fourth rate
In 1603 all English warships with a complement of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers, a six-tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided ...
ship 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 tactics in the Age of Sail, naval tactic known as the line of battl ...
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 ...
, built by Adams of
Bucklers Hard
Buckler's Hard is a hamlet in the civil parish of Beaulieu, in the New Forest district, in the county of Hampshire, England, on the banks of the Beaulieu River.
With its two rows of Georgian cottages running down to the river, Buckler's Har ...
and launched on 26 December 1779. The captured ''Hannibal'' off
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
on 21 January 1782.
British career
In October 1781, off
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa.
A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...
, ''Hannibal'' encountered the French frigate ''Bellone'', escorting the transports ''Neker'' and ''Sévère''. She captured the transports and brought them to
Saint Helena
Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory.
Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...
.
On 7 December 1781, a French fleet under d'Orves sortied Isle de France, with 11 ships of the line, 3 frigates and 3 corvettes. On 19 January, the 64-gun ''Sévère'' detected HMS ''Hannibal'', under Captain Christy. D'Orves detached the
74-gun
The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently de ...
''Héros'' and the 64-gun ''Artésien'', under Suffren, to investigate. Suffren closed in, making signals according to tables captured at
Porto Praya
Praia (, Portuguese for "beach") is the capital and largest city of Cape Verde.''Hinchinbrooke'', until ''Hannibal'' made signals that he was unable to answer. A chase ensued, and with the night Suffren abandoned the pursuit to rejoin his fleet. On 21, the fleet encountered ''Hannibal'' again, and again detached ''Héros'', ''Artésien'' and ''Vengeur'', but this time with other ships deploying as to ensure communication between the pursuers and the main body of the fleet, allowing Suffren to press on his chase. Suffren caught up with his quarry on 22 around noon and forced her to surrender.
French career
''Hannibal'' was brought into French service as ''Petit Annibal'', to distinguish her from the
74-gun
The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently de ...
that was serving in d'Orves' fleet.English-language histories often refer to her as ''Hannibal'' for this reason. Lieutenant de Ruyter, first officer of ''Héros'', was given command; all the warships in the French fleet were required to contribute personnel to constitute ''Annibal''s crew. The provided a company of the Régiment de hussards de Lauzun. After Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves died on 9 February 1782 and he assumed command of the French forces in the Indian Ocean, Suffren put Captain Morard de Galles in command, while De Ruyter took command of ''Pourvoyeuse''.
''Annibal'' saw service in his five battles with British Admiral Sir Edward Hughes in 1782 and 1783.
At the
Battle of Providien
The Battle of Providien was the second in a series of naval battles fought between a British fleet, under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and a French fleet, under the Bailli de Suffren, off the coast of India during the Anglo-French War. The ...
, ''Petit Annibal'' was third in the French line, behind ''Artésien'' (Captain de Maurville). She came within pistol range of his opposite number, (Captain Reddel) before opening fire. Her captain, Morard de Galles, was wounded but kept his station.
In January 1783, she was under Beaulieu.
Fate
''Petit Annibal'' was decommissioned in 1787 and used as a
hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...