French ship La Couronne (1750)

The "Couronne" was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.

In 1792, she was renamed "Ça Ira".

On 13 March 1795, under Captain Coudé, she was part of a French squadron of 13 ships, under contre-amiral Martin. Off Alassio the French met a 15-ship English fleet under Lord Hotham. Outnumbered, they tried to avoid combat, but while manoeuvering, "Ça Ira" collided with "Victoire" and damaged her rigging; she found herself upwind and was soon attacked by the English fleet, forcing the French squadron to engage in combat. "Ça Ira" was attacked by the frigate HMS "Inconstante" under Captain Thomas Fremantle and HMS "Agamemnon" under captain Horatio Nelson, repelling them but sustaining heavy damage. The French gunners proved particularly clumsy, failing to hit "Agamemnon" while she managed to outmaneuver and rake "Ça Ira" from the aft. The French frigate "Vestale" and the ship "Censeur" came to rescue, fighting the whole English vanguard.

The next day "Ça Ira" and "Censeur" were lagging behind the French squadron and the English advanced to capture them. Admiral Martin tried to intervene but failed due to unfavourable wind and incompetent gunners. Only the "Duquesne" intervened, and had to retreat after she sustained damage and casualties [http://mapage.noos.fr/porquerolles/citatio/ctoul02.htm] . "Ça Ira" and "Censeur" tried to fight but due to a false maneuver "Ça Ira" collided with "Censeur"; her rigging fell on "Censeur", stranding both ships. Men from "Agamemnon" boarded "Ça Ira" and captured her.

She was recommissioned in the Royal Navy. Nelson was offered her command but deemed her too badly damaged, and she was used as a hulk floating hospital in Saint-Florent.

On 11 April 1796 she was destroyed in an accidental fire. The wounded aboard were evacuated, and she was towed off the harbour to prevent fire from sparking to the rest of the ships of to the town. She sank 500 metres off the beach.

In 1988 a map signaling the wreck was discovered in the Bibliothèque Nationale, and undersea archeological survey has taken place since.

External links

*fr icon [http://perso.orange.fr/tech.sub/hcaira.htm]
* [http://perso.orange.fr/tech.sub/inacaira.htm Ca-Ira, vaisseau français de 80 canons 1781-1796 by pierre Villié and martine Acerra] Book review in INA Quarterly (Institut of Nautical Archaeology)
*fr icon [http://echo.levillage.org/311/6047.cbb La bataille du cap Noli]