Hand-colored line engraving of the ship of the line, 'Le Duc de Bourgogne' launching into the sea from the port of Rochefort, France on 20 October 1751. The vessel is depicted sliding down stern first on an inclined slipway arranged perpendicular to the shoreline. The spectacle of the launching draws crowds of men and women who scatter around the shipyard and dock. Men on scaffolding, poles, and ship masts wave their hats. In 1780, the 'Le Duc de Bourgogne' sailed from Brest as the flagship of a convoy carrying troops to North America for the American Revolutionary war.
