''Engageante'' was a 32-gun

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 ...

, only ship of her class, built to a design by Jean-François Etienne. The British captured her in 1794 and converted her to a hospital ship. She served as a hospital ship until she was broken up in 1811.

French service

''Engageante'' was built in Toulon to a design by Jean-François Etienne. She was the sole ship of her class. From July 1778, ''Engageante'' was under the command of Captain Gras-Préville. On 5 July 1778, as ''Engageante'' was scouting in front of D'Estaing's squadron, she detected the 26-gun British privateer frigate ''Rose'', under Captain James Duncan. ''Engageante'' gave chase and caught up with her quarry around 2000hrs. The battle lasted until 0100hrs of 6 July, by which time ''Rose'' had been reduced to a wreck and struck her colours. ''Engageante'' returned to her squadron to report on the event; deeming ''Rose'' irretrievable, the French scuttled her. ''Engageante'' took part in the Battle of St. Lucia on 15 December 1778. In February 1779, ''Engageante'' departed Toulon for America, where she arrived in late March, but had to be quarantined. In April 1779, she escorted a convoy from Martinique to France, successfully fending off a British attack. From 1781, she took part in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, including the

Hudson Bay Expedition The Hudson Bay expedition was a series of military raids on the fur trading outposts and fortifications of the British Hudson's Bay Company (HBC) on the shores of Hudson Bay by a French Navy squadron under the command of the Comte de Lapérouse. ...

in 1782, with and the 74-gun . The

copper sheathing Copper sheathing is a method for protecting the hull of a wooden vessel from attack by shipworm, barnacles and other marine growth through the use of copper plates affixed to the surface of the hull, below the waterline. It was pioneered and d ...

of the ships made them especially vulnerable in arctic waters, and ''Engageante'' suffered the most, damaging her bow so much that she had to call into Cadiz for repair. The crew also suffered from

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

: by the time ''Engageante'' arrived in Europe, all had been affected; around 100 were too sick to work, and 15 had died.

Capture

''Engageante'' was captured, along with and , off the

Île de Batz The Île de Batz (; ) is an island off Roscoff in Brittany, France. Administratively, it is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. Climate Île de Batz has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classificatio ...

during the

action of 23 April 1794 The action of 23 April 1794 took place between a British squadron of five frigates under the command of Sir John Borlase Warren and three frigates and a corvette under the command of Chef d'escadre Georges Desgarceaux during the War of the Fir ...

. Her captor was . On ''Engageante'' 30 to 40 men were killed or wounded. On ''Concorde'' one man was killed and 12 were wounded. In the evening after the action ''Engageante''s masts fell overboard, and ''Concorde''s masts were kept upright only with great difficulty.''The Naval and military magazine'', Volume 3, p.256.

British service

''Engageante'' was subsequently recommissioned in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and registered as the hospital ship HMS ''Engageante'' on 27 July 1794. She was commissioned at

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

in February 1795 under Lieutenant William Fry. She served for a while as Vice-Admiral Robert Kingsmill's flagship. In 1796 Lieutenant Henry Parker replaced Fry, but drowned in January 1797. In 1798 Fry returned to command, but he died in 1801. In 1801 Lieutenant Barrington Mansfield assumed command, only to die within the year. In June 1802 escorted ''Engageante'', Lieutenant Donocliff, to Plymouth. There ''Engageante'' became a hospital ship; later she was a receiving ship at Cork.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 7, p.528. Although it was expected that ''Engageante'' would be broken up at Plymouth, that did not take place for almost a decade.

Fate

''Engageante'' was broken up at Plymouth in May 1811.

Notes

Citations

References

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External links

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Naval Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Engageante (1766) Age of Sail frigates of France 1766 ships Frigates of the French Navy Ships built in France Ships of the Royal Navy Captured ships Ships in art