The Levant Fleet () was the designation under the Ancien Regime for the naval vessels of the Royal French Navy in the Mediterranean. The fleet carried out operations such as asserting naval supremacy and protecting convoys. Its counterpart was the Ponant Fleet, which saw service in the English Channel and in the Atlantic Ocean.

Arsenals At first based in Fréjus, from the beginning of the 17th century the fleet was based at two specialized arsenals: At Marseille, for galleys (from 1665 to 1750) At Toulon, for the sailing ships

Flagships

The fleet's flagship was traditionally the Réale, flying the flag of (a grand-officer of the crown of France), as seen at the Musée national de la Marine.

The flagship was always the most powerful ship present in Toulon. Under Louis XIV this was the either 110-gun constructed in 1667 and destroyed in 1690Royal-Louis (1668), the first of the 15 Royal-Louis was destroyed in 1690. or her successor, also named , constructed in 1692.Royal-Louis 1692, the second of the 15 Royal-Louis was disarmed in 1716 and destroyed in 1727. The gun decks of these vessels were painted red, upper decks in blue, picked out with gilding. Under Louis XVI the flagships were the 110-gun constructed in 1780Majestueux was renamed Républicain (Republican) in 1797; destroyed in 1808. and then the 118-gun constructed in 1788.

Vice admirals The command of the Levant and the Ponant fleets were entrusted on 12 November 1669 to two vice-admirals. The first vice-admiral of the Levant was Anne Hilarion de Costentin, Comte de Tourville, designated as such in 1669. Louis XIV had intended to appoint Abraham Duquesne to share the post, but he died in 1688, and the Comte de Tourville continued in the post until 1701.

NamePortraitTenureNoteAnne Hilarion de Costentin,Comte de Tourville(1624–1701)1669–1701Tenure at age 45 until 1701François Louis Rousselet de Châteaurenault (1637–1716)1701–1716Tenure at age 63 until 1716Alain Emmanuel de Coëtlogon(1646–1730)1716–1730Tenure at age 70 until 1730Marquis d'Augé(1655–1744)-1730–1744Tenure at age 75 until 1744(1664–1745)-1745-1745Tenure at age 81 and died one week later(1663–1750)-1750Tenure at age 86(1666–1753)1751–1753Tenure at age 85 until 1753(1672–1762)-1753–1762Tenure at age 82 until 1762Emmanuel-Auguste de Cahideuc, Comte Dubois de la MotteCount Dubois de la Motte(1683–1764)-1762–1764Tenure at age 79 until 1764Claude Louis d'Espinchal, Marquis de Massiac(1686–1770)-1764–1770Tenure at age 78 until 1770Anne Antoine, Comte d'Aché de Maubeuf(1701–1780)-1770–1780Tenure at age 69 until 1780 Count d'Aubigny(1699–1781)-(1780–1781)Tenure at age 81 until 1781Aymar Joseph de Roquefeuil et du Bousquet Count of Roquefeuil and du Bousquet(1714–1782)1781–1782Tenure at age 67 until 1782(1716–1784)-1782–1784Tenure at age 64 until 1784Louis-Armand-Constantin de Rohan, Prince de Montbazon(1732–1794)1784–1792Tenure at age 52 until 1792

Although Tourville commanded the fleet during the battles of the reign of Louis XIV, his successors were too old to have likely served at sea. In practice, the squadrons at sea were under officers with the rank of Lieutenant général des Armées navales.

Administration The Fleet of the Levant was renamed the "Mediterranean Squadron" (escadre de la Méditerranée, :fr:Escadre de la Méditerranée) after the French Revolution. The fleet was successively almost annihilated during the Siege of Toulon in 1793 and during the battles of the Nile in 1798 and Trafalgar in 1805.

The term "Fleet of the Levant" was temporary readopted after the French Restoration and the July Monarchy.

References

Bibliography Rémi Monaque, Une histoire de la marine de guerre française, Paris, éditions Perrin, 2016, total pages 526 Michel Vergé-Franceschi, La marine française au XVIII, guerres, administration, exploration, Regards sur l'histoire, Paris, SEDES editions, 1996, total pages 451 . Michel Vergé-Franceschi, Toulon: port royal, 1481–1789, Tallandier, 2002 – 329 pages