French ship Constitution

{{Infobox ship |section1={{Téméraire-class default image}}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |country=France |flag={{shipboxflag|France|naval}} |name=''Viala'' |namesake=Joseph Agricol Viala |ordered= |builder=Lorient |laid_down= |launched=28 September 1795 |acquired= |commissioned= |decommissioned= |in_service= |out_of_service= |renamed=*''Voltaire'' in 1795 *''Constitution'' in 1795 *''Jupiter'' in 1803 |captured=6 February 1806 |struck= |reinstated= |honours= |notes= }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header=title |country=United Kingdom |flag={{shipboxflag|United Kingdom|naval}} |name=''Maida'' |namesake=Battle of Maida |acquired= |commissioned= |decommissioned= |in_service= |out_of_service= |renamed= |captured= |struck= |reinstated= |fate=Broken up in June 1817 |honours= |notes= }}

|section4={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |class={{sclass|Téméraire|ship of the line}} |displacement=3,069 tonneaux |tons_burthen=*1,537 port tonneaux French service *1,899 (bm) British service |length={{convert|55.87|m|abbr=on}} (172 French feet) |beam={{convert|14.90|m|abbr=on}} (44' 6"; French) |draught={{convert|7.26|m|abbr=on}} (22 French feet) |sail_plan=Full-rigged ship (sail area up to 2485 m<sup>2</sup>) |speed= |range= |endurance= |test_depth= |boats= |capacity= |notes= }}

|section5={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption=(French service) |complement=3 officers + 690 men |armament=*Lower gundeck: 28 × 36-pounder long guns *Upper gundeck: 30 × 18-pounder long guns *Fc and QD:16 × 8-pounder long guns + 4 × 36-pounder carronades }}

|section6={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption=(British service{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=89}}) |complement=121 officers and men |armament=*Lower deck: 30 × 24-pounder guns *Upper deck: 24 × 24-pounder guns *QD: 2 × 24-pounder guns + 12 × 24-pounder carronades *Fc: 2 × 24-pounder guns + 2 × 24-pounder carronades }} }}

'''''Constitution''''' was a 74-gun {{sclass|Téméraire|ship of the line}} built for the French Navy launched as '''''Viala''''' (or ''Vialla'') in 1795. The Royal Navy captured her in 1806 and sold her in 1814.

==French service== Between 1794 and 1795, the French successively named her ''Viala'' (in honour of Joseph Agricol Viala), '''''Voltaire''''' (in honour of François-Marie Arouet), and '''''Constitution''''' (after the Constitution of the National Convention).{{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=126}}

In the winter of 1796–1797, she took part in the Expédition d'Irlande. She managed to reach Bantry Bay, where on 22 December 1797 she was damaged in a collision with ''Révolution''.{{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=126}}

Between 29 September 1800 and 18 June 1802, she underwent fitting at Toulon. In 1802, she was recommissioned in Toulon, under Captain Faure.{{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=126}}

On 5 February 1803, she was renamed again to '''''Jupiter'''''.{{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=126}} On 13 December 1805 she joined Vice-Admiral Corentin Urbain Leissègues's squadron bound for Santo Domingo, under Captain Laignel. On 27 December she separated from the squadron in a gale. She rejoined the squadron on 24 January 1806 at Saint Domingue.{{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=126}}

{{HMS|Donegal|1798|2}}, while serving in a Royal Navy squadron under the command of Vice Admiral Duckworth, captured her at the Battle of San Domingo (6 February 1806). In the battle, ''Jupiter'' lost some 200 men killed and wounded; ''Donegal'' had 12 men killed and 33 wounded.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=15902|pages=371–374|date=24 March 1806}}</ref>{{efn|In November 1807 prize money was paid. The amount for a petty officer on ''Donegal'' £14 8s 2d; the amount for a seaman was £2 14s 2d.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16088|page=1545|date=17 November 1817}}</ref>}}

==British service== [[File:Duckworth's Action off San Domingo, 6 February 1806 RMG BHC0571.tiff|thumb|''Jupiter'' (second from left) at the Battle of San Domingo]]

''Jupiter'' arrived in Portsmouth on 6 May 1806.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=89}} The Royal Navy then commissioned her as ''Maida'', in honour of the Battle of Maida, the name ''Jupiter'' being already used for the 50-gun fourth rate {{HMS|Jupiter|1778|2}}. She was commissioned in February 1807 under Captain Samuel Hood Linzee.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=89}}

''Maida'' was one of the vessels at the Second Battle of Copenhagen. There she landed a party of seamen who manned the breaching battery before the city. Because she was one of the vessels present at the seizure of the Danish fleet on 7 September, her officers and crew were entitled to share in the prize money.{{efn|The share for an able seaman was £3 8s.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16275|page=1103|date=11 July 1809}}</ref>}} By the end of the year she was back in Portsmouth.

On 26 October 1807, Tsar Alexander I of Russia declared war on Great Britain. The official news did not arrive there until 2 December, at which time the British declared an embargo on all Russian vessels in British ports. ''Maida'' was one of some 70 vessels that shared in the proceeds of the seizure of the 44-gun Russian frigate ''Speshnoy'' (''Speshnyy''), and the Russian storeship ''Wilhelmina'' (or ''Vilghemina'') then in Portsmouth harbour.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16276|page=1129|date=15 July 1809}}</ref> The Russian vessels were carrying the payroll for Vice-Admiral Dmitry Senyavin's squadron in the Mediterranean.{{sfnp|Tredrea|Sozaev|2010|pp=198 & p.391}}{{efn|Consequently, a seaman on any one of the 70 British vessels received 14s 7½d in prize money.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16195|page=1460|date=25 October 1808}}</ref>}}

''Maida'' was paid off at Portsmouth on 9 March 1808 and placed into ordinary. In 1813 she came under the command of Captain John Hayes. She remained in ordinary, i.e., she was not recommissioned, but served as flagship at Portsmouth to Rear-Admiral Edward Griffith Colpoys.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=89}}

==Fate== On 25 July 1814 the Principal Officers and Commissioners of His Majesty's Navy put her up for sale. The conditions of sale included that the purchaser was to give a bond, with two sureties for £3000, that they would not sell or otherwise dispose of the ship but that they would break her up within twelve months from the date of sale.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=16922|page=1566|date=2 August 1814}}</ref> She was sold on 11 August 1814 for £4,700.{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|p=89}}

==Notes== {{notelist}} ==Citations== {{reflist|30em}} ==References== * {{cite book|first=Jean-Michel|last=Roche|year=2005|title=Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours|isbn=978-2-9525917-0-6|oclc=165892922|publisher=Group Retozel-Maury Millau|volume=1}} * {{cite book |first1=John| last1=Tredrea| first2=Eduard| last2=Sozaev| title=Russian Warships in the Age of Sail, 1696–1860 | publisher=Seaforth | location=Greenwich | year=2010| isbn=978-1-84832-058-1}} * {{citation |first=Rif|last=Winfield|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth|year=2008|isbn=978-1-86176-246-7}}

==External links== * [http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/M/02847.html Naval Database] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830045038/http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/M/02847.html |date=2008-08-30 }} * {{cite web|title= HMS Maida (1806)|url= http://www.ageofnelson.org/MichaelPhillips/info.php?ref=1398|publisher= Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy|access-date=19 December 2011}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Constitution (1795)}} Category:Ships of the line of the French Navy Category:Ships of the line of the Royal Navy Category:Téméraire-class ships of the line Category:1795 ships Category:Ships built in Lorient Category:Captured ships

French ship Constitution

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