS Phoenix" and "HMS Révolutionnaire", and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS "Scipion".

Royal Navy service

"Scipion" was based in Plymouth until 1811. She then became the flagship of Rear Admiral Hon. R. Stopford. His fleet, consisting of four sail of the line, thirteen frigates, seven sloops and eight cruisers of the East India Company, captured the island of Java on 18 September 1811.

She then was based in the Mediterranean until 29 Oct 1814 when she was paid off at Portsmouth, decommissioned in 1816 and broken up in 1819.

References

* Goodwin, Peter "The Ships of Trafalgar, the British, French and Spanish Fleets October 1805" pub Conway, 2005. ISBN 1-84486-015-9
* Lavery, Brian (2003) The Ship of the Line - Volume 1: The development of the battlefleet 1650-1850. Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-252-8.