&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Achille_mp3h9307.jpg) Scale model of Achille, a typical French seventy-four of the Téméraire class at the beginning of the 19th century.
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | 74-gun |
| Builders | Numerous |
| Operators | |
| In commission | 1740s–1810s |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | ship of the line |
| Tons burthen | 2,000–3,000 bm |
| Length | 161–182 ft (49–55 m) |
| Beam | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Draught | 23 ft (7 m) |
| Sail plan | ship rig |
| Complement | 500–700 men |
| Armament |
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The "seventy-four" was a type of two-decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently developed 64-gun ships. Impressed with the performance of several captured French seventy-fours, the British Royal Navy quickly adopted similar designs, classing them as third rates. The type then spread to the Spanish, Dutch, Danish and Russian navies.
The design was considered a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities. Hundreds of seventy-fours were constructed, becoming the dominant form of ship-of-the-line. They remained the mainstay of most major fleets into the early 19th century. From the 1820s, they began to be replaced by larger two-decked ships mounting more guns. However, some seventy-fours remained in service until the late 19th century, when they were finally supplanted by ironclads.
Standardising on a common ship size was an appealing ideal for naval administrators and bureaucrats. Although the seventy-four was a common type, the ship classes were not identical, even within the same navy. In the period 1750–1790, seventy-fours could measure from just under 2,000 to 3,000 tons burthen. The armament could also vary considerably, with the lower deck mounting 24-pounder to 36-pounder long guns, and a variety of calibres (sometimes including a few carronades) used on the upper deck. Some seventy-fours of the Danish navy only carried 70 guns.[1]
- ^ Glete (1993), pp. 83–86