French corvette Perçante (1795)
| History | |
|---|---|
 France
|
|
| Name: | Perçante |
| Namesake: | "Piercing" |
| Laid down: | September 1793 |
| Launched: | June 1795 |
| Captured: | 7 August 1798 |
 Great Britain
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|
| Name: | HMS Jamaica |
| Acquired: | By capture February 1796 |
| Honours and awards: |
Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Copenhagen" |
| Fate: | Sold 1814 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Bonne Citoyenne-class corvette |
| Type: |
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| Tonnage: | 514 8⁄94 bm |
| Length: |
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| Beam: | 31 ft 0 in (9.45 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 8 ft 5 1⁄2 in (2.578 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: |
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Perçante was a 20-gun ship-corvette of the French Navy, built at Bayonne and launched in 1795. The British captured her in 1796 and took her into the Royal Navy under the name HMS Jamaica. They rated her as a sixth-rate 26-gun frigate. She served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and part of the Napoleonic Wars, during which she captured some privateers and participated in a boat attack. The Admiralty had her laid up in 1810 and sold her in 1814.
Perçante was one of four Bonne Citoyenne-class corvettes launched between 1794 and 1796, all four of which the Royal Navy captured between 1796 and 1798. The class was built to a design by Raymond-Antoine Haran. All members of the class were flush-decked, but with a long topgallant forecastle.
Perçante was stationed at Bayonne and Rochefort. Initially she was under the command of enseigne de vaisseau Laporte, who commanded her from 13 June 1795 to 17 August.
His replacement was lieutenant de vaisseau (later capitaine de frégate) Tourtelot. He commanded her at least during the period 20 October to 23 November.
Her first major voyage was to Guyane, where she first delivered member of the National Convention Bertrand Barère into exile, and then delivered dispatches and supplies to the Antilles. Her second voyage had her carrying arms and munitions from the Île-d'Aix roads with destinations Cayenne and then Basse-Terre. For this voyage she was under the command of lieutenant de vaisseau (later capitaine de frégate) Tourtelot (the elder).
On 6 December 1795, Perçante departed La Rochelle, under orders from the Minister of Marine and Colonies not to communicate with any vessel on the way.
In late February 1798,Perçante was sailing from Cayenne to Cap Français when, near Samana Bay, around 21:00, she encountered the 64-gun third rate HMS Intrepid, patrolling and looking for reinforcements expected from Cork.Intrepid gave chase, and the two ships exchanged fire from 23:00 until 04:00 the next morning, when the wind strengthened, giving an advantage to Perçante.
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Wikipedia