French ship Ferme (1785)

Ferme was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. Offered to the Crown by the Ferme générale as a Don des vaisseaux, she was renamed Phocion at the Revolution . Her officers surrendered her to Spain in 1793 out of Royalist political convictions and she served in the Spanish Navy until 1818.

Scale model of Achille, sister ship of French ship Ferme (1785), on display at the Musée national de la Marine in Paris.
History
French Navy Ensign France
NameFerme
NamesakeFerme générale
BuilderBrest[1]
Laid downDecember 1784[1]
Launched16 September 1785[1]
Commissioned1786[1]
RenamedPhocion 1792
FateMutineers delivered to Spain
Spanish Empire
Acquired1794[1]
FateBroken up in La Guaria in 1808[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and typeTéméraire-class ship of the line
Displacement
  • 1,966 tonnes
  • 3,260 tonnes fully loaded
Length55.87 metres (183.3 ft) (172 pied)
Beam14.90 metres (48 ft 11 in)
Draught7.26 metres (23.8 ft) (22 pied)
PropulsionUp to 2,485 m2 (26,750 sq ft) of sails
Armament
ArmourTimber

Career

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Built under supervision of engineer de la Motte, Ferme entered active service on 28 January 1786. In September 1790, she was sent to the Caribbean, where she recaptured the naval schooner Bigotte on 10 November 1791. The next week, she recaptured Îlet Ramiers, whose garrison had rebelled.[1]

On 3 October 1792, she was renamed Phocion, but before the decree arrived, her officers had mutined against the First French Republic and were flying the Royalist white ensign. On 11 January 1793, they sailed her into Trinidad to surrender her to Spain.[1]

Ferme was incorporated into the Spanish Navy, where she served until 1808.[1]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Roche, vol.1, p.198
  2. ^ Clouet, Alain (2007). "La marine de Napoléon III : classe Téméraire - caractéristiques". dossiersmarine.free.fr. Archived from the original on 23 March 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.

References

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  • Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 198. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.