The Téméraire became France's standard 74-gun design and was built in many yards, including Dutch yards. France planned 120 ships and completed 107, while eighteen examples eventually served in the Royal Navy. British use of captured examples reflected the design's value. Construction quality was less consistent because pressure to deliver ships quickly affected workmanship and the quality of the timber. A successful common design therefore did not guarantee that every ship built to it would reach the same standard.
Chapter · 21:10-22:37
The Téméraire class shows the cost of building fast
France's prolific Téméraire-class 74s offered a widely adopted design, while rapid construction produced uneven standards.