Mont-Blanc was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the French Navy.
She was built at Rochefort as Pyrrhus in 1791. She was renamed Mont-Blanc in 1793 before being renamed Trente-et-un Mai in 1794. Under that name she fought at the Battle of the First of June in June 1794 under Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume. She took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver, where she rescued the crew of the sinking Scipion.
In 1795 she was renamed Républicain and then Mont-Blanc again in 1796. She took part in Bruix' expedition of 1799 under Esprit-Tranquille Maistral.
In 1802 she took part in the expedition to Saint-Domingue under Magon.
She was one of the ships of Rear-Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. Dumanoir commanded the six ship vanguard of the French fleet, with Formidable, Scipion, Duguay-Trouin, Mont-Blanc, Intrépide and Neptune. Nelson's attacks left these ships downwind of the main confrontation and Dumanoir did not immediately obey Villeneuve's orders to return to the battle. When the ships did turn back, most of them only exchanged a few shots before retiring.
On 4 November 1805, Admiral Sir Richard Strachan, with Caesar, Hero, Courageux, Namur and four frigates, defeated and captured what remained of the squadron at the Battle of Cape Ortegal.
Mont-Blanc was taken and commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Mont Blanc. She was used as a gunpowder hulk from 1811, and was sold in 1819.
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—Marilyn French (20th century)
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