LE ROYAL LOUIS

Our model is hand-crafted from hard wood with planks on frame construction. Model is fully assembled and ready for display.

HISTORY

The ROYAL LOUIS was a 3-deck vessel with 120 guns. Her captain was a Squadron Admiral. She was one of the most powerful first-rank vessels belonging to the French Royal Navy at that time.

The main equipment was made of 32 36-pounds guns at the low battery, 34 24-pounders at the second battery and 32 12-pounders at the third battery. Other smaller pieces installed on the quarter deck and on the half deck. The crew, including in wartime also some corps of riflemen and bombardiers, consisted in 1260 men. The Royal Louis underwent during years several changes which deeply altered both the hull lines and the rigging. The most remarkable modifications concerned the drastic lowering of the quarter deck and the disappearance of the spirit-sail mast. The main equipment however remained unchanged and only the minor artillery installed on the quarter-deck and on the fore-deck underwent some changes.

Our model represents the Royal Louis based on the plans of 1779, when she was admiral-ship of the blue-and-white Squadron, being part of the American Squadron, called Earl d'Estaing's.