The Foudroyant was a First Rank ship of the line in the French Royal Navy, constructed at Brest Dockyard and launched in 1693. Originally, the ship was ordered to be named Soleil Royal, a prestigious name intended to replace an earlier vessel of the same name destroyed at Cherbourg. However, Étienne Hubac successfully petitioned the King to rename his ship Foudroyant, meaning "Thunderbolt" or "Lightning," reflecting an awe-inspiring presence. This name was transferred from another ship built by Laurent Hubac, Étienne’s father, who had previously rebuilt the original Soleil Royal. Designed by Blaise Pangalo, the Foudroyant was laid down in April 1693 and completed in 1694. She was armed with a formidable array of 104 guns, including twenty-eight 36-pounders on the lower deck, thirty 18-pounders on the middle deck, twenty-eight 12-pounders on the upper deck, twelve 6-pounders on the quarterdeck, and six 6-pounders on the forecastle. In 1706, her armament was slightly increased with the addition of two 12-pounders on the upper deck, while two 6-pounders were removed. The ship played a notable role in naval combat, serving as the flagship of Amiral de France Louis-Alexandre de Bourbon, Comte de Toulouse, during the Battle of Vélez-Málaga on 24 August 1704. Her imposing presence and firepower exemplified the formidable line-of-battle ships of the era. During the War of Spanish Succession, she was scuttled in Toulon in July 1707 under orders from Louis to prevent her from being captured or destroyed by the English fleet’s bombardment. Although later refloated, her service ended when she was condemned in March 1713, and she was dismantled during 1714. The Foudroyant’s career highlights the maritime strength and naval strategy of France during the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

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