Size of French Naval Artillery

[Steve Crandell]

I've been reading a book by Chris Durbin called "The Colonial Post-Captain" wherein he states that some French Ships of the Line had 52 lb guns. That seems frankly ridiculous to me and I thought it might have been an editing mistake but it's repeated later in the book. It's fiction, but like much fiction of the era it sounds authentic otherwise.

Anyone able to refute or verify this?

[Byron Angel]

I've been reading a book by Chris Durbin called "The Colonial Post-Captain" wherein he states that some French Ships of the Line had 52 lb guns. That seems frankly ridiculous to me and I thought it might have been an editing mistake but it's repeated later in the book. It's fiction, but like much fiction of the era it sounds authentic otherwise.

Anyone able to refute or verify this?

Hi Steve,
Thank you for asking this question. I learned something new in pursuit of an answer!

I located Durbin's "Colonial Post Captain" on Amazon and determined that it seems to be set in the Seven Years' War period. If any French warship were to be armed with such a gun as heavy as a 52-pdr cannon, it would almost certainly have been a 1st-rate three-decker. Winfield's book "French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626-1786" indicates that no 1st-Rate French warship of that era carried such a gun during the Seven Years' War - the heaviest lower-deck gun in service by that time was the French 36-pdr.

BUT ..... The French navy in the last decade of the 17th century (1690s) did have a small number of very large three-decker 1st-Rate ships armed with 48-pdr gun on their lower decks. When one takes into account the fact that the French pound of the era was 1.08x heavier than the English pound, the French 48-pdr gun fired a shot weighing just a bit shy of 52 English pounds. The guns, however, had been found to be terribly cumbersome in service and were apparently soon retired and replaced by 36-pdrs. Not having read Durbin's book, I do not know the context within which reference to French 52-pdr guns was made; but (if Winfield is correct) these French guns appear to have been removed from service by the turn of the 18th century and were not in service at the time of Seven Years' War.

Had great fun tracking this down. Thanks again!

Byron

[marcelo_malara]

I've been reading a book by Chris Durbin called "The Colonial Post-Captain" wherein he states that some French Ships of the Line had 52 lb guns. That seems frankly ridiculous to me and I thought it might have been an editing mistake but it's repeated later in the book. It's fiction, but like much fiction of the era it sounds authentic otherwise.

Anyone able to refute or verify this?

Hi Steve,
Thank you for asking this question. I learned something new in pursuit of an answer!

I located Durbin's "Colonial Post Captain" on Amazon and determined that it seems to be set in the Seven Years' War period. If any French warship were to be armed with such a gun as heavy as a 52-pdr cannon, it would almost certainly have been a 1st-rate three-decker. Winfield's book "French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626-1786" indicates that no 1st-Rate French warship of that era carried such a gun during the Seven Years' War - the heaviest lower-deck gun in service by that time was the French 36-pdr.

BUT ..... The French navy in the last decade of the 17th century (1690s) did have a small number of very large three-decker 1st-Rate ships armed with 48-pdr gun on their lower decks. When one takes into account the fact that the French pound of the era was 1.08x heavier than the English pound, the French 48-pdr gun fired a shot weighing just a bit shy of 52 English pounds. The guns, however, had been found to be terribly cumbersome in service and were apparently soon retired and replaced by 36-pdrs. Not having read Durbin's book, I do not know the context within which reference to French 52-pdr guns was made; but (if Winfield is correct) these French guns appear to have been removed from service by the turn of the 18th century and were not in service at the time of Seven Years' War.

Had great fun tracking this down. Thanks again!

Byron

Hi Byron. I am not at home these days, but doesn't Arming and Fitting the English Man of War mention a 68 pdr in RN service?

[Byron Angel]

Hi Marcelo,
I hope your absence from home is due to a vacation and not a business trip

Great Britain did employ a 68-pdr carronade in limited numbers from the late 1770s, but TTBOMK the 42-pdr was the heaviest long gun in RN service as the lower deck battery of certain large 1st Rate three-deckers from around the turn of the 17/18th century and lingering on in steadily diminishing numbers throughout the 18thC.

Great Britain DID have a long 68-pdr smoothbore in service (the 95-cwt 68-pdr of HMS Warrior fame), but it was not introduced until 1847.

To be sure, if am missing anything, please do let me know. Nothing pleases me more than to learn something new!


Byron

[Steve Crandell]

I believe HMS Victory had two 68 lb carronades in her bow for the purpose of blasting the opposition's deck with grape shot at very close range. I believe even Victory's gun deck had "only" 36 lb guns in the broadside. They tried 42 lb brass guns for a bit and they turned out not to be practical in service.

[Steve Crandell]

Byron, wow! I hadn't thought of the different weight measurements. Good research!

So maybe he wasn't completely bonkers.

[Byron Angel]

Byron, wow! I hadn't thought of the different weight measurements. Good research!

So maybe he wasn't completely bonkers.

My pleasure, Steve. I enjoy doing this sort of research.

BTW, there is a related Trafalgar discussion thread just started on the NavWeaps Battleship versus Battleship forum on Captain Lucas’s (commander of French 74 gun ship Redoutable at Trafalgar) Report on his epic combat.

Well worth a read IMHO.

Byron

[Steve Crandell]

Thank you; maybe I will.

[marcelo_malara]

Hi Marcelo,
I hope your absence from home is due to a vacation and not a business trip

Great Britain did employ a 68-pdr carronade in limited numbers from the late 1770s, but TTBOMK the 42-pdr was the heaviest long gun in RN service as the lower deck battery of certain large 1st Rate three-deckers from around the turn of the 17/18th century and lingering on in steadily diminishing numbers throughout the 18thC.

Great Britain DID have a long 68-pdr smoothbore in service (the 95-cwt 68-pdr of HMS Warrior fame), but it was not introduced until 1847.

To be sure, if am missing anything, please do let me know. Nothing pleases me more than to learn something new!


Byron

Hi Byron, back from a family visit! You are right, there was no 68 prd gun in the period 1600-1815 that the book covers, the heaviest one being the 42 pdr you mentioned, and the 68 prd carronade.

Regards