Re: French crews at Aboukir -- NAVAL WARFARE IN THE AGE OF SAIL 1650-1815

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Date Posted: 21:34:52 04/21/09 Tue
Author: Albert Parker
Subject: Re: French crews at Aboukir
In reply to: Domi 's message, "Re: French crews at Aboukir" on 03:29:22 04/21/09 Tue

>we know that the old Conquerant was undergunned but
>not that he had only 20-24 guns like a flute
>
>?? a typo in the book, i guess for that
>i don't know when i could go to Toulon to check the
>original reports
>
>???? Conquerant sailed from Toulon as a flute with his
>ordnances in the bottom, guns being put in battery
>after unloading the ship, and crew reinforced from
>various sources

This is doubtful. If it had been the case, Conquérant should have proceeded with the other transports, not as part of the battle line. Troude (III, 91) wrote, "Quinze vaisseaux dont 2 armées en flute . . . appareillèrent de la rade de Toulon." The two en flûte are accounted for by the ex-Venetian Causse and Dubois, and Brueys had only 13 SOL in Aboukir Bay, including Conquérant.

Chevalier (Première Republique, 348, discussed the weakness of the French crews in 1886.
Orient: 850 men instead of the establishment crew of 1130
Guillaume Tell: 800 instead of 866
Franklin: 650 instead of 866
Tonnant: 730 instead of 866
Timoléon: 500 instead of 706
Spartiate: 520 instead of 706
Aquilon, Heureux, Mercure, Généreux: 600 insted of 706
Guerrier: 620 instead of 706
Peuple-Souverain: 670 instead of 706
«Le Conquérant avait à peine quelques centaines d'hommes.» Conquérant had the disadvantage of a few hundred men. The reduction of the armament from 36's, 18's, and 8's to 24's, 12's, and 8's would have reduced the number of required to serve them efficiently in action, but not to 200. Chevalier's numbers are suspiciously round and it is doubtful that he found any at all for Conquérant. It would seem that «quelques centaines» must have been at least 400 or there would not have been much point in putting 74 guns on board.

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>>we know that the old Conquerant was undergunned but >>not that he had only 20-24 guns like a flute >> >>?? a typo in the book, i guess for that >>i don't know when i could go to Toulon to check the >>original reports >> >>???? Conquerant sailed from Toulon as a flute with his >>ordnances in the bottom, guns being put in battery >>after unloading the ship, and crew reinforced from >>various sources > >This is doubtful. If it had been the case, >Conquérant should have proceeded with the other >transports, not as part of the battle line. Troude >(III, 91) wrote, "Quinze vaisseaux dont 2 armées en >flute . . . appareillèrent de la rade de Toulon." The >two en flûte are accounted for by the >ex-Venetian Causse and Dubois, and >Brueys had only 13 SOL in Aboukir Bay, including >Conquérant. > >Chevalier (Première Republique, 348, discussed >the weakness of the French crews in 1886. >Orient: 850 men instead of the establishment >crew of 1130 >Guillaume Tell: 800 instead of 866 >Franklin: 650 instead of 866 >Tonnant: 730 instead of 866 >Timoléon: 500 instead of 706 >Spartiate: 520 instead of 706 >Aquilon, Heureux, Mercure, Généreux: 600 >insted of 706 >Guerrier: 620 instead of 706 >Peuple-Souverain: 670 instead of 706 >«Le Conquérant avait à peine quelques centaines >d'hommes.» Conquérant had the disadvantage of a >few hundred men. The reduction of the armament from >36's, 18's, and 8's to 24's, 12's, and 8's would have >reduced the number of required to serve them >efficiently in action, but not to 200. Chevalier's >numbers are suspiciously round and it is doubtful that >he found any at all for Conquérant. It would >seem that «quelques centaines» must have been at least >400 or there would not have been much point in putting >74 guns on board.

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