Égyptienne (ship)

During the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars ''Égyptienne'' ("Egyptian woman"), or ''Egypt'', which commemorated Napoleon's Egyptian Campaign, was a popular name for French vessels, including naval vessels and privateers. Between 1799 and 1804, warships of the Royal Navy captured one French frigate and five different French privateers all with the name ''Égyptienne'', and at least one privateer with the name ''Égypte''.

''Égypte conquise''

* ''Égypte conquise'' was a French privateer out of Guadeloupe that the captured on 17 October 1799.
* , a privateer based in Guadeloupe. On 28 May 1801, some to windward of Barbados, pursued and captured the 16-gun French sloop ''Égypte'' from Guadeloupe. The pursuit lasted 16 hours while ''Égypte'' kept up a running fight for three hours. She had a crew of 103 men, and during the engagement apparently had neither inflicted nor suffered any casualties. Bland reported that ''Égypte'' was said to be the fastest vessel out of Guadeloupe. She had sailed 13 days earlier but had made no captures.

''Egyptian''

*''Egyptian'' was a French prize that entered ''Lloyd's Register'' in 1800. She was of 563 tons (bm), and 22 guns. She made three voyages as a Liverpool-based slave ship until she was condemned in the Americas in 1806 after having disembarked her onvicts.

''Égyptien''

* , a fluyt.
* , a privateer brig. She might be the ''Égyptienne'' captured by HMS ''Mercury'' (see below). She was under the command of Louis Mosqueron or Margereau, displaced 74 tons, and carried 56 men and 16 guns.
* , a xebec. Built in Sicily, coppered-hulled, she was used as a storeship in Toulon from April 1804 and is not mentioned after 1807.

''Égyptienne''

* , a privateer based in Bordeaux. His Majesty's schooner captured the first French ship named ''Égyptienne'' on record, on 1 May 1799. ''Égyptienne'', a privateer schooner, was pierced for 14 guns but only carried eight, four of which she had thrown overboard while trying to evade capture. She had only 35 men on board, having recently taken four neutral vessels as prizes. ''Netley'' had herself recaptured one of these, a galiot carrying a cargo of wine from Oporto.
* : captured her on 23 November 1799. This ''Égyptienne'' was of 300 tons burthen, was armed with 18 guns and had a crew of 140 men. She was sailing from Cape François to Jacquemel. , under Commander John Perkins, was in company with ''Solebay''.
* , a 24-pounder a designed by Fr. Caro. The British captured the French frigate ''Égyptienne'' on 2 September 1801, after the fall of Alexandria. This ''Égyptienne'' then served in the Royal Navy under the same name until 1817 when she was broken up.
* The French frigate ''Railleuse'' was a 32-gun frigate built in 1777. She was sold and commissioned in 1800 as the privateer ''Égyptienne''. On 27 March 1804 captured ''Égyptienne''. ''Égyptienne'' mounted 36 guns and carried a crew of 250 men. She did not surrender until after a 54-hour-long chase and a running fight of over three hours. The Royal Navy took ''Égyptienne'' into service as the prison ship .
* , a .

Incidents involving ships of similar names

*On 5 February 1800, captured the French privateer brig ''Égyptienne'' off the Isle of Wight. This ''Égyptienne'' mounted 15 brass guns and had a crew of 66 men. She had sailed from Cherbourg the evening before and had not yet taken any prizes. As she was striking her colours her crew suddenly discharged a volley of small arms fire that slightly wounded one man on ''Mercury''. ''Mercury'' sent ''Egyptian'' into Portsmouth.
*, a fire ship, captured another French privateer brig ''Égyptienne'' (or ''Égyptien'') in the Mediterranean on 12 May 1800. This ''Égyptienne'' was armed with eight guns and had a crew of 50 men.

Citations

References

*
*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Egyptienne (ship)
1790s ships
Privateer ships of France
Captured ships
French Navy ship names
Ship names
French invasion of Egypt and Syria