French ship Censeur ( 1782 ) Censeur was a 74 - gun " Pégase " - class ship of the line of the French Navy , launched in 1782 . She served during the last months of the American War of Independence , and survived to see action in the French Revolutionary Wars . She was briefly captured by the British , but was retaken after a few months and taken back into French service as Révolution . She served until 1799 , when she was transferred to the Spanish Navy , but was found to be rotten and was broken up . Construction and early service . " Censeur " was laid down at Rochefort in August 1781 to a design by Antoine Groignard . Launched on 24 August 1782 , she had entered service by October that year . She was one of the ships captured during the occupation of Toulon in 1793 , though she was left to fall into Republican hands intact in the withdrawal . Capture . On 3 March 1795 " Censeur " , under her captain Louis - Marie Coudé , formed part of a fleet of 15 ships of the line under the command of Rear - Admiral Pierre Martin , which sailed from Toulon bound for Corsica with 5 , 000 troops . The fleet was intercepted in the Gulf of Genoa on 13 March by a British force under the command of Vice - Admiral William Hotham , which promptly gave chase to the French . Martin attempted to flee , but in the confusion two of his 80 - gun ships , " Ça Ira " and " Victoire " , collided , causing the " Ça Ira " to lose her fore and main topmasts . Several British ships , including the 64 - gun under Captain Horatio Nelson , came up to the straggling " Ça Ira " and opened fire , causing Martin to double back to protect her . A cautious Hotham called his ships back and reformed the line , and as night fell Martin disengaged and resumed his flight , with the " Censeur " towing the " Ça Ira " . At daybreak on 14 March the British resumed their attack on the still lagging " Ça Ira " and " Censeur " . Martin again attempted to come to their aid , but after some heavy fighting , withdrew with his transports , leaving both ships to be captured by the British . The two ships fought on until " Censeur " had lost her fore and main masts , and sustained combined casualties of 400 men . British service and recapture . She was placed under the temporary command of Commander Thomas Boys immediately after her capture , after which Captain Sir John Gore was placed in command . " Censeur " , jury - rigged and armed " en flûte " was then sent back to England with a convoy under Commodore Thomas Taylor . It consisted of 63 merchants of the Levant convoy , the 74 - gun ships under Taylor , and under Captain Augustus Montgomery , the 44 - gun under Captain Richard Randall Burgess , the 32 - gun frigates , Captain Lord Amelius Beauclerk and , Captain William Haggit , and the fireship , Captain Joseph Turner . The convoy called at Gibraltar on 25 September , at which point thirty - two of the merchants left that night in company with " Argo " and " Juno " . The rest of the fleet sailed together , reaching Cape St Vincent by the early morning of 7 October . At this point a sizeable French squadron was sighted bearing up , consisting of six ships of the line and three frigates under Rear - Admiral Joseph de Richery . The British ships of the line formed a defensive line , but as they were doing so " Censeur " s jury - rigged foretopmast carried away , and only having been fitted with a frigate ' s mainmast , she was obliged to fall behind . " Fortitude " and " Bedford " hung back to support her , and resisted the French attack for an hour , during which " Censeur " s remaining top masts were shot away and she exhausted her supply of powder . Gore surrendered his ship , and the remaining British warships and one surviving merchant of the convoy made their escape . Last years . She was re - added to French Navy as " Révolution " and served with them until 1799 , when she was transferred by France to Spain in consequence of the Second Treaty of San Ildefonso . In exchange for " Censeur " the French received the Spanish 74 - gun " San Sebastian " , which they renamed " Alliance " . " Censeur " was however found to be rotten , and was broken up . Notes . a . The six ships of the " Pégase " - class proved unlucky in their encounters with the Royal Navy . " Pégase " , the nameship of the class , was captured by the British in 1782 , less than a year after being launched , and served in the Royal Navy until 1815 . " Liberté " , " Suffisant " , " Puissant " , " Alcide " and " Censeur " were all taken by Royalist forces during the occupation of Toulon in 1793 , with " Liberté " and " Suffisant " being burnt in the withdrawal , " Puissant " taken away and added to the Royal Navy , and " Alcide " and " Censeur " left to fall back into Republican hands . " Alcide " blew up while fighting a British fleet at the Naval Battle of Hyères Islands in July 1795 .