French ship Juste (1726)

The Juste ("Juste") was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, built on plans by engineer Geslin. She took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War and was lost at the mouth of the Loire after the battle while trying to rejoin Saint Nazaire.

Salvaged 18-pounder on display at La Roche-Bernard
History
France
Name: Juste
Namesake: "Just"
Builder: Rochefort[1]
Laid down: 1724 [1]
Launched: September 1725 [1]
Commissioned: 1726 [1]
Fate: Lost on 21 November 1759 [2]
General characteristics
Displacement: 1500 tonnes [1]
Length: 49.5 metres [1]
Beam: 14.1 metres [1]
Draught: 7.3 metres [1]
Propulsion: sails
Complement: 7 to 12 officers, 630 men[3]
Armament:
Armour: Timber

Career

Juste was laid down in 1724 and launched in September 1725, joining the active service the next year. She was overhauled in Brest from 1741, where she sustained light damage on 25 December of the following year, when a fire started in the wood workshop propagated to her. She was again hove down in Brest in 1744, and overhauled in Rochefort in 1751.[1]

On 14 November 1759, under Captain François de Saint Aloüarn,[3] she was part of a 20-ship and 5-frigate strong squadron under Marshal de Conflans that was to attempt a landing in Cornwall for the planned French Invasion of Britain. The French fleet was intercepted by the English ships under Admiral Hawke on 20 November.

In the ensuing Battle of Quiberon Bay, Juste was in the rear-guard of the French fleet, taking the fourth position in the line of the srd Division.[2] Juste was engaged by up to four English ship and was severely battered, with a number of leaks and her rudder shattered; by 20:00, she was unable to fight, her captain mortally wounded and her first officer killed,[4] and limped back to Penchâteau Point to effect summary repairs.[2] She then attempted to proceed to Saint Nazaire[3] at low tide, and ran aground in the mouth of the Loire, at Chemoulin Point,[3] a few miles before reaching safety. Her crew threw all cargo overboard to lighten the ship and prevent her from breaking, even cutting her masts, but to no avail: Juste settled on the bottom and her crew abandoned the ship. She then broke and sank within the next three hours.[2] About 150 of her crew survived.[2]

Legacy

The wreck of Juste was re-discovered in December 1968 during widening work of the entry channel of the Loire.[3]

One 18-pounder long gun of Juste was salvaged and is now on display at La Roche-Bernard.[5][6] Two others are on display in front of Arzal city hall.

  • Guns of Arzal, there on temporary display at Piriac-sur-Mer
  • Guns of La Roche-Bernard

Sources and references
  1. Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671–1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 270. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
  2. "N°3 (printemps 2009) - Le Pouliguen" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
  3. Notice of Piriac exhibition, transcribed at File:Le Juste - Canons.jpg.
  4. Pierre de la Condamine, Le Combat des Cardinaux.
  5. Canon a la roche bernard
  6. "La bataille des Cardinaux". Archived from the original on 2011-10-07. Retrieved 2013-03-23.
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