Seventy-four (ship)

Scale model of Achille, a typical French seventy-four of the Téméraire class at the beginning of the 19th century.
Class overview
Name	74-gun
Builders	Numerous
Operators	French Navy  Royal Navy  Spanish Navy  Royal Netherlands Navy  Portuguese Navy  Two Sicilies Navy  Royal Danish Navy  Swedish Navy  Imperial Russian Navy  Venetian Navy Numerous others
In commission	1740s–1810s
General characteristics
Type	ship of the line
Tons burthen	2,000–3,000 bm
Length	161–182 ft (49–55 m)
Beam	46 ft (14 m)
Draught	23 ft (7 m)
Sail plan	ship rig
Complement	500–700 men
Armament	28 × 24-36-pounders 28–30 × 18-24-pounders 14–18 × 6-12-pounders

The "seventy-four" was a type of two-decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently developed 64-gun ships. Impressed with the performance of several captured French seventy-fours, the British Royal Navy quickly adopted similar designs, classing them as third rates. The type then spread to the Spanish, Dutch, Danish and Russian navies.

The design was considered a good balance between firepower and sailing qualities. Hundreds of seventy-fours were constructed, becoming the dominant form of ship-of-the-line. They remained the mainstay of most major fleets into the early 19th century. From the 1820s, they began to be replaced by larger two-decked ships mounting more guns. However, some seventy-fours remained in service until the late 19th century, when they were finally supplanted by ironclads.

Standardising on a common ship size was an appealing ideal for naval administrators and bureaucrats. Although the seventy-four was a common type, the ship classes were not identical, even within the same navy. In the period 1750–1790, seventy-fours could measure from just under 2,000 to 3,000 tons burthen. The armament could also vary considerably, with the lower deck mounting 24-pounder to 36-pounder long guns, and a variety of calibres (sometimes including a few carronades) used on the upper deck. Some seventy-fours of the Danish navy only carried 70 guns.^[1]