Ship Type Menu.Sail ships of the line (2nd class, 100 guns)
HERCULE class (launched 1836-54)
HERCULE class
sail ships of the line (2nd class, 100)| Displacement: | 4440t |
| Dimensions: | 203ft 5in wl, 205ft 1in deck x 53ft 2in mld, 54ft 11in ext x 25ft 1in mean, 26ft 2in max. Depth 23ft 6in |
| Same, meters: | 62.00, 62.50 x 16.20, 16.75 x 7.64, 7.97m. 7.17m |
| Masts: | Main 68ft 9in x 3ft 6in; Fore 63ft 0in x 3ft 5in; Mizzen 60ft 4in x 2ft 4in. Sail area 3748 sq.yd. |
| Armament: | (Design) GD 32-30p No.1; UD 34-30p No.2; SD 30-30p carr., 4-18p. (Hercule and Jemmapes 1837-41) GD 28-30p No.1, 4-22cm No.1 shell; UD 34-30p No.2; SD 30-30p carr., 4-16cm shell. (Hercule and Jemmapes 1847) GD 24-30p No.1, 8-22cm No.1 shell; UD 26-30p No.2, 8-22cm No.2 shell; SD 22-30p carr., 4-16cm shell. (Tage, Duguay Trouin, and Turenne 1854-55) GD 28-30p No.1, 4-22p No.1 shell; UD 30-30p No.2, 4-22cm No.2 shell; SD 22-30p carr., 4-16cm shell (Turenne: SD 24-30p No.3). |
| Complement: | 916 |
| Name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commiss. | Fate |
| HERCULE | Toulon | 6.24 | 29.7.36 | 1.5.37 | Stk. 23.3.60 |
| JEMMAPES | Lorient | 26.4.25 | 20.4.40 | 16.10.40 | Stk. 31.12.64 |
| TAGE | Brest | 26.8.24 | 15.4.47 | 1.3.54 | Steam 1857 |
| HENRI IV | Cherbourg | 17.7.29 | 14.9.48 | 21.5.50 | Lost 14.11.54 |
| AUSTERLITZ | Cherbourg | 17.4.32 | -- | -- | Steam 1852 |
| FLEURUS | Toulon | 4.25 | -- | -- | Steam 1853 |
| ANNIBAL | Lorient | 17.9.27 | -- | -- | Steam 1853 |
| DUGUAY TROUIN | Lorient | 17.9.27 | 29.3.54 | 16.7.55 | Steam 1857 |
| TURENNE | Rochefort | 13.6.27 | 15.4.54 | 24.5.54 | Steam 1858 |
| ULM | Rochefort | 13.6.25 | -- | -- | Steam 1854 |
| WAGRAM | Lorient | 23.2.33 | -- | -- | Steam 1854 |
| NAVARIN | Toulon | 5.32 | -- | -- | Steam 1854 |
| EYLAU | Toulon | 8.33 | -- | -- | Steam 1856 |
Class. This type was designed by a commission along lines suggested by Baron Tupinier. It was to fill the gap between the new standard French battleship, the 90-gun
Suffren type, and the 120-gun three-deckers. Its lines were scaled up from those of Sané's 80-gun ship, as were those of the
Suffrens. The plans were completed in 4.24. The height of the lower battery above the water was 6ft 7in (2.00m). Early experience at sea with
Hercule was favorable, but
Jemmapes sailed badly, especially in bad weather and was too crowded on the spardeck. The revised armament of 1847 was part of the effort to correct these problems, which was generally successful. By this time, however, the class was judged to be too close to the three-deckers in size and cost to be worth repeating in future programs.
Henri IV was one of the first French ships ordered with a rounded stern, and others were subsequently fitted with them during construction or conversion to steam.
Jemmapes, originally named
Indomptable 14.10.24, was renamed
Royal Charles 4.11.24 and
Jemmapes 9.8.30.
Fleurus, originally
Briarée, was renamed
Dauphin Royal in 1825 and
Fleurus 9.8.30.
Tage, originally
Polyphème, was renamed
Saint Louis 26.12.28 and
Tage 1.12.32 after an 1831 victory in Portugal.
Ulm, ex
Lys, was renamed 9.8.30.
Austerlitz,
Wagram, and
Eylau, originally
Ajax,
Bucentaure, and
Eole respectively, were renamed 23.11.39.
Annibal was renamed
Prince Jérôme in 1854 while being converted to steam. Two more ships,
Agamemnon and
Hector, were among five line of battle ships scheduled to be begun at Brest in 1829 but cancelled in late 1828 before orders were placed.
Navarin was originally planned as a 120-gunner to be begun in 1829 at a new facility at Brest (the Anse St. Nicolas) but was postponed 16.11.29 due to delays in completing the facility.
Navarin, reassigned to Toulon, was ordered built as a 100-gunner 7.3.32 after the navy could not decide whether it wanted 30p carronades or 16cm shell guns on the upper decks of new 3-deckers.
Disposals. Hercule became a prison hulk at Brest and was BU 1875.
Jemmapes became a barracks hulk and was BU 1889.
Henri IV was blown ashore and lost in a storm at Eupatoria in the Crimea.
Copyright © Stephen S. Roberts 2004-2015.