HMS Tribune (1796)
Engagement between the Unicorn Frigate Capt Williams and the Tribune French Frigate near Waterford, an 1801 engraving depicting HMS Unicorn's capture of Tribune
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| History | |
|---|---|
  France
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| Name: | Charente Inférieure, renamed to Tribune. |
| Builder: | Rochefort |
| Launched: | 1793 |
 Great Britain
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| Name: | HMS Tribune |
| Acquired: | Captured from the French on 8 June 1796 |
| Fate: | Wrecked on 16 November 1797 after running onto Thrum shoal |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | 36-gun fifth-rate frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 916 34⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: | 143 ft 7 1⁄2 in (43.777 m) (overall); 119 ft 0 5⁄8 in (36.287 m) |
| Beam: | 38 ft 0 1⁄2 in (11.595 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 11 ft 6 1⁄2 in (3.518 m) |
| Sail plan: | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement: | 244 |
| Armament: | |
HMS Tribune was a Royal Navy 36-gun fifth rate. This frigate was originally the French Galathée-class frigate Charente Inférieure, which was launched in 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars and renamed Tribune the next year. The British captured her and took her into service with the Royal Navy. She only served for a year before being wrecked off of Herring Cove, Nova Scotia on 16 November 1797. Of the 240 people on board, all were lost but 12 of her crew.
In mid-1796, Tribune was under the command of Commodore John Moulson (or Moulston), an American who had served in the French Navy for 16 years. He was in command of a squadron of three frigates and a corvette. One of the frigates, the 26-gun Proserpine, parted company with her companion vessels in a fog.
On 8 June Tribune and her remaining two companions, the frigate Tamise and the corvette Legere, were sailing off the south coast of Ireland. At daybreak the British frigates Unicorn and Santa Margarita spotted the three French vessels and proceeded to chase them.
Tamise eventually turned to engage her pursuers, but Santa Margarita captured her after a 20-minute battle.Legere escaped. Separately, Dryad captured Proserpine a few days later; the British took her into service as Amelia.
Tribune continued to attempt to escape Unicorn in a running fight that lasted ten hours. Unicorn eventually pulled alongside and an intense, 35-minutes long engagement ensued. Tribune attempted to drop astern to rake Unicorn's stern, but good hadling by Unicorn foiled the attempt. Unicorn again came alongside and continued to fire upon Tribune. Finally, when all her masts except her mizzenmast had been shot away, Tribune struck her colours.
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