French Fourth Rate ship of the line 'L'Hippopotame' (1749)

Three Decks' Forum

Come and ask, answer or inform.

Recent updates

Update
Pedro de Linze y BerasteguiSpanish
Ship Owner
Service 1754-1769
Update
Galga (36) 1744-1784
Spanish 36 Gun
Privateer Frigate
Added
Lorenzo BeyenisSpanish
Ship Owner
Service 1769
Update
Juan Agustin de IradySpanish
Naval Sailor
Update
Guipuzcoano (64) 1778-1780
Spanish 64 Gun
Merchant Ship of the Line
Update
San Rafael (30) 1774-1780
Spanish 30 Gun
Merchant Frigate
Update
Luis ArburuSpanish
Naval Sailor
Update
Fermín UrtizbereaSpanish
Naval Sailor
Service 1780
Update
San Carlos (32) 1772-1780
Spanish 32 Gun
Merchant Frigate
Added
San Ignacio de Loyola (50) 1766-1779
Spanish 50 Gun
Merchant Ship
See more...

Recent Comments

Yarmouth (64) 1745-1811
British 64 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
(1745)
Somerset (68) 1748-1778
British 68 Gun
3rd Rate Ship of the Line
(1748)
Santisima Trinidad (136) 1805-1805
British 136 Gun
1st Rate Ship of the Line
(1805)
Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad (116) 1769-1805
Spanish 116 Gun
1st Rate Ship of the Line
(1769)
Drake (14) 1798-1804
British 14 Gun
Unrated Sloop
(1798)
Drake (14) 1798-1804
British 14 Gun
Unrated Sloop
(1798)
Magicienne (32) 1781-1810
British 32 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
(1781)
L'Africaine (18) 1796-1796
French 18 Gun
Unrated Unknown
(1796)
Quebec (32) 1781-1816
British 32 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
(1781)
Diamond (38) 1794-1812
British 38 Gun
5th Rate Frigate
(1794)
See more...

L'Hippopotame ➡ 1777 Fier Rodrigue
Nominal Guns	50	NNF-1715
Nationality	Royaume de France
Operator	Marine Royale
Keel Laid Down	2.1748	NNF-1715
Launched	5.7.1749	NNF-1715
First Commissioned	1750	NNF-1715
How acquired	Purpose built	NNF-1715
Shipyard	Toulon - Provence	NNF-1715
Constructor	François CoulombFrench Designer Ship Builder Service 1702-1749	NNF-1715
Category	Fourth Rate	NNF-1715
National Rate	Troisième Rang	NNF-1715
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	NNF-1715
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	NNF-1715
Broken Up	1784	NNF-1715

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentNNF-1715
Length of Gundeck141' 9"French Feet (Pied du Roi)45.8027 (150′ 3″ Imperial)
Length of Keel120'French Feet (Pied du Roi)38.976 (127′ 10″ Imperial)
Breadth38' 6"French Feet (Pied du Roi)12.3627 (40′ 6″ Imperial)
Depth in Hold17' 11"French Feet (Pied du Roi)5.5255 (18′ 1″ Imperial)
Burthen1,030Ton

Armament

1750Broadside Weight = 372 French Livre (401.4624 lbs 182.094 kg)NNF-1715
Lower Gun Deck24 French 18-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck26 French 12-Pounder

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
175041010 officers, 400 menNNF-1715

2 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
1756Capitaine de VaisseauFWIKI5.5.1772 - 10.9.1772Capitaine de Vaisseauref:1275

4 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
11.2.1756 - 1756Lieutenant de Vaisseauref:63128.9.1763 - 16.4.1764Lieutenant de Vaisseauref:17231766Lieutenant de Vaisseauref:6732.3.1772 - 1772Enseigne de VaisseauFWIKI

1 Warrant Officer

DatesRankNameSource
1752Enseigne de Vaisseauref:673

1 Supernumerary

DatesRankNameSource
12.1766 - 6.1767Passenger , rank ?ref:631

Service History

DateEventSource
20.5.1756Battle of Minorca
4.1757Took the Privateer ref:1846
1766

Responsible for transporting troops to Martinique and Saint-Domingue .

ref:673
11.1777Renamed Fier RodrigueNNF-1715
6.7.1779Battle of Grenada
8.1779Refitted as a Unrated Hospital Ship

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

FWIKIVarious, Web Site

NNF-1715Alain Demerliac, Book

ref:1275 Web Site

ref:1723 Archive

ref:1846J W Damer Powell, Book

ref:631 Web Site

ref:673 Web Site

Previous comments on this pageno comments to display

Make a comment about this page

Recent comments to other pages

Date posted	By	Page
Thursday 23rd of July 2026 13:29	keith wilkie	British Third Rate ship of the line 'Yarmouth' (1745) (64) 1745-1811 British 64 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Thursday 23rd of July 2026 13:13	keith wilkie	British Third Rate ship of the line 'Somerset' (1748) (68) 1748-1778 British 68 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Wednesday 22nd of July 2026 04:24	F.F.	British First Rate ship of the line 'Santisima Trinidad' (1805) (136) 1805-1805 British 136 Gun 1st Rate Ship of the Line
Wednesday 22nd of July 2026 01:36	F.F.	Spanish First Rate ship of the line 'Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad' (1769) (116) 1769-1805 Spanish 116 Gun 1st Rate Ship of the Line
Tuesday 21st of July 2026 16:47	Jon Miller	British sloop 'Drake' (1798) (14) 1798-1804 British 14 Gun Unrated Sloop

GDPR Statement