French ship Impétueux (1803)
Impétueux was a French 74-gun ship of the line in the Téméraire class, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané. Built for the French Navy and completed in 1803, she measured about 55.9 meters in length, 14.5 meters in beam, with a depth of hold around 7.15 meters. She carried about 705 officers and men and was a three-masted, full-rigged ship. Her armament consisted of 74 guns: 28 x 36-pounders on the lower deck, 30 x 18-pounders on the upper deck, and 16 x 8-pounders on the forecastle and quarterdeck.
Construction and name changes: Impétueux was ordered on 31 May 1798 and laid down on 22 September 1798 at Lorient. She was initially named Brutus in December 1802, launched on 24 January 1803, and renamed Impétueux on 5 February 1803, with completion in March 1803.
Service and fate: She served in the Caribbean under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez during the Atlantic campaign of 1806. On 19 August 1806 she was dismasted in a storm and drifted until 10 September. On 14 September 1806 a Royal Navy squadron chased her; unable to fight, she ran aground in Chesapeake Bay. Her wreck was set on fire by the British, and the crew were captured.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:01 (CET).