The French ship Duquesne was a notable example of the Téméraire-class ships of the line, built during the late 18th century for the French Navy. Laid down in January 1788 at the Arsenal de Toulon and launched on September 2 of the same year, she was completed in 1789. The vessel was designed as a 74-gun ship, measuring approximately 55.87 meters (183 feet 4 inches) in length with a beam of 14.46 meters (47 feet 5 inches). Her depth of hold was 7.15 meters (23 feet 5 inches), and she displaced about 3,069 tonneaux, with a port tonnage of 1,537. The ship was rigged with three masts, supporting a ship-rigged configuration suitable for long-range sailing and combat. Duquesne’s armament consisted of a combination of smoothbore, muzzle-loading guns typical of her class. Her main battery included twenty-eight 36-pounder long guns on the lower gun deck, complemented by thirty 18-pounder long guns on the upper deck, and sixteen 8-pounder long guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle. Starting with ships completed after 1787, her armament was augmented by four 36-pounder obusiers on the poop deck, although variations existed. Throughout her service, Duquesne saw action in the French Revolutionary Wars, notably participating in the Battle of Cape Noli and the Battle of Hyères Islands in 1795 under Captain Allemand. By the early 1800s, she was repurposed as a troop ship, armed en flûte from mid-1801. In late 1802, while en route from Toulon to Saint-Domingue under Commodore Quérangal, she became caught in the British blockade of Saint-Domingue. After an attempted escape, she was engaged by British ships Tartar and Vanguard, resulting in her surrender after a brief artillery duel. Following her capture, Duquesne was incorporated into the Royal Navy as HMS Duquesne. She ran aground in 1804 on the Morant Cays but was later refloated in 1805. Subsequently, she was taken to England and broken up in the same year, ending her relatively brief but active service life. Her design and career exemplify the naval architecture and maritime conflicts of her era, marking her as a vessel of historical maritime significance.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.