French ship Mercure (1783)

Mercure was a 74-gun Séduisant-class ship of the line of the French Navy.

History
France
Name	Mercure
Namesake	Mercury
Ordered	1 June 1782
Builder	Toulon
Laid down	August 1782
Launched	4 August 1783
Commissioned	1783
Fate	Captured and burnt 2 August 1798
General characteristics
Class and type	Séduisant-class ship of the line
Displacement	1,550 tonnes
Length	56.3 m (184 ft 9 in)
Beam	14.2 m (46 ft 7 in)
Draught	7.4 m (24 ft 3 in)
Complement	600
Armament	74 guns
Armour	Timber

Captured by the British in Toulon in August 1793, but was retaken by French forces in December 1793.

She took part in the Battle of the Nile under Captain Cambon. She fought against HMS Majestic and was captured by HMS Alexander. Damaged beyond repair and aground, she was burnt.

See also

• List of ships captured in the 18th century

References

• Demerliac, Cmdt. Alain, Nomenclature des navires français de 1774 a 1792. Editions ANCRE, Nice.
• Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.