Tonnant-class ship of the line

The Tonnant class was a series of eight 80-gun ships of the line designed in 1787 by Jacques-Noël Sané, whose plans for the prototype were approved on 29 September 1787. With sixteen gunports on the lower deck on each side (although only fifteen of these ports on each side were routinely provided with 36-livre guns) these were the most effective two-deckers of their era. Their broadside of 1,102 livres equated to 1,190 British pounds weight, over 50% more than the standard British 74-gun ship, and even greater than that of a British 100-gun three-decker.

Five ships were ordered from 1787 to 1793, and all were completed during the 1790s; six more were ordered in January 1794 to be built to this design at Toulon, but only three of these were named and laid down. All but one of the eight ships were to be captured or destroyed by the British Navy, and four of these were to enjoy long careers in their new service. The prizes were highly regarded by British sea officers, but they proved costly and time-consuming to maintain.

From 1802 a new group (the Bucentaure-class ship of the line) of French 80-gun ships was begun of slightly modified design, of which more than 24 were begun.

Tonnant class (8 ships)
The design dimensions of these ships (in French pieds of 324.84mm) were 182.5 overall length, 167 keel length x 47.0 breadth x 23.5 depth in hold (see General Characteristics box for metric equivalents and those in UK/US units).


 * Tonnant
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: December 1787
 * Launched: 24 October 1789
 * Completed: September 1790
 * Fate: Captured 2 August 1798 in the Battle of the Nile, added to Royal Navy as HMS Tonnant, broken up 1821


 * Indomptable
 * Builder: Brest
 * Begun: September 1788
 * Launched: 20 December 1790
 * Completed: April 1793
 * Fate: Wrecked off Rota 22 October 1805 after the Battle of Trafalgar


 * Sans Pareil
 * Builder: Brest
 * Begun: October 1790
 * Launched: 8 June 1793
 * Completed: September 1793
 * Fate: Captured 1 June 1794 by the Royal Navy during Fourth Battle of Ushant, broken up October 1842


 * Indivisible
 * Builder: Brest
 * Begun: May 1793
 * Launched: 8 July 1799
 * Completed: October 1799
 * Fate: Renamed Alexandre 5 February 1802, captured by Britain 6 February 1805, hulked 1808 and sold to be broken up May 1822


 * Foudroyant
 * Builder: Rochefort
 * Ordered: December 1793
 * Launched: 18 May 1799
 * Completed: August 1800
 * Fate: Struck 26 October 1833 and broken up 1834


 * Formidable
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: August 1794
 * Launched: 17 March 1795
 * Completed: October 1795
 * Fate: Captured 3 November 1805 during Battle of Cape Ortegal, renamed HMS Brave, broken up April 1816


 * Guillaume Tell
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: September 1794
 * Launched: 21 October 1795
 * Completed: July 1796
 * Fate: Captured 31 March 1800 off Malta, renamed HMS Malta, broken up August 1840


 * Franklin
 * Builder: Toulon
 * Begun: November 1794
 * Launched: 25 June 1797
 * Completed: March 1798
 * Fate: Captured 2 August 1798 in the Battle of the Nile, renamed HMS Canopus, broken up October 1887