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Vengeur, 1803
Type: French ; Armament 80
Notes:
15th of August 1803 (Vol iii - page 177)
25 December 1803 (Vol iii - page 178)
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Although the watchfulness of Admiral Cornwallis, who, on the 9th of July, shifted his flag from the Dreadnought to the 112 gun-ship Ville-de-Paris, precluded any addition to the Brest fleet from without the port, two fine ships joined it from within. Both were launched on the same day, the 15th of August; one the Cassard 74, the other, the celebrated three-decker on hand since the year 1794, and which, under such highly-wrought feelings, was then ordered to be named the Vengeur, to commemorate the supposed martyrdom of the '74 of that name, captured and sunk in Lord Howe's action.
The summer passed, and the year nearly closed, without any material change in the relative positions of the Brest and Channel fleets. On Christmas-day, however, the strong south-west gales, which, with short intermissions had blown for some weeks, increased to so alarming a height, that the blockading ships, one and all, were compelled to retire from the French coast, and seek safety in Plymouth and other British ports. At this time lay in the outer road of Brest, ready for sea, the Vengeur three-decker, bearing the flag of Vice-admiral Laurent-Jean-Francois Truguet, an 80, with Rear-admiral Ganteaume's flag, and six 74s, attended by about an equal number of frigates and corvettes, but they made no attempt to sail.