Pourvoyeuse-class frigate

The Pourvoyeuse class was a type of heavy frigates of the French Navy, designed in the 1770s by Louis Boux. The class comprise two units, Pourvoyeuse and Consolante, which served in the Indian Ocean and were involved in the naval operations of the American Revolutionary War, notably serving in the squadron of Admiral de Suffren.

They constituted one of the earliest attempts at building a frigate armed with 24-pounders on the artillery deck, rather than the 18-pounders typical of the day. The attempt was unfruitful, and the ships were commissioned armed with old 18-pounders. Several further such attempts were made later with the Résistance-class frigate, Forte-class frigate and Romaine-class frigate classes. The concept was eventually perfected with the original six frigates of the United States Navy, before becoming moot with the introduction of a different artillery system based on 30-pounder long guns and 30-pounder short guns in the 1820s.


 * Pourvoyeuse
 * Builder: Lorient
 * Ordered: 6 February 1772
 * Launched: 10 November 1772
 * Completed: 1773
 * Fate: Broken up


 * Consolante
 * Builder: Lorient
 * Ordered:
 * Launched: 26 June 1775
 * Completed:
 * Fate: