Royal Louis

It is thanks to the helpfulness of the SERVICE HISTORIQUE DE LA MARINE in PARIS, who opened their archives to the technicians of the HELLER company, that the reconstruction of the ROYAL LOUIS was possible. The design of the hull, the distribution of the artillery and the rigging were taken from a draft by Count von Estaing dated 25 September 1772. The construction plans were drawn up by Mr J.B. OLIVIER, famous for his naval architecture. The Royal Louis was a first class tall ship. She was equipped with 120 cannons, 32 pcs. of them of calibre 36, each weighing almost 5 tons. She was one of the largest warships of her time. She was named after the French king Louis XVI. Her length at the waterline was 68 m, the total length 96 m and the height of the main mast from keel to platform was 74 m. In the years 1779-1780 the Royal Louis was a main ship of the Blue and White Squadron, which belonged to the Squadron of America called, Count von Estaing. This ship was exceptional for its forms and above all for the richness, finesse and elegance of its stern, whose balconies were true masterpieces. She was shipwrecked near Brest in 1794 and sank.