French ship Belle Poule (1765)
Fight of Arethusa and the Belle Poule
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| History | |
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 France
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| Name: | Belle Poule |
| Namesake: | Paule de Viguier, baronne de Fonterville |
| Builder: | Bordeaux shipyard |
| Laid down: | March 1765 |
| Launched: | 18 November 1766 |
| Commissioned: | Early 1767 |
| Captured: | 16 July 1780 by the Royal Navy |
| Notes: |
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 Great Britain
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| Name: | Belle Poule |
| Acquired: | 16 July 1780 |
| Out of service: | 1798 |
| Fate: | Broken up in 1801 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Dédaigneuse-class frigate |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Beam: | 11.2 m (37 ft) |
| Draught: | 4.9 m (16 ft) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement: | 8 officers + 260 men |
| Armament: |
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Belle Poule was a French frigate of the Dédaigneuse class, which Léon-Michel Guignace built. She is most famous for her duel with the British frigate HMS Arethusa on 17 June 1778, which began the French involvement in the American War of Independence.
Belle Poule was built in Bordeaux between March 1765 and early 1767. She served in two campaigns in the West Indies, where due to her good sailing performance she was selected for the first French attempt at covering her hull with copper to resist marine growths.
From 1772 to 1776, she was sent on hydrographic missions, during which the young La Pérouse came to the attention of his superiors.
On 12 December 1776, she left India to return to Brest. At the time, France was not yet engaged in the American War of Independence, but there had been numerous incidents involving French and British ships. Indeed, on 27 April 1777, Belle Poule was chased by a British ship of the line, which she easily evaded to reach Brest.
In January 1778, Belle Poule was selected to ferry Silas Deane back to America, along with news of the French-American Alliance. On 7 January, the British ships of the line Hector and Courageous stopped her and demanded to inspect her. In spite of the overwhelming superiority of the British forces, her captain, Charles de Bernard de Marigny, answered:
The British offered apologies and let the frigate sail through. However, opposing winds prevented the ship from crossing the Atlantic, and after 36 days, Belle Poule had to return to Brest. Franklin later sailed to America aboard Sensible.
When war broke out, Belle Poule was sent on a reconnaissance mission, along with the 26-gun frigate Licorne, the corvette Hirondelle, and the smaller Coureur, to locate the squadron of Admiral Keppel. They encountered the British squadron, which chased them.
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Wikipedia