French ship Algésiras (1804)
| the Achille Scale model of the Achille, sister-ship of the Algésiras, on display at the Musée de la Marine in Paris | |
| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Algésiras |
| Namesake: | Battle of Algeciras |
| Builder: | Lorient |
| Laid down: | 1804 |
| Launched: | 1804 |
| Captured: |
By the Royal Navy, 21 October 1805 |
| Career (Spain) | File:Flag of Spain.svg |
| Name: | Algésiras |
| Namesake: | Battle of Algeciras |
| Acquired: | 1808 |
| Renamed: | Algeciras |
| Captured: | 1808 |
| Fate: | Broken up in 1826 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Téméraire class ship of the line |
| Displacement: | 2900 tonnes |
| Length: | 55.87 metres (172 French feet) |
| Beam: | 14.90 metres (44' 6) |
| Draught: | 7,26 metres (22 French feet) |
| Propulsion: | Up to 2485 m² of sails |
| Complement: | 3 officers + 690 men |
| Armament: |
74 guns:
|
| Armour: | Timber |
Algésiras was a 74-gun French ship of the line built at Lorient in 1804, named after the Battle of Algeciras.
In 1805 she sailed to the West Indies with Aigle where they joined a French fleet under Vice-Admiral Villeneuve.
In October 1805 she took part in the Battle of Trafalgar, under Rear Admiral Charles Magon. She was engaged by HMS Tonnant at point-blank range, and Magon attempted a boarding, but the boarding party was annihilated by British fire which killed all but one of the party, who was made prisoner. Magon was killed. The fight went on for an hour with Tonnant's starboard guns duelling with the Algésiras, the port guns with Pluton, and the forward guns aimed at San Juan Nepomuceno. Algésiras finally surrendered to Tonnant at around 14:30.
During the storm after the battle, her crew rose up against the British prize crew, and recaptured the ship. She sailed to Cádiz flying French colours.
In 1808 was captured by the Spanish along with all the other French ships in Cadiz.
Sources and references
- Ships of the line
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.[page needed][self-published source?]
