Named in honor of the Sun King, Louis XIV, Le Soleil Royal was one of the most powerful ships of her day. As flagship of the revitalized French Navy brought into being by Minister of Marine Jean-Baptiste Colbert, she was sumptuously decorated with wooden carvings depicting a variety of motifs emblematic of the French monarch. The taffrail was embellished with a rendering of the sun god drawn across the sky by a team of horses, while the ornate figurehead showed a sea horse flanked by winged maidens. It was armed with 104 guns, the SOLEIL ROYAL was launched - some say in 1690, others in the 70's - to join the relentless battles going on the Mediterranean.

On May 29, 1692, under the command of A.H. de COTENTIN, Count of TOURVILLE and Marshal of France, she left the port of BREST on 12th May with a squadron of 45 ships. On 29th May she found herself some 20 miles from the Cape of BARFLEUR in the North East, facing a fleet of 97 British and Dutch vessels. After a merciless fight lasting 12 hours, the British and Dutch were forced to flee after suffering substantial losses. The SOLEIL ROYAL and two other vessels were careened for repairs on the beach at CHERBOURG.

A defenceless target, she was burned during the British and Dutch attack on 2nd and 3rd June 1692. One year later, the Count of TOURVILLE, again at sea, won a brilliant victory at Cape St-Vincent on 27th June 1693, capturing 59 British ships.