French frigate Mignonne (1767)
| History | |
|---|---|
 France
|
|
| Name: | Mignonne |
| Namesake: | "Pretty" |
| Ordered: | 5 August 1765 |
| Builder: | Toulon Dockyard; constructeur: Claude Saussillon |
| Laid down: | October 1765 |
| Launched: | 26 April 1767 |
| Captured: | 10 August 1794 |
 UK
|
|
| Name: | Mignonne |
| Acquired: | 10 August 1794 by capture |
| Fate: | Burnt July 1797 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Frigate |
| Displacement: | 880 tons (French) |
| Length: |
|
| Beam: | 10.39 metres (34.1 ft) |
| Draught: | 4.22 metres (13.8 ft) (unladen) |
| Depth of hold: | 5.12 metres (16.8 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Complement: |
|
| Armament: | |
The French frigate Mignonne was a one-off design by Jean-Baptiste Doumet-Revest, and launched in 1767 at Toulon. Some notable French captains commanded her before the British captured her at Calvi in 1794 and took her into the Royal Navy as HMS Mignonne. She was burnt in 1797 as useless.
In 1772 Mignonne came under the command of Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, who had just been promoted to the rank of captain. He commanded her and later Alcemene in the squadron that the French government had established for the purpose of training its officers.
In 1793 the French Navy had Mignonne razeed, converting her to a corvette.
On 22 October 1793 Mignonne was part of a five-vessel squadron under the command of Jean-Baptiste Perrée. In addition to Mignonne, the squadron included the frigates Melpomene, Minerve, and Fortunée, and the brig Hasard. They encountered the 64-gun third rate HMS Agamemnon, under the command of Captain Horatio Nelson. Agamemnon and Fortunée engaged in an inconclusive action before the French squadron chose not to pursue the matter and sailed off.
On 18 June 1794, Agamemnon anchored south of Calvi. Once the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet under Vice-Admiral Hood arrived, the British commenced a 51-day siege of the town, which surrendered on 10 August. Shortly thereafter the inhabitants of Corsica declared themselves to be subjects of His Majesty King George III.
The British captured five vessels at Calvi, two frigates – Melopmène and Mignonne – and three small armed vessels, the brigs Auguste and Providence, each of four guns, and the gun-boat Ca Ira, of three guns.Melpomène was a new vessel and the British were glad to take her into service, which they did under her existing name; she served in the Royal Navy until 1815. The 27-year-old Mignonne they too took into service under her existing name but without the same expressions of enthusiasm.
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Wikipedia