- References
{{Infobox Ship Image| Ship image=Elise-vapeur.png | Ship caption=
}}{{Infobox Ship Career | Hide header= | Ship country=France | Ship flag= | Ship name=Élise | Ship namesake= | Ship owner= | Ship operator= | Ship registry= | Ship route= | Ship ordered= | Ship awarded= | Ship builder= | Ship original cost= | Ship yard number= | Ship way number= | Ship laid down= | Ship launched= | Ship sponsor= | Ship christened=Margery | Ship completed=1814 | Ship acquired=1815 | Ship commissioned= | Ship recommissioned= | Ship decommissioned= | Ship maiden voyage= | Ship in service= | Ship out of service= | Ship renamed=Renamed Élise in 1815 | Ship reclassified= | Ship refit= | Ship struck= | Ship reinstated= | Ship homeport= | Ship identification= | Ship motto= | Ship nickname= | Ship honours= | Ship honors= | Ship captured= | Ship fate= | Ship status= | Ship notes= | Ship badge=
}}{{Infobox Ship Characteristics | Hide header= | Header caption= | Ship class= | Ship type= | Ship tonnage= | Ship displacement=70 tons | Ship tons burthen= | Ship length=21 m | Ship beam= | Ship height= | Ship draught= | Ship draft= | Ship depth= | Ship hold depth= | Ship decks= | Ship deck clearance= | Ship ramps= | Ship power= | Ship propulsion=Steam engine, 14 shp | Ship sail plan= | Ship speed=6 knots | Ship range= | Ship endurance= | Ship test depth= | Ship boats= | Ship capacity= | Ship troops= | Ship complement= | Ship crew= | Ship notes=
}} | The Élise was the first steamship to cross the English Channel. The ship was constructed in Dumbarton, Scotland, in 1814. In 1815, Frenchman Pierre Andriel purchased her, and renamed her Élise. Andriel intended to accomplish a spectacular crossing of the Channel to convince public opinion that steam ships could be ocean-worthy. The Élise departed from Newhaven on 17 March 1816, into a heavy sea. At midnight, a tempest broke out, and Andriel had to threaten his own crew at gunpoint and award three bottles of rum to the first man to spot the French coast. After 17 hours at sea, the Élise reached Le Havre. She sailed up the Seine and arrived in Paris on 28 March, becoming a popular sensation. Two small saluting guns were mounted at the bow and fired in honour of Louis XVIII. References- Maritime Topics On Stamps: The Beginning of Steam Shipping with Paddle Wheels!
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Elise}} 3 : Steamships of France|1814 ships|Passenger ships of France |