Le Soleil Royal (1669) Le Soleil Royal (1669)Another floating monument to royal pretension, but also an extremely powerful fighting ship, carrying over 100 guns, the ship typified the regeneration of France’s Navy carried out by the minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert.
Classified as a vaisseau (first rate), as was typical for a first-rate man of war (the term battleship did not come into use until around 1884, as an abbreviation of ‘line-of-battle ship’ which was first recorded in 1705), Le Soleil Royal was splendidly adorned with colourful carving, the hull painted black, white and blue with gold embellishments, and at the stern was a massive sculpture in wood of the chariot of the sun drawn by winged horses. The name was a reference to the ‘Sun-King’, Louis XIV, replacing the original plan to call it Grand-Henry, in memory of one of his predecessors, Henri IV.
France needed new warships at this time, and in fact several perfectly serviceable smaller ships could have been constructed for the price paid for Le Soleil Royal, but that was not how the minds of seventeenth-century strategists worked.
A modern watercolour of Le Soleil Royal emphasises the decoration lavished on a French first-rate in the age of the Sun-King, Louis XIV, as well as indicating the ship’s great length.
The vast, gilded, needlessly expensive showpiece was considered essential for national prestige. Perhaps also it contributed to naval morale. The ship was built at Brest by the master-builder Laurent Hubac and launched on 13 December 1669. With guns installed, it was commissioned in August 1670. France was Europe’s most formidable land power, but despite its three coastlines, the Navy had been neglected. Two divisions were required, one for the Mediterranean Sea, formed primarily from galleys and other oared ships, and one for the northern coast, fronting England and next to the increasingly powerful and aggressive Dutch states. The French had used galleys in Channel warfare before, but it was now appreciated that larger ships, better able to withstand storms, and more heavily armed, were essential to counter the English and Dutch fleets.
Specification
Dimensions |
Length 55m (180ft 5in), Beam 15.6m (51ft 2in), Draught 7.6m (24ft 11in), Displacement c1088 tonnes (c1200 tons) |
Rig |
3 masts, full ship rig |
Armament |
98 to 104 bronze cannon, at different times |
Complement |
1200 |
By now it was quite accepted for a first-rate warship to mount heavy cannon on three decks, as well as lighter guns on the forecastle and poop deck. Flagship status was indicated by the large triple lanterns at the poop and another fixed to the mizzen-mast. Its cannon were of bronze rather than cast iron, mounted behind gun-ports painted bright red. In its early years it appears to have been little used, but in 1686 it went through an extensive refit, and in 1688 the number of guns was increased to 104.
In 1688 it became the flagship of the Count of Tourville, and when Louis XIV declared war against Spain and England in 1689, Vice-Admiral Tourville led a fleet of 75 ships which defeated a combined fleet of 39 English and 21 Dutch ships, off Beachy Head on 10 July 1690 in what was known in France as the Battle of Cape Béveziers. By this time the concept of the ‘line of battle’ had replaced the earlier, less ordered form of a naval battle, and the French fleet was formed into three divisions, with Le Soleil Royal leading the central division. From then on it was in regular action.
Tourville saw his fleet reduced when 15 ships were transferred to the Mediterranean. Though summoned back to Brest, they were delayed and did not form part of the fleet which was ordered to clear the Channel of enemy craft in preparation for an invasion intended to restore King James II to the English throne. With Le Soleil Royal again as flagship, the French with 44 ships and 11 fireships fought an Anglo-Dutch fleet of double its number off Barfleur on 20 May 1692. Tourville broke off the action and tried to bring his ships home, but the fleet, pursued by the victors, became divided. Le Soleil Royal suffered heavy damage and more than half of the ship’s complement of 973 men were killed or wounded; and on 30 May Tourville shifted his flag to L’Ambitieux.
Under its commander, Desnos, the stricken Soleil Royal was forced eastwards by the tide, to run aground off Cherbourg, with two other ships. Still under attack, and returning fire, the crew cut down the masts in the hope of getting the ship further inshore, while the English prepared fireships to drift in. On 2 June, a fireship struck against the French giant and soon Le Soleil was ablaze. The powder magazine exploded, killing all but one of the remaining crew. Its destruction, and that of 13 others, was hailed in England and Holland. Medals were struck. But the wealth and resilience of France meant that within a year, the Channel was again being contested. A second Soleil Royal, less magnificent, was launched in 1693.
First-rate
A royal ordinance defined the characteristics of a French first-rate, to ensure that ships would be built to the same specifications. The prime requirement was that it should have three full-length gun-decks. Only two ships, Le Soleil Royal and Royal-Louis, were to carry a ‘castle’ at the bow. The Royal French Navy had five rates of ship and in 1692 it had 22 first-rates (80–100 guns), 27 second-rates (60–80 guns), 46 third-rates (50–60 guns), 16 fourth-rates (40–50 guns) and 21 fifth-rates (20–36 guns). All these were deemed worthy of joining the line of battle. England’s Navy, first to employ the rating system (from 1653), had six rates. Instead of a free-for-all, the fleets sailed in line, following flag signals, exchanging broadsides, each trying to get the other fleet placed at a disadvantage, so that they might be able to close in and complete the action. A successful admiral now had to be a skilful and sometimes bold tactician.
