French ship Couronne (1636)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Couronne.
Couronne. Frontispiece of Hydrographie by Georges Fournier, 1643.
History
Kingdom of France
Builder:
Commissioned: 1636
Decommissioned: 1645
In service: 1631
Out of service: 1645
Fate: scrapped
General characteristics
Length: 52 m (171 ft) hull, 10 metre-long bowsprit
Beam: 14.30 m (46.9 ft)
Complement: 643 men
Armament:
  • 68 guns:
  • Lower battery 32 18-pounder long guns
  • Upper battery: 24 9-pounder long guns
  • Castles: 16 6-pounder long guns
Armour: Timber

Couronne (French for "crown") was an emblematic ship of the French Navy built by order of Richelieu.

Couronne was the first major warship to be built by the French themselves in accordance to Richelieu's plans to renew the French Navy, after a series of warships had been built by the Dutch. The construction was supervised by Isaac de Launay Razilly (died in Arcadia 1635),[1] and overseen by the famous carpenter Charles Morieu, from Dieppe. She was being constructed at La Roche-Bernard and was one of the most advanced units of her time. After launch in 1632 or 1633, she was moved to Brouage in September 1634 where she was completed around 1635 by Mathieu Casteau. She carried 68 heavy guns, 8 firing to the bow and 8 to the aft, an unusual feature until Dupuy de Lôme redesigned naval artillery.

Couronne took part in the Battle of Guetaria in 1638, and another expedition to Spain in 1639 under Henri de Sourdis.

The ship was disarmed in 1641 and scrapped between 1643-1645.

References

  1. ↑ Instruction sheet for "La Couronne", Heller Model Company
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