Maritime History

French ship Droits de l'Homme (1794)

Droits de l'Homme (French for 'Rights of Man'; [dʁwa də lɔm] ) was a 74-gun Téméraire-class ship of the line of French Navy which served in the French Revolutionary Wars. Launched in 1794, the ship saw service in the Atlantic against the Royal Navy. She was part of the fleet that sailed in December 1796 on the disastrous French expedition to Ireland. After unsuccessful attempts to land troops in Bantry Bay, Droits de l'Homme headed back to her home port of Brest, France. Two British frigates were waiting to intercept stragglers from the fleet, and engaged Droits de l'Homme in the action of 13 January 1797. Heavily damaged by the British ships and unable to manoeuvre in rough seas, the ship struck a sandbar and was wrecked. Hundreds of people died in the disaster.

Also on this shelf

See also

• ▸Fort Trumbull
• ▸Colposcopy
• ▸Cape Sable Island

Uncatalogued shelf

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