''Alceste'' was a

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

, launched in 1780, that the British seized at the

Siege of Toulon The siege of Toulon (29 August – 19 December 1793) was a military engagement that took place during the Federalist revolts and the War of the First Coalition, part of the French Revolutionary Wars. It was undertaken by forces of the French Re ...

. They transferred her to the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia, also referred to as the Kingdom of Sardinia and Corsica among other names, was a State (polity), country in Southern Europe from the late 13th until the mid-19th century, and from 1297 to 1768 for the Corsican part of ...

, but the French recaptured her a year later in the action of 8 June 1794. The British captured her again at the

action of 18 June 1799 The action of 18 June 1799 was a naval engagement of the War of the Second Coalition fought off Toulon in the wake of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798. A frigate squadron under Counter-admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée, returning to Toulon from Sy ...

and took her into service as HMS ''Alceste''. In 1801 she became a floating battery and she was sold the next year.

Career

At the outbreak of the French Revolution, ''Alceste'' served in the Mediterranean until she was put in the reserved and disarmed in Toulon. The royalist insurrection found her there; the British, who supported the royalists, seized her and transferred her to the

before the conclusion of the

. The 32-gun recaptured her in the action of 8 June 1794. The French then took her back into French service. On 4 August 1794 ''Alceste'' and ''Vestale'' were off

Cape Bon Cape Bon ("Good Cape"), also known as Res et-Teib (), Shrīk Peninsula, or Watan el Kibli, is a peninsula in far northeastern Tunisia. Cape Bon is also the name of the northernmost point on the peninsula, also known as Res ed-Der, and known in ant ...

when they encountered and captured the brig . The French took ''Scout'' into service under existing name, but she wrecked on 12 December 1795 off Cadiz. Under Captain Louis-Jean-Nicolas Lejoille, ''Alceste'' was part of Admiral Martin's squadron, which captured in 1795.

Jean Joseph Hubert Jean-Joseph Hubert (; Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines, 17 December 1765 – off Cádiz, 25 October 1805Quintin, p.175) was a French Navy officer and captain. Career Hubert joined the French Royal Navy as a volunteer on 27 September 1780, and served ...

took command of ''Alceste'' on 31 March 1795. She took part in the

Battle of Hyères Islands A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force c ...

, where she battled several British ships before rescuing . In March 1796, ''Alceste'' ferried

Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet (19 August 1759 – 17 December 1797) was a French Army officer, politician and diplomat active during the French Revolution. Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1759, he fought in the American Revolutionary Wa ...

to his appointment as ambassador to Constantinople, along with military advisors. From November 1796 to January 1797, ''Alceste'' patrolled the coasts of Italy under Captain Jean-François-Timothée Trullet. She took part in the Expédition d'Égypte under Jean-Baptiste Barré, ferrying General

Jean Reynier Divisional general, Divisional-General Jean Louis Ébénézer Reynier (14 January 1771 – 27 February 1814) was a French Army officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He rose in rank to become a general officer during ...

, and was later appointed to a squadron under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée, which also comprised the frigates and ''Alceste'', and , and the brigs ''Salamine'' and . In the

, captured ''Alceste''.

Fate

The Royal Navy commissioned ''Alceste'' under Commander Thomas Bayley, who shortly thereafter received promotion to

post captain Post-captain or post captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term "post-captain" was descriptive only; it was never used as a title in the form "Post-Captain John Smith". The term served to di ...

in March 1800. She arrived at Chatham on 4 April.Winfield (2008), p. 205. There she was registered as a sloop in July 1801 and fitted as a floating battery in August.Demerliac (1996), p. 64, #388. She was sold at Sheerness on 20 May 1802 for £1,445.

Citations

References

*Demerliac, Alain (1996) ''La Marine De Louis XVI: Nomenclature Des Navires Français De 1774 À 1792''. (Nice: Éditions OMEGA). *. * *Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) ''French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates''. (Seaforth Publishing). {{DEFAULTSORT:Alceste Frigates of the Royal Navy Age of Sail frigates of France Ships built in France Magicienne-class frigates 1780 ships Captured ships Floating batteries of the Royal Navy

Career

Fate

See also

Citations

References