French ship Montebello (1812)

Montebello circa 1850
History
France
Namesake:	Battle of Montebello
Laid down:	1810
Launched:	1812
Fate:	Scrapped in 1889
General characteristics
Class and type:	Océan class ship of the line
Displacement:	2 700 tonnes
Length:	65.18 m (213.8 ft) (196,6 French feet)
Beam:	16.24 m (53.3 ft) (50 French feet)
Draught:	8.12 m (26.6 ft) (25 French feet)
Propulsion:	sail, 3 265 m² 140 shp steam engine (from 1851)
Complement:	1 079 men
Armament:	Rated as 120-gun: lower deck: 32 36-pounder guns middle deck: 34 24-pounder guns upper deck: 34 18-pounder guns forecastle: 18 8-pounder guns, 6 36-pounder carronades

Montebello was an Océan type 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She was launched in 1812 and refitted in 1821.

On 31 October 1836, she was driven ashore at the Grosse Tour, Toulon. She was subsequently refloated.

In 1851, she was refitted to receive a 140 shp (100 kW) steam engine. During trials, performance under sail was poor, probably because of the propeller which increased the drag.

She took part in the Crimean war as admiral Armand Joseph Bruat's flagship, in June 1854. An epidemic of cholera affected 300 sailors aboard, of whom 120 died, including Bruat.

On 5 March 1855 she took part in the siege of Siege of Sevastopol, then in the expedition to Kerch and in the Battle of Kinburn.

In 1860 Montebello replaced Suffren at Toulon as a school-ship for gunnery, and in 1867, she was used as a floating barracks. She was scrapped in 1889.

Portrait of Montebello, by François Roux

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