French frigate Dédaigneuse (1797)
| History | |
|---|---|
 France
|
|
| Name: | Dédaigneuse |
| Builder: | Bayonne (Constructeur: Jean Baudry) |
| Laid down: | June 1794 |
| Launched: | December 1797 |
| Captured: | 28 January 1801 |
 United Kingdom
|
|
| Name: | Dedaigneuse |
| Acquired: | by capture, 28 January 1801 |
| Fate: | Sold, April 1823 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Coquille-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 1,180 tons (French) |
| Tons burthen: | 897 3⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: | 42.8 m (140 ft 5 in) |
| Beam: | 11.4 m (37 ft 5 in) |
| Draught: | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Depth of hold: | 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament: | |
The Dédaigneuse was a 40-gun Coquille-class frigate of the French Navy, launched in 1797. The Royal Navy captured her in 1801 and took her into service as HMS Dedaigneuse. She was hulked as a receiving ship in 1812 and sold in 1823.
On 30 December 1800, as she was taking political prisoners at Cayenne to bring them back to France under Captain Prevost Lacroix, she spotted Tamar.
On Monday, 26 January 1801, at 8.00 a.m., at 45°N 12°W / 45°N 12°W, Oiseau, under Captain Samuel Hood Linzee, fell in with and chased Dédaigneuse, which was bound from Cayenne to Rochefort with despatches. By noon the following day, with Cape Finisterre in sight, Captain Linzee signalled Sirius and Amethyst who were in sight to join the pursuit. Dédaigneuse maintained her advantage until 2.00 a.m. on the 28th when the Oiseaux and Sirius were within musket-shot of Dédaigneuse. In a desperate attempt to shake her pursuers she opened fire from her stern-chasers, which fire the two British ships immediately returned. After a running fight of 45 minutes, Dédaigneuse was two miles off shore near Cape Bellem with her running rigging and sails cut to pieces, mainly due to the steady and well-directed fire from Sirius. Aboard Dédaigneuse casualties were heavy with several men killed, including her Captain and fifth Lieutenant, and 17 wounded; she was therefore forced to strike her colours . Amethyst, due to unfavourable winds, was unable to get up until after Dédaigneuse had struck. Although Sirius was the only British ship damaged (rigging, sails, main-yard and bowsprit) in the encounter, there were no fatalities on the English side. Captain Linzee declared the encounter a long and anxious chase of 42 hours and acknowledged a gallant resistance on the part of Dédaigneuse. Linzee also described her as "a perfect new Frigate, Copper fastened and sails well...". He sent her into Plymouth with a prize crew under the command of his first lieutenant, H. Lloyd. Dédaigneuse was afterwards added to Royal Navy under the same name HMS Dedaigneuse.
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Wikipedia