List of ships of the line of France This is a list of French battlefleet warships of the period 1640 – 1861 : Sections naming the Head of State are provided as chronological references . Louis XIII ( 1610 to 1643 ) . The first seven years of this reign were under the Regency of Marie de Médicis , the consort of Henri IV – Louis XIII ' s father , who had been assassinated in 1610 . Following the Siege of Saint - Martin - de - Ré and the Siege of La Rochelle , and in line with his general efforts to enhance the prestige and status of France in Europe , the Cardinal de Richelieu had a number of warships purchased from Holland , and eventually built in France by Holland - instructed French engineers . The largest of these ships of the line would mount a number of guns comparable to later units of the 18th and 19th century , such as the famous 72 - gun " Couronne " , but the brunt of these ships would mount between 20 and 40 guns . The artillery was also comparatively lighter : the " Couronne " mounted 18 - pounder long gun s on her main battery , where any of the numerous 74 - gun ships of the line that formed the backbone of the Navy from the late 18th century would mount 36 - pounder long gun s . Louis XIV ( 1643 to 1715 ) . The first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Anne of Austria , the consort of Louis XIII , while French politics were dominated by Cardinal Jules Mazarin , who served as Chief Minister from 1642 , and Louis XIV did not achieve personal rule until the death of Cardinal Mazarin in March 1661 . The French rating system was initially created in 1669 ; earlier vessels are shown under the rating they were given in 1669 – in the case of vessels deleted prior to 1669 , these are included according to the rate they " would " have been given in 1669 had they not been deleted . Under this system , French major warships were divided into five ranks or " Rangs " ; ships of the line ( " vaisseaux " ) were divided into the highest three ranks . Vessels of the Fourth and Fifth Ranks were categorised as frigates ( frégates ) of the 1st Order and 2nd Order respectively ; light frigates ( " frégates légères " ) were excluded from the rating system . All frigates are listed in the appropriate article . The rating system was thoroughly reformed under Colbert ' s administration two years later , in June 1671 , and numerous French warships were renamed at that date ; vessels are listed below under their original name at time of launching , even if they subsequently were better known by the name they were given later . First Rates ( " vaisseaux de Premier Rang " ) . From 1670 , the First Rank was defined as ships of the line carrying more than 70 carriage guns ; in 1690 this was redefined as ships carrying more than 80 guns . All First Rates were three - decked vessels , i . e . carrying three complete gundecks , usually plus a few smaller carriage guns mounted on the " gaillards " ( i . e . the quarter deck , forecastle and poop deck ) . Second Rates ( " vaisseaux de Deuxième Rang " ) . From 1670 , the Second Rank was defined as ships of the line carrying from 56 up to 70 carriage guns ; in 1683 this was redefined as ships carrying from 64 to 74 guns . Most Second Rates were two - decked vessels , i . e . carrying two complete gundecks , usually plus a few smaller carriage guns mounted on the " gaillards " ; however , it included a few smaller three - deckers . Third Rates ( " vaisseaux de Troisième Rang " ) . From 1670 , the Third Rank was defined as ships of the line carrying from 40 up to 50 carriage guns ; in 1671 this was redefined as ships carrying from 48 to 60 guns . All Third Rates were two - decked vessels , i . e . carrying two complete gundecks , usually plus a few smaller carriage guns mounted on the " gaillards " . Fourth Rates ( " vaisseaux de Quatrième Rang " ) . From 1670 , the French " Quatrième Rang " consisted of vessels with two complete batteries ( " two - deckers " ) armed with from 30 to 40 guns . From 1671 , this was redefined as vessels armed with from 36 to 46 guns ; in 1683 this was revised again to include only two - decked ships with from 40 to 46 guns . These ships were also described as frigates ( " frégates " ) of the 1st Order , and appear also in the appropriate article . Louis XV ( 1715 to 1774 ) . The first eight years of this reign were under the Regency of Philip of Orléans , the nephew of Louis XIV . First Rates ( " vaisseaux de Premier Rang " ) . Few three - decker ships were built during this reign , only four being completed during the sixty years . 80 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 80 " ) . Large two - deckers , these served usually as fleet flagships . 74 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 74 " ) . These formed overwhelmingly the core of the French battlefleet . " Artésien " class of five ships to design by Joseph - Louis Ollivier Three French East India Company ships were purchased by the Navy in April 1770 Two further ships were built at Brest in the early 1770s Finally , two 64 - gun ships were begun under Louis XV , but were not launched until some years later . " Bordelais " class : group of four ships designed by Antoine Groignard and built at Bordeaux by Léon - Michel Guignace Louis XVI ( 1774 to 1792 ) . First Rates ( " vaisseaux de Premier Rang " ) . 110 - gun three - decker group of 1780 . Three different constructeurs designed these ships ; the first two were by François - Guillaume Clairin Deslauriers and Léon - Michel Guignace respectively , while the Toulon pair were by Joseph - Marie - Blaise Coulomb . Typically each carried 30 x 36pdr guns on the lower deck , 32 x 24pdr guns on the middle deck , 32 x 12pdr guns on the upper deck , and 16 x 8pdr guns on the gaillard s , although this armament varied from time to time . " Dauphin Royal " class ( often called " " États de Bourgogne " class " or " " Océan " class " ) – Three - deckers of 118 guns ( usually called 120 - gun ) , designed by Jacques - Noël Sané . Each carried 32 x 36pdr guns on the lower deck , 34 x 24pdr guns on the middle deck , 34 x 12pdr guns on the upper deck , and 18 x 8pdr guns on the gaillard s . 80 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 80 " ) . " Tonnant " class ( 1787 onwards ) – Following his standard design for 74 - gun ships ( see " Téméraire " class below ) , Jacques - Noël Sané then produced a standard design for an 80 - gun ship , to which 8 ships were eventually built . 74 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 74 " ) . Two ships which were begun before 1774 were completed later ; see " ' Fendant " ( 1776 ) and " Destin " ( 1777 ) under 1715 – 1774 section above . " Scipion " class ( 1778 onwards ) – Designed by Francois - Guillaume Clairin - Deslauriers " Annibal " class ( 1778 onwards ) – Designed by Jacques - Noël Sané " Magnanime " class ( 1779 onwards ) – Designed by Jean - Denis Chevillard " Argonaute " class ( 1781 ) – Designed by François - Guillaume Clairin Deslauriers " Pégase " class ( 1781 onwards ) – Designed by Antoine Groignard " Centaure " class ( 1782 onwards ) – Designed by Joseph - Marie - Blaise , all built at Toulon " Téméraire " class ( 1782 onwards ) – numerically the largest class of battleships ever built to a single design . Designed by Jacques - Noël Sané , 97 vessels , each of 74 guns , were laid down between 1782 and 1813 . The first 31 of these , launched before the execution of Louis XVI : - First Republic ( 1792 to 1804 ) . The Republic was proclaimed on 21 September 1792 ( although Louis XVI was not executed until 21 January 1793 ) . The period was divided into the Convention ( until 26 October 1795 , during which effective power was exercised by the Committee of Public Safety ) , the Directory until 9 November 1799 ( the Directorate was a " Cabinet " of five members ) , and finally the Consulate until the proclamation of the Empire on 18 May 1804 . First Rates ( " vaisseaux de Premier Rang " ) . " Dauphin Royal " class ( continued ) 80 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 80 " ) . " Tonnant " class ( continued ) 74 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 74 " ) . " Téméraire " class ( continued ) " Cassard " classThis design by Jacques - Noël Sané was enlarged from the " Téméraire " Class in order to mount an upper deck battery of 24pdrs compared with the 18pdrs of the earlier class . First Empire ( 1804 to 1815 ) . Napoléon Bonaparte was proclaimed Emperor on 18 May 1804 and ruled until he abdicated on 6 April 1814 . The Empire was restored during the Hundred Days from 20 March to 22 June 1815 ; this section of the article includes all ships of the line launched from May 1804 to June 1815 . 118 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 118 " ) . Later " Dauphin Royal " class ( 118 - gun ships , continued ) 110 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 110 " ) . " Commerce de Paris " class , design by Jacques - Noël Sané , shortened from his 118 - gun design by removing one pair of guns from each deck . 90 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 90 " ) . This group comprised two small three - deckers built at Rotterdam from 1799 for the Batavian Navy , and annexed to France when the Dutch state was absorbed by the French Empire in 1810 . Both were reclassed as 80 - gun ships in April 1811 . " Chattam " class 90 - gun ships designed by P . Glavimans . 80 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 80 " ) . " Bucentaure " class 80 - gun ships designed by Jacques - Noël Sané , a modification of the 80 - ship " Tonnant " class listed above . 21 ships were launched to this design , of which 16 were afloat by the end of 1814 74 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 74 " ) . " Téméraire " class ( continued ) " Pluton " class – A revised design for " Téméraire " class , by Jacques - Noël Sané , described officially as " the small model " specially introduced to be constructed at shipyards outside France itself ( the first pair were built at Toulon ) where they lacked the depth of water required to launch 74s of the " Téméraire " Class . Four further ships begun at Venice to this design were never launched – " Montenotte " , " Arcole " , " Lombardo " and " Semmering " ; all were broken up on the stocks by the Austrian occupiers . Restored French Monarchy ( 1815 – 1848 ) . The Bourbon dynasty was restored ( following Napoleon ' s " Hundred Days " ) under Louis XVIII in June 1815 . He died 16 September 1824 and was succeeded by his brother Charles X who abdicated on 2 August 1830 . Louis - Philippe reigned from 9 August 1830 until overthrown on 24 February 1848 . The Second French Republic was established briefly from 1848 ( until 1852 ) . This section of the article includes all ships of the line launched from July 1815 to February 1848 . 118 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 118 " ) . Later " Dauphin Royal " class ( continued ) Later units of the 118 - gun type , begun during the First Empire , were completed at various dates over the next few decades . 80 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 80 " ) . " Bucentaure " class ( continued ) 74 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 74 " ) . " Téméraire " class ( continued ) 90 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 90 " ) . " Suffren " class 100 - gun ships ( " vaisseaux de 100 " ) . " Hercule " class Second Republic ( 1848 to 1852 ) and Second Empire ( 1852 to 1870 ) . Prince Louis - Napoleon Bonaparte ( the nephew of Napoléon Bonaparte ) became President in December 1848 following the abdication on February 1848 of Louis - Philippe ; he subsequently became Emperor Napoléon III on 2 December 1852 and ruled until he was deposed and the Third Republic was proclaimed on 4 September 1870 . Later units of the 118 - gun type , begun during the First Empire , were completed at various dates over the next few decades " ( see above ) " .