Don des vaisseaux

The don des vaisseaux (lit. "gift of ships of the line") was a subscription effort launched by Étienne François de Choiseul, Duke of Choiseul and secretary of State to the Navy in 1761 as an effort to rebuild French naval power, diminished at the end of the Seven Years' War and in need for modernisation. Through this subscription, French provinces, cities, institutions or individuals contributed funds for the building of ships of the line, which were then named in their honour. The scheme raised 13 millions French livres and provided 18 ships, including two three-deckers, Ville de Paris and Bretagne.

The names of the ships were chosen to honour their patrons, either directly or by stating qualities with which the patrons wished to be associated. Some of the names became politically incompatible with the policies of the Convention nationale and were therefore changed in 1794; some of the new names became in turn politically unacceptable after the Thermidorian Reaction, yielding new renamings in 1795.

The success of the operation encouraged the French state to renew it on several dire occasions: from 1782 to 1790, and later again under the Revolution and the Empire.

Background
By the end of the Seven Years' War, the French Navy had sustained heavy casualties and lost thirty-two ships of the line: thirteen in isolated incidents, two at Cartegena, five during the siege of Louisbourg, five at the Battle of Lagos and seven at Quiberon Bay. As the State was already in debt, it was impossible to fund the reconstruction of the Navy by conventional means. Choiseul, secretary of State to the Navy, consequently devised a scheme to have shipbuilding sponsored by French society directly.

In 1762, Choiseul suggested to Charles Antoine de La Roche-Aymon, then Archbishop of Narbonne, who presided over the Estates of Languedoc, to encourage the delegates of Languedoc to fund a 74-gun ship for the Crown, in the hope that this would set an example and encourage emulation in other provinces.

Fundraising
On 26 November 1761, the archbishop gave a speech before the Estates of Langdoc, to the effect that they should offer to His Majesty a ship of the line of 74 pieces of artillery and provide by this endeavour (...) a demonstration of what subjects can and must do who are truly worthy of the best of masters (...). There is no good Frenchman who does not feel moved by the desire to sacrifice everything to assist with the efforts of the King and of the wise and enlightened minister to restore the French Navy.

Langdoc obliged, and the example was followed the next year by the Estates of the provinces of Brittany, Burgundy, Artois, Flanders; the cities of Paris, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Marseille; some particular institutions such as the Posts, the Six Corps (corporations of the merchants of Paris), the Ferme générale, the Chambers of commerce; and even individuals.

Not only did the Provinces offer, in this occasion, distinguished marks of unusual zeal, but M. de Choiseul has told me that he received daily letters from individuals who volunteered money. Amongst others, there was the case of a simple gentleman from Champagne, whose name he sadly did not recall, and who stated that as he was not a rich man and had children, he was not really in any position to make a donation; but that, as they were still young, he could dispense with a thousand pounds that he had saved and that he sent them to him to be used in the service of the King. M. de Choiseul responded that his majesty, after accepting them, would return them so that they would assist in educating the children, who could not fail, with such a father, to render him great services.

Ships built through donations
Of the 30 ships of the line built between 1760 and 1769, 18 were funded through donations totalling 13 million pounds. It is notably the case of the two three-deckers used during the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, Ville de Paris and Bretagne.

Renewal of the fundraising
After a costly French defeat at the Battle of the Saintes, a new fundraising drive was organised, yielding five new ships. Another ship was later built from such funding during the Empire.

Notes and references

 * LA BRETAGNE, 1766. Le renouveau de la Marine Française après la guerre de Sept Ans