British Third Rate ship of the line 'Tonnant' (1798)

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...

Tonnant	7168
Nominal Guns	80	BWAS-1793
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Previously	French Third Rate ship of the line 'Le Tonnant' (1789) (84) 1789-1798 French 84 Gun 3rd Rate Ship of the Line
Named	9.12.1798	BWAS-1793
Captured	3.8.1798	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Toulon Dockyard - Toulon	FWAS1786
Ship Class	Tonnant Class (1787)	FWAS1786
Designed by	Jacques-Noël SanéFrench Naval Sailor Designer Ship Builder Administrator Service 1758-1836	FWAS1786
Constructor	Jacques-Noël SanéFrench Naval Sailor Designer Ship Builder Administrator Service 1758-1836	FWAS1786
Category	Third Rate	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Ship of the Line	BWAS-1793
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	BWAS-1793
Broken Up	3.1821	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck194' 2"Imperial Feet59.1317
Length of Keel160' 0"Imperial Feet48.768
Breadth51' 9 ¼"Imperial Feet15.5512
Depth in Hold23' 3"Imperial Feet7.0358
Burthen2,281 ³⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

1799Broadside Weight = 1106 Imperial Pound ( 501.571 kg)BWAS-1793
Lower Gun Deck32 British 32-Pounder
Upper Gun Deck32 British 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck14 British 32-Pound Carronade
Quarterdeck2 British 18-Pounder
Forecastle4 British 32-Pound Carronade

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
1.1801700 BWAS-1793

12 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
1.1799 - 2.1799CaptainBWAS-17932.1799 - 7.1799CaptainBWAS-17933.1803 - 5.1804CaptainBWAS-17935.1804 - 3.1805CaptainBWAS-17933.1805 - 1.1806CaptainBWAS-17935.1806 - 7.1807CaptainBWAS-17937.1807 - 11.1809CaptainBWAS-17931810 - 7.1812CaptainBWAS-17931.1814 - 10.1814CaptainBWAS-179310.1814 - 11.1815CaptainBWAS-17935.6.1815 - 11.1815Captainref:61611.1815 - 11.1818CaptainBWAS-1793

4 Flag Officers

DatesRankNameSource
5.1806 - 7.1807Rear-Admiral of the BlueBWAS-17937.1807 - 1809Rear-Admiral of the BlueBWAS-179310.1814 - 11.1815Vice-Admiral of the RedBWAS-179311.1815 - 11.1818Rear-Admiral of the RedBWAS-1793

14 Commissioned Officers

DatesRankNameSource
1.11.1804 - 1806LieutenantNAO1.11.1804 - 1806LieutenantNAO1.11.1804 - 10.4.1806LieutenantNAO24.2.1805 - 24.12.1805LieutenantNAO12.3.1805 - 1806LieutenantNAO26.3.1805 - 1806LieutenantNAO24.12.1805 - 21.1.1806LieutenantNBD184914.12.1808 - 8.1809LieutenantNBD184917.11.1809 - 1810LieutenantNBD18494.9.1810 - 1810LieutenantNBD184914.1.1814 - 5.10.1814First LieutenantNBD18495.3.1814 - 29.3.1815LieutenantNBD18491815LieutenantW02511.1815 - 9.9.1818LieutenantNBD1849

6 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
28.11.1798 - 24.9.1801BoatswainADM 29/83.3.1799 - 8.8.1799MasterADM 29-15.9.1804 - 1805Surgeonref:18761805Masterref:187623.2.1805 - 1805Masterref:187628.1.1809 - 4.3.1809MasterADM 29-1

13 Petty Officers

DatesRatingNameSource
3.1803 - 3.1807MidshipmanNBD18491804 - 6.4.1804MidshipmanNBD18494.1804 - 1804MidshipmanNBD18491.11.1804 - 21.10.1805Master's MateNAO1806 - 25.3.1807MidshipmanNBD18491.1.1806 - 16.7.1807MidshipmanRNB18239.3.1809 - 27.9.1809MidshipmanRNB182323.12.1809 - 9.1810MidshipmanNBD18491813 - 9.1814MidshipmanNBD18491815Master's MateNL18651815Master's MateNBD18492.1815 - 10.3.1815MidshipmanNBD18491.1816 - 9.1818MidshipmanNBD1849

2 Crewmen

DatesRatingNameSource
11.1802 - 5.18041st Class VolunteerNBD18491815 - 3.9.1815Ordinary Seaman†ref:1998

Service History

DateEventSource
9.12.1798Registered and namedBWAS-1793
17.7.1799Arrived at Plymouth and laid up in ordinaryBWAS-1793
12.1801Began middling repair at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1793
3.1803RecommissionedBWAS-1793
4.1803Completed middling repair at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1793
2.9.1803Action of 1803-09-02
21.10.1805Battle of Trafalgar
1.1806Began refitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
5.1806RecommissionedBWAS-1793
6.1806Completed refitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £17890.0.0dBWAS-1793
11.1809Began making good defects at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth BWAS-1793
12.1809Completed making good defects at Plymouth Dockyard - Plymouth at a cost of £18197.0.0dBWAS-1793
1810Refitted as a Other Vessels Sheer Hulk
7.1812Paid offBWAS-1793
8.1813Began small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
12.1813Completed small repair at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £17978.0.0dBWAS-1793
1.1814Recommissioned as flagship on the North America station
1.1814Began fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham BWAS-1793
3.1814Completed fitting at Chatham Dockyard - Chatham at a cost of £19743.0.0dBWAS-1793
14.12.1814Battle of Lake Borgne
11.1815Flagship on the Cork Station
11.1818Paid off into ordinaryBWAS-1793
3.1821Broken up at PlymouthBWAS-1793

Fleets
Dates	Fleet	Fleet Commander	Source
14.8.1798-1798	Saumarez's Squadron 1798	Sir James SaumarezBritish Naval Sailor

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 29-1 Document

ADM 29/8 Archive

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

FWAS1786Stephen S. Roberts, Rif Winfield, Book

NAOVarious, Web Site

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

NL1865The Admiralty, Digital Book

RNB1823John Marshall, Digital Book

W025P. Davis, Web Site

ref:1876Derek Ayshford, Pam Ayshford, Web Site

ref:1998 Archive

ref:616Nicholas Tracy, Book

Previous comments on this pageno comments to display

Make a comment about this page

Recent comments to other pages

Date posted	By	Page
Saturday 25th of July 2026 07:16	Jon Miller	British Merchant east indiaman 'Princess Mary' (1796) (Unknown) 1796-1805 British Unknown Gun Merchant East Indiaman
Saturday 25th of July 2026 07:15	Jon Miller	British Merchant 'Indian Chief' (1800) (Unknown) 1800-1801 British Unknown Gun Merchant Unknown
Saturday 25th of July 2026 07:14	Jon Miller	British Second Rate ship of the line 'London' (1766) (90) 1766-1811 British 90 Gun 2nd Rate Ship of the Line
Saturday 25th of July 2026 07:11	Jon Miller	Edward Jekyll CanesBritish Naval Sailor Service 1780-1793
Saturday 25th of July 2026 07:10	Jon Miller	Sir Adam DrummondBritish Naval Sailor Service 1795-9990

GDPR Statement