The Bucentaure class was a class of 80-gun French ships of the line

Ship of the line

A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...

 built to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané

Jacques-Noël Sané

Jacques-Noël Sané was a French naval engineer, one of the most successful shipbuilders of the Age of Sail.Sané studied under Duhamel du Monceau...

 from 1802 onwards, of which at least 29 were ordered but only 21 ships were launched. They were a development from his earlier Tonnant class

Tonnant class ship of the line

The Tonnant Class was a class of eight 80-gun ships of the line designed in 1787 by Jacques-Noël Sané. From 1802 a new group was begun of slightly modified design, of which more than 24 were begun....

.

Ships in class

• Bucentaure
  French ship Bucentaure (1804)
  Bucentaure was a 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was the flagship of Vice-Admiral Latouche Tréville, who died on board on 18 August 1804....
  
  

Builder: Toulon

Begun: November 1802

Launched: 13 July 1803

Completed: January 1804

Fate: Captured by the Royal Navy

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 on 21 October 1805 following Trafalgar

Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....

. Was briefly recaptured but was then wrecked on 23 October 1805.

• Neptune

Builder: Toulon

Begun: January 1803

Launched: 15 August 1803

Completed: April 1804

Fate: Captured by the Spanish Navy

Spanish Navy

The Spanish Navy is the maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces, one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Armada is responsible for notable achievements in world history such as the discovery of Americas, the first world circumnavigation, and the discovery of a maritime path...

 in June 1808, renamed Neptuno, deleted 1820.

• Robuste
  French ship Robuste (1806)
  The Robuste was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané.She was commissioned under Captain Louis-Antoine-Cyprien Infernet, and was later captained by Julien Cosmao....
  
  

Builder: Toulon

Begun: May 1805

Launched: 30 October 1806

Completed: May 1807

Fate: Scuttled and burnt on 26 October 1809.

• Ville de Varsovie
  French ship Ville de Varsovie (1808)
  The Ville de Varsovie was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Chaumont from original plans by Sané.Built as Tonnant, she was renamed Ville de Varsovie while still under construction...
  
  

Builder: Rochefort

Begun: March 1805 as Tonnant, renamed May 1807

Launched: 10 May 1808

Completed: July 1808

Fate: Captured and burnt by the British in April 1809.

• Donawerth
  French ship Donawerth (1808)
  The Donawerth was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In late 1809, Ganteaume was organising reinforcements to Barcelona. Cosmao set his flag on and took command of a squadron comprising , , and , as well as the frigates and , and a dozen of...
  
  

Builder: Toulon

Begun: December 1806

Launched: 4 July 1808

Completed: October 1808

Fate: Broken up 1824.

• Eylau
  French ship Eylau (1808)
  The Eylau was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Began as Saturne, she was rename Eylau while still under construction. She was commissioned on 11 March 1809 under Captain Jurien de La Gravière.In 1811, she was the flagship of Admiral Allemand...
  
  

Builder: Lorient

Begun: September 1805

Launched: 19 November 1808

Completed: May 1809

Fate: Condemned 1829 and broken up.

• Friedland
  French ship Friedland (1810)
  The Friedland was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Her launching was attended by Napoleon and his wife, Marie Louise...
  
  

Builder: Antwerp

Begun: July 1807

Launched: 2 May 1810

Completed: May 1811

Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 and renamed Vlaming. Broken up 1823.

• Sceptre
  French ship Sceptre (1810)
  The Sceptre was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.-References:* Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, tome I...
  
  

Builder: Toulon

Begun: March 1809

Launched: 15 August 1810

Completed: March 1811

Fate: Condemned 1828 and hulked.

• Tilsitt
  French ship Tilsitt (1810)
  The Tilsitt was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She defended the harbour on Anvers until 1814....
  
  

Builder: Antwerp

Begun: September 1807

Launched: 15 August 1810

Completed: May 1811

Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 and renamed Neptunus. Condemned and broken up 1818.

• Auguste
  French ship Auguste (1811)
  The Auguste was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In 1812, she was part of Gourdon's squadron.She was renamed to Illustre in March 1814, with the Bourbon Restauration...
  
  

Builder: Antwerp

Begun: October 1807

Launched: 25 April 1811

Completed: July 1811

Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 but returned to France in September and renamed Illustre. Condemned and broken up 1827.

• Pacificateur
  French ship Pacificateur (1811)
  The Pacificateur was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané. She is notable for being the first ship to sustain damage from Paixhans shells....
  
  

Builder: Antwerp

Begun: September 1807

Launched: 22 May 1811

Completed: August 1811

Fate: Condemned 1823.

• Illustre
  French ship Illustre (1811)
  The Illustre was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was given to Holland with the Treaty of Fontainebleau of 1814.-References:...
  
  

Builder: Antwerp

Begun: August 1807

Launched: 9 June 1811

Completed: October 1811

Fate: Handed over to the Netherlands on 1 August 1814 and renamed Prins van Oranje. Sold 1825 and broken up.

• Diademe
  French ship Diadème (1811)
  The Diadème was an 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Commissioned in Lorient in January 1812, Diadème was disarmed at the Bourbon Restauration...
  
  

Builder: Lorient

Begun: November 1807

Launched: 1 December 1811

Completed: March 1812

Fate: Condemned 1856 and broken up 1868.

• Conquérant
  French ship Conquérant (1812)
  The Conquérant was a Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was commissioned in Anvers under Captain Lafond in the Scheldt squadron. At the Bourbon Restauration, she was sent to Brest, where she underwent a refit in 1821, and was sent to Toulon in 1824...
  
  

Builder: Antwerp

Begun: December 1808

Launched: 27 April 1812

Completed: September 1812

Fate: Condemned 1831.

• Zélandais

Builder: Cherbourg

Begun: October 1810

Launched: 12 October 1813

Completed: March 1814

Fate: Condemned 1836 and hulked. Broken up 1858.

• Magnifique
  French ship Magnifique (1814)
  The Magnifique was a 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She was commissioned in Lorient on 1 November 1814....
  
  

Builder: Lorient

Begun: December 1809

Launched: 29 October 1814

Completed: November 1814

Fate: Condemned 1837.

• Centaure
  French ship Centaure (1818)
  The Centaure was an 86-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She took part in operations of the Spanish expedition in 1823, along with Trident and Sirène, silencing fort Santi-Pietri...
  
  

Builder: Cherbourg

Begun: November 1811

Launched: 8 January 1818

Completed: April 1818

Fate: Renamed Santi Pietri in October 1823. Hulked 1849, burnt by accident 1862.

• Neptune
  French ship Neptune (1818)
  The Neptune was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.Started in 1810, briefly renamed Brabançon during the Hundred Days and launched in 1818, after the Bourbon Restauration, she remained without commission until 1839.She was part of a squadron...
  
   (ii)

Builder: Lorient

Begun: December 1810

Launched: 21 March 1818

Completed: June 1818

Fate: Hulked 1858, broken up 1868.

• Algeciras
  French ship Algésiras (1823)
  The Algésiras was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.She took part in the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, under Captain Ponée, and in the Tage expedition the next year, under Captain Moulac....
  
  

Builder: Lorient

Begun: April 1812

Launched: 21 August 1823

Completed: April 1824

Fate: Hulked 1846.

• Jupiter
  French ship Jupiter (1831)
  The Jupiter was an 80-gun Bucentaure-class 80-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, designed by Sané.In 1836, she ferried Admiral de Markau from Brest to Fort de France to replace Admiral Halgan as governor in the Caribbean....
  
  

Builder: Cherbourg

Begun: November 1811

Launched: 22 October 1831

Completed: September 1833

Fate: hulked 1863.

• Vesuvio

Builder: Castellammare di Stabia

Begun: August 1812

Launched: 2 December 1824

Completed: 1825

Fate: Not launched as French warship; became Neapolitan ship in December 1813.

No other vessels of this design were completed, the following were begun at Antwerp, but taken over in 1814 by the Netherlands, and broken up on the stocks.

• Mars

Begun: April 1811

• Alexandre

Begun: June 1811

• Tibre

Begun: June 1811

• Atlas

Begun: September 1811

• Fougueux

Begun: July 1812

A further ship to this same design was begun as the Saturno in May 1812 at Venice, and was renamed Ems by the Austrians following their seizure of that city, but was broken up on the stocks in 1818-19. A second ship was ordered at Venice in 1813, but was never laid down. Finally a further ship of this class was ordered in 1812 at Rochefort, but was never laid down or even assigned a name.