The Sinking of the Vengeur du Peuple
The naval career of the French 74-gun ship of the line Vengeur du Peuple (Avenger of the People) began modestly. She was one of 18 major French warships paid for by public subscription to replace the crippling losses suffered by the French navy during the Seven Years War. The ship was funded by the Marseille Chamber of Commerce, hence her original name of Marseillois. Launched in 1766, she was too late to affect the outcome of the Seven Years War, which ended in 1763, and spe
