The Rivoli was a 74-gun ship of the line belonging to the petite Téméraire class, constructed for the French Navy during the early 19th century. Launched on September 6, 1810, and commissioned at the start of 1811, she was built primarily at the Arsenal of Venice, Italy, with her construction beginning on March 14, 1807. The ship measured approximately 53.97 meters (177 feet 1 inch) in length, with a beam of 14.29 meters (46 feet 11 inches), and a depth of hold of 6.9 meters (22 feet 8 inches). Displacing around 2,781 tonneaux and with a tonnage of 1,381 port tonneaux, the Rivoli was designed for a crew of about 705 officers and ratings during wartime. Her armament reflected her role as a ship of the line, featuring a combination of smoothbore muzzle-loading guns: twenty-eight 36-pounder long guns on the lower deck and thirty 18-pounder long guns on the upper deck. Additionally, she was intended to carry smaller guns, including 8-pounders and carronades, though the exact number varied, typically ranging from 20 to 26 weapons in total. She was rigged with three masts and ship rigging, suitable for the large sailing ships of her class. The Rivoli's early service was marked by her maiden voyage, during which she was fitted with ship camels to navigate the shallow waters of Venice harbor. Her first significant engagement occurred in February 1812, when, under the command of Jean-Baptiste Barré, she was intercepted by the British 74-gun third-rate HMS Victorious. In the Battle of Pirano, her crew, inexperienced at the time, suffered heavy casualties, and the British captured the Rivoli after intense combat, with approximately 400 men killed or wounded from her crew of over 800. The Royal Navy then recommissioned her as HMS Rivoli. She continued her service post-capture, notably capturing the frigate Melpomène off Naples in May 1815 under Captain Edward Stirling Dickson. The vessel was ultimately broken up in 1819, marking the end of her brief but notable maritime career.

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