Argonaute-class ship of the line

Class overview
NameArgonaute
Operators French Navy
Completed2[1]
General characteristics
Class and typeArgonaute class
Displacement1500 tonnes[2]
Length55.22 metres
Beam14.29 metres
Draught7.39 metres
PropulsionSails
Armament
  • 74 guns[1] comprising:
  • Lower deck ("1st tier") 28 × 36-pounder long guns
  • Upper deck ("2nd tier") 30 × 18-pounder long guns
  • Gaillards ("3rd tier") 16 × 8-pounder long guns

The Argonaute class was a class of two 74-gun ships of the French Navy, built to a common design by naval constructor François-Guillaume Clairin-Deslauriers. The design was lengthened by 4feet 9½ inches (4½ pieds) from the designer's previous Scipion class, which had been found to lack stability. The designer died on 10 October 1780, and the construction of these ships was completed by Jean-Denis Chevillard, who was appointed his successor as ingénieur-constructeur en chef at that dockyard in July 1781.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Winfield & Roberts, French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861, p.86.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference roche48 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).