|
HISTORY
The exact launch date of the Flagship of the French Fleet,
SOLEIL ROYAL with its 104 cannons, is a matter of dispute. Many
historians say 1690 whilst others are of the opinion that she
was engaged in combat in the Mediterranean Sea as early as the
1670's.
In May 1692 Anne-Hilarion de Cotentin, Count of Tourville and
Marshal of France, who was captain of the SOLEIL ROYAL at the
same time, achieved his hour of glory. On the 12th of May he
sailed from Brest with a formation of 45 ships and on May 29th,
approximately 21 nautical miles north-east of the headland of
Barfleur, he was confronted by the English and Dutch fleets with
a combined strength of 97 vessels. After a bloody battle lasting
12 hours it was the British and Dutch who took refuge in flight
after suffering heavy losses. Thereafter three of the French
fleet, including the SOLEIL ROYAL, were hauled up onto the beach
at Cherbourg for repairs.
They were thus a defenceless target for the Dutch and British
when the latter attacked on 2nd and 3rd of June 1692 and set
fire to the ships. The loss of 18 warships, especially the
flagship SOLEIL ROYAL, was a serious setback. However, to speak
of the "catastrophe de la Hohue" as anglophile authors are
inclined to do, is something of an exaggeration, since by the
following year the Count of Tourville was at sea again and
defeated 59 English ships at Cape St. Vincent on 27th June 1698.
Furthermore, he ensured that France remained England's most
feared enemy at sea for more than a century. |
