François Coulomb the Elder

Contemporary model of a Coulomb vessel

François Coulomb the Elder was a French naval architect and builder of warships (ingénieur-constructeur), the son of Laurent Coulomb. François Coulomb was born on 24 January 1654 at La Ciotat, and died on 20 March 1717 at Toulon. He was first known on the archives under the name of « Coulomb fils » because he collaborated with his father, Laurent Coulomb, in constructing naval ships; then he became « François père » because his own son, also named François, worked in collaboration with him. In 1680, he occupied himself with the school of construction at Toulon, and wrote a manual of construction. He took the place of his father at Toulon, when the latter was named constructor at Lorient in 1690. In the course of his career he designed and built at Toulon 34 ships for the King of France, plus 2 ships for the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (the Knights of Malta).

Ships of the line designed and built by François Coulomb the Elder[]

56 guns, launched 1689 (designed by Laurent Coulomb, but built by François Coulomb)
70 guns, launched 1690
70 guns, launched 1690
68 guns, launched 1690
68 guns, launched 1690
Sceptre 84 guns, launched 1691
Lys 84 guns, launched 1691
Royal Louis 110 guns, launched 1692
Admirable 96 guns, launched 1692
Bourbon 68 guns, launched 1692
60 guns, launched 1692
Tonnant 90 guns, launched 1693
Saint Philippe 90 guns, launched 1693
64 guns, launched 1695
60 guns, launched 1695
60 guns, launched 1697
60 guns, launched 1697
64 guns, launched 1699
72 guns, launched 1701
62 guns, launched 1703
62 guns, launched 1704
72 guns, launched 1704
70 guns, launched 1712
62 guns, launched 1714

In addition, two ships of 64 guns each were built between 1702 and 1704 for the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem (the Knights of Malta); these ships were the San Giovanni Battista and the San Giacomo.

Lesser warships designed and built by François Coulomb the Elder[]

32 guns, fireship launched 1693 (a sistership, to have been named Fantasque, was cancelled)
40 guns, launched 1693
44 guns, launched 1695 (replacement for previous ship)
20-gun bomb vessel, launched 1696
6-gun bomb vessel, launched 1696
6-gun bomb vessel, launched 1696
44 guns, launched 1699
40 guns, launched 1703
40 guns, launched 1704 (not to be confused with Parfait of 1701)
40 guns, launched 1705
44 guns, flûte (storeship) launched 1717; designed but not completed by François Coulomb
44 guns, flûte (storeship) launched 1717; designed but not completed by François Coulomb

The above list does not include a variety of small craft designed and built by François Coulomb - the three feluccas Félouque (1691), Légère (1694) and Ferme (1695); the barques Légère (1703), Prompte (1703), Sainte Claire (1703), Subtile (1703) and Vigilante (1703); the brigantines Fidèle (1705) and Ferme (1705); also the cargo ships (gabarres) Caillé, Perdrix, Alouette and Fauvette, all four launched in 1717 to a design by Coulomb but not built by him.

References[]

Bibliography[]

Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 223. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
Nomenclature des Vaisseaux du Roi-Soleil de 1661 a 1715. Alain Demerliac (Editions Omega, Nice – various dates).
The Sun King's Vessels (2015) - Jean-Claude Lemineur; English translation by François Fougerat. Editions ANCRE. ISBN 978-2903179885
Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2017) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1626-1786: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4738-9351-1.