that of the 56-gun Utile, Ferme and Flamand in Bordeaux, and four frigates in Nantes. On 17 November 1761, Groignard sent of proposal for a budget between 919,000 and 1,115,000 pounds. The shipyards in Lorient received their first orders in early December. Choiseul wrote the Groignard to congratulate him for his appointment, and to argue in favour of building an 80-gun two-decker, with 36-pounders on the lower battery and 24-pounders on the upper, although he conceded that political considerations mandated a three-decker. He also reminded of the shortcomings of Royal Louis, an unsuccessful 100-gun of the time. Groignard hoped to complete construction by 1763, but delay in complete the 1-million load and difficulties in stocking construction wood soon set the schedule back. On 28 March 1763, Groignard sent completed plans to the construction commission, which failed to forward them to Choiseul. On 6 May, Choiseul wrote directly to Groignard to enquire, and setting further requirements that the artillery be set on the three batteries (limiting armament of the castles), and that autonomy be sufficient to feed 1,000 men for six months, with water for two. By July, construction was expected to be completed in 1765, and there were several exchanges of letters and budget estimations between various administrations and rival naval engineers, second-guessing Groignard and arguing about the furniture and spare parts needed for the ship. By 3 January 1764, the commission was requesting revised versions of the plans as to reduce the dimensions of Bretagne. On 23, Groignard submitted his new plans, along with a memorandum underlining that this version would not allow the ship to hold six month worth of food and was compromising her stability, speed and maneuverability; furthermore, he warned that the lower headspace of the gundecks in the smaller project would hinder evacuation of smoke from the guns in combat conditions. On 19 February, Choiseul declined to approve the revised plans and requested a third version; Groignard quickly completed the new plans and went directly to Paris himself to submit them, short-circuiting the construction Commission of the Estates of Brittany and talking Choiseul out of the notion that the lower battery could be armed with 24-pounders instead of 36-pounders to reduce the cost. On 7 May, Choiseul informed the Commission that his plans had met with approval and that the construction could begin. The Commission then started procuring the raw materials needed for the construction,