Loire-class flûte
The Loire-class flûte was a French Navy class of two 20-gun flûtes that Louis, Antoine, and Marhurin Crucy, Basse Indre, built to a design by François-Louis Etesse, and under a contract dated 5 November 1802.
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Loire class |
| Operators | French Navy |
| Preceded by | Miscellaneous prizes |
| Succeeded by | Dyle class |
| Planned | 2 |
| Completed | 2 |
| Lost | 2 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Flûte |
| Displacement | 800 tons (French) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 10.72 m (35 ft 2 in) |
| Depth of hold | 5.60 m (18 ft 4 in) |
| Armament | 20 × 8-pounder guns (pierced for 24) |
Both were at anchor at Anse à la Barque, Guadeloupe when their crews burned them on 18 December 1809 to avoid their falling into British hands during an attack by a British squadron comprising His Majesty's Ships Sceptre, Blonde, Thetis, Freya, Cygnet, Hazard, Ringdove, and Elizabeth.
British accounts of the battle generally refer to "the two armées en flute and late 40-gun frigates Loire and Seine". However, this description is a little misleading. The class were not designed as frigates, and then modified; they were designed as flûtes. Furthermore, they were lightly armed; their armament was heavy enough to deter British privateers, and small naval vessels such as schooners, cutters, and brigs, but not heavy enough to deter sloops or frigates.