HMS ''Artois'' was a

fifth-rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower. Rating The rating system in the Royal N ...

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

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 ...

, designed by Sir John Henslow and launched in 1794 at

Rotherhithe Rotherhithe ( ) is a district of South London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the ea ...

as the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of her class. She served for the majority of her career in the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

under the command of

Edmund Nagle Admiral Sir Edmund Nagle, KCB (1757 – 14 March 1830) was an Irish officer in Royal Navy during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries who is best known for his capture of the French frigate at the action of 21 October 1794 and his clo ...

in the squadrons of

Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...

and

John Borlase Warren Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren, 1st Baronet (2 September 1753 – 27 February 1822) was a Royal Navy officer, diplomat and politician who sat in the British House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. Early life Born in Stapleford, Nottinghamshir ...

, notably taking part in the action of 21 October 1794 where she captured the 44-gun

''La Révolutionnaire'' almost singlehandedly. She participated in a number of other actions and events including the attempted

invasion of France France has been invaded on numerous occasions, by foreign powers or rival French governments; there have also been unimplemented invasion plans. * The 978 German invasion during the Franco-German war of 978–980 * The 1230 English invasion of ...

in 1795. ''Artois'' continued to serve actively on the coast of France in

blockade A blockade is the act of actively preventing a country or region from receiving or sending out food, supplies, weapons, or communications, and sometimes people, by military force. A blockade differs from an embargo or sanction, which are ...

and patrolling roles, taking a large number of ships as

prizes A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.

, until she was wrecked with no loss of life off

Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; , ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its high ...

on 31 July 1797 while attempting to reconnoitre the harbour of

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle'') is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department. Wi ...

Construction

''Artois'' was a 38-gun, 18-pounder,

''Artois''-class

French Revolutionary War The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

to provide an influx of modern warships for the

.Winfield, ''British Warships'', p. 344 ''Artois'' was the name-ship of her class and the first to be

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

; of the nine ships of the class seven, including ''Artois'', were built of oak while the final two were built of

fir Firs are evergreen coniferous trees belonging to the genus ''Abies'' () in the family Pinaceae. There are approximately 48–65 extant species, found on mountains throughout much of North and Central America, Eurasia, and North Africa. The genu ...

. ''Artois'' was an improvement on the 18-pounder frigates of 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 ...

which were found to be too small and that their

battery Battery or batterie most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source * Battery indicator, a device whic ...

placement made them unstable at sea. To counter this, ''Artois'' and her contemporaries built in the 1790s were lengthened forwards to make them faster and more stable. The extra space provided by this expansion made the ships faster but did not stop the issue of violent pitching, which would not be fixed until HMS ''Active'' was launched as an improvement to the ''Artois''-class in 1799.Gardiner, ''Heavy Frigate'', pp. 54-5 Despite this, the class would go on to gain a reputation as 'crack frigates'. They were perfect for their assigned role as frigates on

duties, being large enough to fight any French frigate sent to attack them while on station but also fast enough and weatherly enough to be able to stay at their posts no matter the weather type.Gardiner, ''Heavy Frigate'', p. 56 ''Artois'' was ordered on 28 March 1793 to be built at

by John and William Wells of Wells & Co. She was laid down in the same month and launched on 3 January 1794 with the following dimensions: along the

gun deck The term gun deck used to refer to a deck aboard a ship that was primarily used for the mounting of cannon A cannon is a large-caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical prope ...

, at the

keel The keel is the bottom-most longitudinal structural element of a watercraft, important for stability. On some sailboats, it may have a fluid dynamics, hydrodynamic and counterbalancing purpose as well. The keel laying, laying of the keel is often ...

, with a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Radio beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially lo ...

of and a depth in the

hold Hold may refer to: Physical spaces * Hold (compartment), interior cargo space * Baggage hold, cargo space on an airplane * Stronghold, a castle or other fortified place Arts, entertainment, and media * Hold (musical term), a pause, also called ...

of . She measured 996

tons burthen Builder's Old Measurement (BOM, bm, OM, and o.m.) is the method used in England from approximately 1650 to 1849 for calculating the cargo capacity of a ship. It is a volumetric measurement of cubic capacity. It estimated the tonnage of a ship b ...

. The fitting out process for ''Artois'' was completed at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, in the Royal Borough of Greenwich and London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century ...

on 30 March. In January 1794 Captain Lord Charles Fitzgerald of ''Artois'' requested to the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong * Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

that a bridle port, a square

porthole A porthole, sometimes called bull's-eye window or bull's-eye, is a generally circular window used on the hull of ships to admit light and air. Though the term is of maritime origin, it is also used to describe round windows on armored vehic ...

in the

bow BOW as an acronym may refer to: * Bag of waters, amniotic sac * Bartow Municipal Airport (IATA:BOW), a public use airport near Bartow, Florida, United States * Basic operating weight of an aircraft * BOW counties, made of Brown, Outagamie, and Winn ...

that a gun could be placed in, be fitted to assist in chasing ships, however it was deemed unfeasible to fit one on a ship designed without it.Gardiner, ''Heavy Frigate'', p. 76 On 19 November eight 32-pound

carronade A carronade is a short, smoothbore, cast-iron cannon which was used by the Royal Navy. It was first produced by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, and was used from the last quarter of the 18th century to the mid-19th cen ...

s were added to the ''Artois''-class ships by Admiralty Order, leading some to describe them as 44-gun frigates in the future.Gardiner, ''Heavy Frigate'', p. 33 On 20 June 1796 another Admiralty Order saw the ship's crew complement increase from 270 to 284.

Service

1794

''Artois'' was commissioned under Captain Lord Charles Fitzgerald in December 1793 to serve on the Cork Station. After this Captain

took command of ''Artois'', but was absent at the beginning of her service, with two temporary captains standing in for him.Wareham, ''Frigate Captains'', p. 178 In April 1794 ''Artois'' served at the

siege of Bastia The siege of Bastia was a combined British and Corsican military operation during the early stages of the French Revolutionary Wars. The Corsican people had risen up against the French garrison of the island in 1793, and sought support from the ...

under the command of Captain

Thomas Byam Martin Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Sir Thomas Byam Martin, (25 July 1773 – 25 October 1854) was a Royal Navy officer. As captain of fifth-rate French frigate Résistance (1796), HMS ''Fisgard'' he took part in a duel w ...

, where the ships of Admiral Lord Hood's

Mediterranean Fleet The British Mediterranean Fleet, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was a formation of the Royal Navy. The Fleet was one of the most prestigious commands in the navy for the majority of its history, defending the vital sea link between ...

starved the French garrison out of

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

.Heathcote, ''British Admirals of the Fleet'', p. 167 ''Artois'' then moved to the

where she was to serve in the Brest blockade squadron of Commodore

; for a brief period of time she was then commanded by Commander George Byng before Nagle returned to take command of ''Artois''.Phillips
''Artois'' (38) (1794)
Michael Phillips' Ships of the Old Navy. Retrieved 24 April 2021.Marshall, ''Royal Naval Biography'', pp. 655-6 She would spend the majority of her career stationed with the squadron in and around Audierne Bay.Clarke and McArthur, ''Naval Chronicle'', p. 342

''Le Volontaire''

On 23 August ''Artois'' took part in the destruction of the 36-gun frigate ''Le Volontaire'' on the Penmarks. The frigate was discovered early in the morning by Warren's squadron comprising ''Artois'' and the frigates HMS ''Arethusa'', HMS ''Diamond'', HMS ''Flora'', HMS ''Diana'', and HMS ''Santa Margarita''.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', p. 486 The British ships had left Falmouth on 7 August with the intent of hunting a squadron of French frigates known to be around the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the Great Britain, British mainla ...

, but found ''Le Volontaire'' off

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

instead.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 233 ''Le Volontaire'' was forced by the squadron to anchor off the coast to avoid wrecking, and the British ships attacked her to such a degree that she was forced to cut her cables in an attempt to change her positioning. In doing so ''La Volontaire'' was driven ashore and after her pumps failed to remove the incoming water her crew abandoned her. The frigate was unrecoverable and stayed there in its disabled state. The same British ships then discovered the 12-gun

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

''L'Alerte'' and 18-gun

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

''Espion'' in the nearby Audierne Bay. The two French ships ran themselves aground under the cover of three batteries of guns. They were then boarded by boats from the squadron and fifty-two prisoners were brought off them; the ships also had a large number of men with injuries that made them unmovable, which meant that the British were not able to destroy the ships, instead leaving them and the wounded where they had grounded.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', pp. 486-7 The following night the French succeeded in rescuing ''Espion'', but ''L'Alerte'' was lost.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', p. 487 On 26 August the ships ''Queen'' and ''Donna Maria'' were recaptured by the squadron in the same area. The squadron continued its patrols, taking the

cutter Cutter may refer to: Tools * Bolt cutter * Box cutter * Cigar cutter * Cookie cutter * Cutter (hydraulic rescue tool) * Glass cutter * Meat cutter * Milling cutter * Paper cutter * Pizza cutter * Side cutter People * Cutter (surname) * Cutt ...

''La Quartidi'' on 7 September and recapturing the Swedish brig ''Haesingeland'' on 16 September.

''La Révolutionnaire ''

By October ''Artois'' was serving in the squadron of

. On 21 October the squadron, comprising ''Artois'', ''Arethusa'', ''Diamond'', and the frigate HMS ''Galatea'', encountered the French 44-gun frigate ''La Révolutionnaire '' sailing off

Ushant Ushant (; , ; , ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and in medieval times, Léon. In lower tiers of government, it is a commune in t ...

.Brenton, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 223 The squadron chased ''La Révolutionnaire'' which looked to avoid the force, but the superior sailing qualities of ''Artois'' allowed her to sail ahead of the rest of the squadron and come up with ''La Révolutionnaire'' before she could escape.Chamberlain, ''Napoleonic Prison'', p. 24 The squadron then cut ''La Révolutionnaire'' off from the coast which she might have sailed towards for assistance, forcing the French frigate to engage ''Artois''.Duncan, ''British Trident'', p. 283 The two frigates fought an engagement of forty minutes in which eight Frenchmen and three Britons were killed, including the lieutenant of

marines Marines (or naval infantry) are military personnel generally trained to operate on both land and sea, with a particular focus on amphibious warfare. Historically, the main tasks undertaken by marines have included Raid (military), raiding ashor ...

. ''Diamond'' approached the action next and came up behind ''La Révolutionnaire'', threatening to fire into her

stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. O ...

. ''La Révolutionnaire'' surrendered to ''Artois'' upon the approach of the rest of Pellew's squadron, as the frigate had been launched only a few weeks previously; the raw crew refused to continue fighting and forced the captain to surrender.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 235Henderson, ''The Frigates'', p. 32 Pellew reported that the intervention of the rest of the squadron had been unnecessary, and that ''Artois'' would have succeeded even if she had been completely unsupported. The French frigate was bought into the navy as HMS ''Révolutionnaire''; Captain Nagle was

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

ed for his conduct against her and his

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

Robert Dudley Oliver Admiral Robert Dudley Oliver (31 October 1766 – 1 September 1850) was a senior officer of the British Royal Navy during the early nineteenth century, who served in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleon ...

, was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

.Brenton, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 224Urban, ''Gentleman's Magazine'', p. 469James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 236

1795

After this ''Artois'' returned to the command of Commodore Warren and his squadron. On 18 February 1795 the squadron of ''Artois'', ''Galatea'', ''Arethusa'', and Warren's frigate HMS ''Pomone'' encountered a French convoy of twenty ships protected by the frigate ''Néréide'' off

Oléron The Isle of Oléron or Oléron Island (, ; Saintongese dialect, Saintongese: ''ilâte d'Olerun''; , ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France (due west of Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort), on the southern side of the Pertuis d'Antio ...

.Duncan, ''British Trident'', p. 334 The squadron pursued the convoy up the

Pertuis d'Antioche The Pertuis d'Antioche (, ''Passage of Antioch'') is a strait on the Atlantic coast of Western France between two islands; Île de Ré to the north, and Oléron to the south. To the east lies the continental coast between the cities of La Rochelle ...

towards

Île-d'Aix Île-d'Aix () is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, French department of Charente-Maritime, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), off the west coast of France. It occupies the territory of the sma ...

; while the tide forced the British to halt the attack before they reached Aix, they captured one ship, three brigs, two

lugger A lugger is a sailing vessel defined by its rig, using the lug sail on all of its one or more masts. Luggers were widely used as working craft, particularly off the coasts of France, England, Ireland and Scotland. Luggers varied extensively ...

s, one sloop, and an 8-gun

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

. As well as this ten brigs and a lugger were destroyed; the convoy had been carrying food and clothing for the French military. The squadron was very busy in February and March, and including those taken on 18 February the squadron took the ships ''Le Pierre'', ''Le Petit Jean'', ''Le Deux Freres'', ''La Liberte'', ''Le Adelaide'', ''L'Aimable'', ''La Coureause'', ''L'Aimable Madelaine'', ''La Pacquebot de Cayenne'', and ''La Biche'' between 13 February and 2 March. A strange sail was sighted on 15 April by the squadron, and the signal to give chase given; ''Artois'' caught her first, proving it to be the 26-gun corvette ''Le Jean Bart''. On 16 April ''Artois'' and ''Galatea'' similarly took the 16-gun sloop ''Expedition'', which had previously been a British

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...

, and the ship ''Maria Francis Fidilla'' off

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the G ...

, and ''Artois'' on her own captured two sloops with cargoes of fish. Between June and October she participated in the failed French

émigré An ''émigré'' () is a person who has emigrated, often with a connotation of political or social exile or self-exile. The word is the past participle of the French verb ''émigrer'' meaning "to emigrate". French Huguenots Many French Hugueno ...

Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It is ...

. As such ''Artois'' was present in the fleet at the

Battle of Groix The Battle of Groix (, ) took place on 23 June 1795 off the island of Groix in the Bay of Biscay during the War of the First Coalition. It was fought between elements of the British Channel Fleet and the French Ponant Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, whi ...

on 23 June, where she shared in the capture of the three French

ships-of-the-line A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two columns ...

''Alexander'', ''Formidable'', and ''Tigre'', despite not participating directly in the action that occurred when the British and French fleets came upon one another while on separate missions. The British fleet under

Lord Bridport Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport, KB (2 December 17262 May 1814) was a Royal Navy officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Origins He was a younger son of the Rev. Samuel Hood (1691/2 � ...

had been convoying the invasion force to France, and ''Artois'' was part of a force of three ships-of-the-line and six frigates under Warren guarding the fifty-ship convoy conveying the Comte de Puisaye's émigré force of 2,500 men.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', p. 266Clarke and McArthur, ''Naval Chronicle'', p. 343 The troops were successfully landed on 27 June and Warren's squadron went on to occupy

Île d'Yeu Ile or ILE may refer to: Ile * Ile, a Puerto Rican singer * Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places * Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria * Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language * Isoleucine, an amino ...

, but after a series of reversals against French revolutionary soldiers the entire force was evacuated to England, with ''Artois'' and the other ships providing covering fire to the escaping Royalists.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', pp. 266-7Clarke and McArthur, ''Naval Chronicle'', p. 348

1796

After the failure of this enterprise, ''Artois'' returned to her usual duties of blockade and patrols; on 6 March 1796 the ship ''Sultana'' was captured, and a day later ''Nancy'' also. On 20 March she was sailing with the frigates HMS ''Anson'', ''Pomone'', and ''Galatea'' off

Pointe du Raz The Pointe du Raz is a promontory that extends into the Atlantic from western Brittany, in France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territori ...

when they discovered a French convoy of seventy ships.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', p. 465Clarke and McArthur, ''Naval Chronicle'', p. 350 The convoy was guarded by the frigates ''Prosperine'', ''Unite'', ''Coquille'', and ''Tamise'', and the corvette ''Cigogne''. ''Artois'' and ''Pomone'' quickly took four of the convoy ships; one ship and three brigs.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 356 These were ''Illier'', ''Don de Dieu'', ''Paul Edward'', and ''Felicite''. The convoy turned away from the squadron, and as the British ships drew closer the French brought their warships together and passed the British in line as they went in the other direction, exchanging fire and heavily damaging ''Galatea''. The British then began a concerted effort to follow the convoy and break through its ranks in a

line of battle The line of battle or the battle line is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships (known as ships of the line) forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for date ...

as it fled towards Brest but failed to bring it to action again, only taking the 28-gun armed store ship ''Etoile'' which had been at the rear of the convoy. The four French frigates and the corvette all escaped under the cover of night, while the majority of the convoy took shelter under the protection of some coastal gun batteries.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 357 Commodore Warren in ''Pomone'' was criticised for not doing more to press his advantage against the convoy, in all taking only six of the ships. The squadron took the ships ''La Marie'', ''L'Union'', ''La Bonne'', and a brig between 7 and 13 April. Finding continued success, ''Artois'' took ''Pacific'' on 14 May, ''Lodoiska'' on 22 May, and ''Fantasie'' on 25 May, and the

chasse-marée In English, a chasse-marée is a specific, archaic type of decked commercial sailing vessel. In French, ''un chasse-marée'' was 'a wholesale fishmonger', originally on the English Channel, Channel coast of France and later, on the Atlantic coa ...

s ''Charlotte'' and ''Veronique'' on 16 August.

''Andromaque''

On 22 August ''Artois'' was in company with the same squadron of ships and the

brig-sloop During the 18th and 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship of the Royal Navy with a single gun deck that carried up to 18 guns. The rating system of the Royal Navy covered all vessels with 20 or more guns; thus, the term encompassed all ...

HMS ''Sylph'' off the mouth of the river

Gironde Gironde ( , US usually , ; , ) is the largest department in the southwestern French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Gironde estuary, a major waterway, its prefecture is Bordeaux. In 2019, it had a population of 1,623,749.

, when the French frigate

Andromaque ''Andromaque'' is a tragedy in five acts by the France, French playwright Jean Racine written in French alexandrine, alexandrine verse. It was first performed on 17 November 1667 before the court of Louis XIV in the Louvre Palace, Louvre in the pr ...

came into sight attempting to enter the river.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 381 ''Andromaque'' had been cruising in a squadron with two other frigates and a corvette, but had left their company after springing a leak.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', pp. 381-2 ''Galatea'' was closest to the enemy and began a chase of it, followed by ''Pomone'' and ''Anson'', while ''Artois'' and ''Sylph'' were sent to investigate the appearance of two other strange sails.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 382 The chase continued through the night, and by 4 a.m. on 23 August ''Galatea'' and ''Andromaque'' were only one mile offshore. At day break ''Artois'' and ''Sylph'' came into sight, having ascertained that the strange sails were neutral American merchants, and at 5:30 a.m. ''Andromaque'' attempted to make her escape from the squadron, but at 6 a.m. she ran herself aground close to

Arcachon Arcachon (; ) is a commune in the southwestern French department of Gironde. It is a popular seaside resort on the Atlantic coast southwest of Bordeaux, in the Landes forest. It has a sandy beach and a mild climate said to be favourable for p ...

, losing all her

mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mas ...

s. ''Artois'', ''Galatea'', and ''Sylph'' sent their boats in to take control of the unresisting frigate; before they reached it many of the ship's crew jumped into the rough seas rather than be captured, while the rest were able to walk from the stranded frigate to the coast once the tide had gone out.James, ''Naval History vol. 1'', p. 383 In the evening of 23 August boats from ''Sylph'' set fire to ''Andromaque'' which then exploded. On 2 November ''Artois'' and Warren's squadron were in company with the fleet of Lord Bridport when she took the 12-gun privateer ''Le Franklin'' off Ushant after a chase alongside the frigate HMS ''Thalia''.Schomberg, ''Naval Chronology'', p. 119 In December ''Artois'' began a string of successes, taking a brig and the chasse-marées ''Le Providence'' and ''La Maria Theresa'' on 11 December, a Spanish brig on 14 December, and another Spanish brig ''Divina Pastora'' on 17 December.

1797

The activity of ''Artoiss squadron continued into 1797, taking ''Le Jean Amie'' on 15 February, ''Nordzee'' on 16 March, and recapturing the

whaler A whaler or whaling ship is a specialized vessel, designed or adapted for whaling: the catching or processing of whales. Terminology The term ''whaler'' is mostly historic. A handful of nations continue with industrial whaling, and one, Jap ...

''Mary'' on 25 April. On 16 July a French convoy of fourteen ships guarded by the frigate ''La Calliope'' and two corvettes was discovered and chased by Warren's squadron, comprising the same ships as last noted and the cutter ''Dolly''.Clowes, ''Royal Navy'', p. 507James, ''Naval History vol. 2'', p. 95 The corvettes succeeded in escaping into Audierne Bay, but ''La Calliope'' was unable to run from the squadron and was made to engage it. In order to escape destruction ''La Calliope'' cut away her masts and ran herself aground on the Penmarks early in the morning of 17 July. To stop the French from removing the stores from ''La Calliope'', ''Anson'' and ''Sylph'' bombarded the stranded ship while ''Artois'' and ''Pomone'' watched from further out to sea. ''La Calliope'' broke up on the rocks on 18 July.

Fate

On 31 July 1797 ''Artois'' was wrecked on a sandbank near the Ballieu rocks on the north-west coast of

.La Barre, ''French Coasting Pilot'', p. 78 She had been attempting to reconnoitre the harbour of

; the entire crew was saved by ''Sylph''. The

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...

and

master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of ''Artois'' were condemned for their negligence in causing the wreck.Gosset, ''Lost ships'', p. 146

Prizes

Notes

Citations

References

* Brenton, Edward Pelham (1837) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, From the Year MDCCLXXXIII, to MDCCCXXXVI Volume 1.'' London: Henry Colburn. * Chamberlain, Paul (2018) ''The Napoleonic Prison of Norman Cross: The Lost Town of Huntingdonshire.'' Stroud: The History Press. * Clarke, James Stanier and John McArthur (1800) ''The Naval Chronicle: Containing a General and Biographical History of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom with a Variety of Original Papers on Nautical Subjects Volume 3: January–July 1800.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Clowes, William Laird (1899) ''The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to 1900 Volume Four.'' London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company. * Duncan, Archibald (1805) ''The British Trident; or, Register of Naval Actions; including Authentic Accounts of all the most Remarkable Engagements at Sea, in which The British Flag has been Eminently Distinguished; from the period of the memorable Defeat of the Spanish Armada, to the Present Time. Volume III.'' London: James Cundee. * Gardiner, Robert (1994) ''The Heavy Frigate: Eighteen-Pounder Frigates: Vol I, 1778–1800.'' London: Conway Maritime Press. * Gossett, William Patrick (1986) ''The Lost Ships of the Royal Navy, 1793–1900.'' London: Mansell Publishing. * Heathcote, T.A. (2002) ''The British Admirals of the Fleet 1734–1995.'' Barnsley: Pen & Sword. * Henderson, James (1970) ''The Frigates.'' London: A & C Black. * James, William (1859) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 1.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * James, William (1859) ''The Naval History of Great Britain, Volume 2.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * La Barre, A. (1825) ''The French Coasting Pilot; being a Description of Every Harbour, Roadstead, Channel, Cove, and River on the French Coast in the English Channel, and in the Bay of Biscay, from Treport to St. Jean de Luz, with the Setting of the Tides at Each Place: To which are added Correct Tables of High and Low Water for Every Day in the Year.'' Plymouth: J. Williams. * * Marshall, John (1823) ''Royal Naval Biography: or, Memoirs of the Services of all the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders Volume 1 - Part 1.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * Marshall, John (1823) ''Royal Naval Biography: or, Memoirs of the Services of all the Flag-Officers, Superannuated Rear-Admirals, Retired-Captains, Post-Captains, and Commanders Volume 1 - Part 2.'' Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. * * Urban, Sylvanus (1830) ''The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. From January to June 1830. Volume C. Part the First.'' London: J. B. Nichols and Son. * Wareham, Thomas Nigel Ralph (1999) ''The Frigate Captains of the Royal Navy, 1793–1815.'' Unpublished doctoral thesis, University of Exeter. *

External links

*
Ships of the Old Navy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artois (1794) 1794 ships Ships built in Rotherhithe Fifth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in 1797 Artois-class frigates