French Ship Vengeur Du Peuple
The Vengeur du Peuple ("Avenger of the People") was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. Funded by a don des vaisseaux donation from the Chamber of commerce of Marseille, she was launched in 1762 as Marseillois. She took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, notably duelling HMS Intrepid at the battle of the Chesapeake.
Renamed Vengeur du Peuple in 1794, she was based in Brest, and took part in the Glorious First of June. There, she was disabled after a furious duel with HMS Brunswick and went down with almost half her crew, while the rest was rescued by British ships. Her sinking was later instrumentalised by the propaganda of the National Convention, giving birth to the legend that the crew had preferred to go down with the ship rather than surrender.
Read more about French Ship Vengeur Du Peuple: Career, Legacy
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