List of French sail frigates


This article is a list of French naval frigates during the Age of Sail, from the middle of the 17th century until the close of the sailing era in the middle of the 19th century. The tables excludes privateer frigates, which were not part of the Marine Royale, as well as frigates built for the French East India Company unless the latter were subsequently acquired by the French Navy.
Note that throughout this article the term "-pounder" refers to French pre-metric units of weight - livres - which were almost 8% greater than UK/US units of the same name; every other maritime power likewise established its own system of weights and each country's 'pound' was different from that of every other nation. Similarly French pre-metric units of length were 6.575% longer than equivalent UK/US units of measurement ; the pre-metric French pied was equivalent to 324.8394 mm, whereas the UK/US foot equalled 304.8 mm. These differences should be taken into account in any calculations based on the units given below.

Classification of frigates

Early French naval frigates, until the 1740s, comprises two distinct groups. The larger types were the frégates-vaisseau, with batteries of guns spread over two decks; these were subdivided into two groups; the larger were the frégates du premier ordre - or vaisseau du quatrième rang - usually with a lower deck battery of 12-pounder guns, and an upper deck battery of either 8-pounder or 6-pounder guns; and the smaller were the frégates du deuxième ordre - or vaisseau du cinquième rang - with a lower deck batter of 8-pounder guns, and an upper deck battery of either 6-pounder or 4-pounder guns. The smaller types were the frégates légères, with a single battery of 6-pounder or 4-pounder guns, plus a few small guns on its superstructure or gaillards. The 'modern' sail frigate, with its main battery on the upper deck, and no ports along the lower deck, emerged at the start of the 1740s.
This article categorises frigates according to the weight of the projectile fired by the main battery; the first 'true' frigates in the 1740s carried either 6-pounder or 8-pounder guns, but development soon standardised around the 12-pounder frigate, carrying thirteen pairs of 12-pounder guns on the upper deck, and usually three pairs of 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle. During the American Revolutionary War, larger types carrying an 18-pounder or even 24-pounder main battery were introduced, and following the French Revolution these became predominant. Finally in the 1820s, a new type of 30-pounder armed frigate was brought into service.

Design and construction

In general, French frigates were more lightly built than their British equivalents. This reflected not a poorer quality of design, but resulted from a different strategic need. French frigates were perceived as being away from port for limited periods; they had less room for storage of provisions for protracted overseas deployments, and they sacrificed durability for speed and ease of handling. British frigates, in comparison, were more solidly built to endure lengthy times at sea and thus were more able to withstand extreme weather conditions, but were slow in comparison.
The number of guns is as rated; from the 1780s, many carried some obusiers or swivels also.

Frigates of Louis XIV (1643–1715)

This table commences with a listing of early French naval frigates of the second half of the 17th century and the early 18th century. Note that numerous French warships underwent changes of names on 24 June 1671, with many other changes of names on various occasions.
Under the classification system introduced by Colbert in 1669, as altered in 1671, the "quatrième rang" covered two-decked frigates of between 36 and 46 guns, amended in 1683 to between 40 and 46 guns, while the "cinquième rang" comprised smaller frigates, both single-decked and two-decked of between 28 and 34 guns, increased in 1683 to between 30 and 36 guns. Below this rank were the unranked frégates légères carrying fewer guns.

Frigates of the 1st Order (or 4th Rank Vessels)

These were two-decked ships, usually carrying 12-pounder guns in their lower deck battery, and generally an upper deck battery of 6-pounders. They were classed as fourth rank vessels. While not rated as ships of the line, inevitably several of these frigates not infrequently found themselves taking a place in the line of battle, although their main function was for cruising and for trade protection/attack.
;Enemy frigates or equivalent captured by the French Navy 1675–1705 and classed as Frégates du Premier Ordre.
These generally carried 8-pounder guns in their lower deck battery, and were classed as fifth rank vessels. Note this list is incomplete, and requires expansion.
;Enemy frigates or equivalent captured by the French Navy 1654–1703 and classed as Frégates du Deuxième Ordre.
These were single-decked unranked ships, carrying a battery of 6-pounder or 8-pounder guns on their sole gundeck. An estimated 162 of these were placed in service between 1661 and 1715, of which the following is simply a partial list, and needs expansion.
;Enemy frigates or equivalent captured by the French Navy 1654–1703 and classed as frégates légères:
From 1715 onwards, it is more appropriate to classify frégates according to their principal armament, i.e. by the weight of shot fired by the principal battery of guns carried by those ships - although the older categories of 4th Rank, 5th Rank and unrated light frigates nominally remained in force until the 1780s. The smaller frigates were those mounting 6-pounder guns in their main battery, while larger frigates carried 8-pounder or 12-pounder guns.
Later in the century, 18-pounder or 24-pounder frigates were introduced, and from the 1820s 32-pounder guns were carried as the principal battery on larger frigates.

6-pounder armed frigates (most are ''frégates légères'')

The category of frégate légère ceased in 1748, after which no further 6-pounder frigates were built.

8-pounder armed frigates

,, and, were built on the same pattern, but armed with 18-pounders.
;12-pounder frigates captured or purchased by the French Navy 1774 – 1815.
Until 1779 the standard armament on the frigate was the 12-pounder gun, but in that year Britain and France independently developed heavy frigates with a main battery of either 26 or 28 x 18-pounder guns. From 1786 the standard designs of Jacques-Noël Sané became predominant and – while other classes of frigate were built – Sané designs were used for the vast majority of frigates built thereafter up to 1814.
;18-pounder frigates captured by the French Navy.
France experimented early with heavy frigates, with a pair being built in 1772. Several more were constructed during the French Revolution, but the Romaine class of "frégate-bombardes", to which curious design at least thirteen vessels were ordered, proved over-gunned, and no further 24-pounder armed frigates were begun until after 1815.
The original programme had provided for a total of twenty-four vessels of this class, of which twenty were actually ordered between October 1793 and April 1794. Apart from the nine vessels listed above, three further vessels begun in 1795/98 were intended to be of this class – Pallas at Saint-Malo, and Furieuse and Guerrière at Cherbourg; but all were completed as 18-pounder armed frigates. Another two vessels to this design – the Fatalité and Nouvelle - were never completed; the remainder of the original programme appear never to have been begun.

Frigates under Louis XVIII and later (1815–1860)

After 1815, French frigates continued to be graded according to the calibre of their main battery as frégates portant du 18, 24 or 30. However, in 1827 they were classified as either 1st, 2nd or 3rd class. The 1st class carried a main battery of 30-pounder guns, and the 2nd class a main battery of 24-pounder guns. The 3rd class initially comprised the remaining pre-1815 vessels with 18-pounder guns, but after 1830 a new group of 3rd class frigates was built with 30-pounder guns. In 1837 this classification was amended to base the division on the number of guns carried.

Third class frigates (from 1830), 30-pounder armed

Initially defined as frigates with a main armament of 18-pounder guns, this category was amended to define them as frigates of either 46 or 40 guns.
Initially defined as frigates with a main armament of 24-pounder guns, this category was amended to define them as frigates of 58 guns, later either 52 or 50 guns.
, Vietnam in 1858.
Initially defined as frigates with a main armament of 30-pounder guns, this category was amended to define them as frigates of 60 guns.
Note that four 74-gun ships of the line were cut down during the 1820s, to become 1st class frigates of 58 guns, retaining their two complete gundecks, but with the gaillards removed. They carried 28 x 36-pounder guns, 28 x 36-pounder carronades, and 2 x 18-pounder guns: