She was built as a three-deck first rate wooden ship-of-the-line in 1791 by the shipbuilder Jacques-Noél Sané at Toulon, for the French Navy.
Dim. 196.6 x 50 x 25ft.
Armament 23 –36pdrs., 34 – 24pdrs, and 34 – 12pdrs.
She was original named for the apparent heir of the French throne, following the death of LOUIS XVI in 1792, LE DAUPHIN ROYAL, but was named instead in SANS CULOTTE, the name given to lower-class extremists during the French Revolution.
After completing, stationed in Toulon.
March 1795 as flagship of Admiral Martin she took part in the Battle of the Gulf of Genoa, when a French squadron of 15 ships of the line sailed from Toulon with on board 5000 troops to recapturing Corsica, what at that time was in the hands of the British forces.
The French squadron met on 11 March 1795 a British squadron of 14 ships of the line under command of Admiral William Hotham sighted each other in the Gulf of Genoa.
Not any contact was made between the two squadrons the next two days.
The 13th March the British squadron attacked, fighting continued for the next two days, but when the French withdraw to the west the battle was still inconclusive. The British squadron did not pursue the retreating French. The British had captured the badly damaged ÇA IRA and the CENSEUR, the ship that was towing her.
L’Orient was dismasted on 14th March but she escaped to Genoa.
Sailed out on 19 May 1798 as flagship of Vice Admiral Francois Paul Brueys d’Aigalliers, Comte de Brueys fleet, The SANS CULOTTE was renamed for the expedition as L’ORIENT, the fleet which consisted of 13 ships of the line, 7 frigates and many gunboats to protect the 400 transport vessels with 36.000 soldiers, arms and supply to invaded Egypt, were the French intended to establish a bridgehead from which they could penetrated British India. On board the L”ORIENT was also General Napoleon Bonaparte.
First the Armada sailed to Malta, which was taken without any problems on 12 June. That day Napoleon landed at the Custom House Steps from the L’ORIENT and walked in triumph up the steep Merchants Street in Valetta. He was greeted first as liberator by the Maltese, but all soon they found out their mistake, when Napoleon swept into action to republicanise the island.
Seven days later he embarked again in the L’ORIENT with all his looted treasure, and on the 19th June the fleet sailed from Malta bound for Egypt.
After leaving Malta the course was set for Crete, but out of sight the course was altered to Alexandria.
A British fleet under command of Nelson sailed from the coast on Sicily on 22 June, by missing the French fleet, his ships in better condition and not hindered by a large transport fleet overtook the French fleet very close during the night a few days later. On 28 June the British fleet sighted Alexandria harbour, but by not seeing any enemy vessel, they turned back to the north east towards the Greek island, to see of the French fleet had gone there for fresh water. By not finding any French ship, he headed back first for Syracuse for water and stores. Arrived there the 19 July. Sailed again on the 24th for the Greek Islands, where Nelson at least received confirmation that the French fleet had headed for Alexandria.
In the meantime the French fleet arrived the 30 June before Alexandria, and when Napoleon was told that the British fleet a few days before was looking for him, he ordered that his troops were landed in haste in case the British fleet returned.
Napoleon after landing captured Alexandria on the 02 July, and the next day Vice Admiral Brueys moved his ships of the line up the coast to Aboukir Bay. Heavy guns were landed from the transports and placed in a strategic position near the anchorage.
01 August at dawn the British squadron was again off Alexandria, and when nearing the port they could see a wood of masts, but not any ship of the line was seen between all the ships, Then from the HMS ZEALOUS and GOLIATH which were more southward the message came that they had spotted the French ships of the line at anchor at Abourkir Bay.
Nelson sailed immediately for Abourkir Bay, and the same evening he did attack, what is now known as the Battle of the Nile. The French ships were held together by cables to prevent the British ships from breaking through. The French did not expect that the British fleet would attack from both sides.
L’Orient opened fire at 06.45 pm and dismasted the HMS BELLEROPHON, killing or wounded 193 men, she had to be retired. Then she was attacked by HMS ALEXANDER and SWIFTSURE. One anchored on starboard the other on port side of the L’ORIENT. 07.00 Brueys was wounded on his head and arm, and he tried to stop the blood by his handkerchief. At 07.30 by descending to the quarterdeck he was hit by a cannon ball and almost cut in two. He refused to be carried down, and died surrounded by his staff in de arms of the helmsman at 07.45.
Then a fire broke out on board the L’Orient at around 09.15 and at 10.00 while burning fiercely she exploded, killing almost the entire crew, only 75 survived by swimming to the beach.
With the loss of the L’ORIENT most French ships surrender, only two ships of the line the GÉNÉREUX and GUILLAUME TELL with two frigates escaped. Two French ships of the line were sunk, three were beyond repair and the Royal Navy took six up.
It was the worst defeat of the French fleet in 100 years. Around 4.000 men were killed on the French side while the British lost 450 men.
Napoleon marooned in Egypt, marched north east through what now is Israel and embarked in a frigate in which he sailed back to France
The scattered remains of the L’ORIENT were found back in 1983 by divers.
Barbuda 1975 95c sg 226, scott 212.
Dominica 2005 65c sg ?, scott?
Source: The Cross and the Ensign, A Naval History of Malta 1798-1979 by Peter Elliott.
An Encyclopedia of Naval History by Bruce and Cogar. Some web-sites. A google search on the Battle of the Nile gives plenty of hits.