René-Nicolas Levasseur
René-Nicolas Levasseur | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1705 or 1707 France |
| Died | August 2nd, 1784 Aubagne, France |
| Citizenship | France |
| Occupations | Ship Builder, Administrator |
| Children | 1 |
René-Nicolas Levasseur was a French ship builder and administrator. Born in either 1705 or 1707, he died in Aubagne, France on August 2, 1784. He was appointed Seigneur de St-Armand on September 23, 1748. He designed the Abénaquise Class (1753), of 38 Guns.
He was involved in the launch of the Original (62) on September 2, 1750, a Saint Laurent class ship-of-the-line, which broke into two halves during its launching and sank. This was attributed to poor wood, which had been chosen by Levasseur himself. Some say that he was aware of the defects of his Saint-Armand wood, and decided to push his luck in order to meet the increasing demand for warships.
His son, Pierre Levasseur was also a shipbuilder.
He would move back to France in 1760, having sold his signatory to a merchant from London.
| Ship | Date | His Role | Ship Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aquilon | November 24, 1733 | Launched | Frigate (42-Gun) |
| Canada | June 4, 1742 | Launched | Frigate (28-Gun) |
| Caribou | May 13, 1744 | Launched | Ship-of-the-line (52-Gun) |
| Écrevisse | March, 1745 | Launched | Gabarre |
| Saint Laurent | June 13, 1748 | Launched | Ship-of-the-line (60-Gun) |
| Abénaquise Class | 1753 | Designed | (38-Gun Demi-Batterie) |
| Algonquin | July 3, 1753 | Launched | Ship-of-the-line (72-Gun) |
| Abénaquise | June, 1756 | Launched | (38-Gun Demi-Batterie) |