''Abénaquise'' (or ''Abenakise'') was a 36-gun ship of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

of the ''

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for "ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

'', designed by René-Nicholas Lavasseur and launched on 8 July 1757. She was commanded by captain Gabriel Pellegrin. In 1757 she crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 38 days. This was one of the fastest crossings from

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Brest, ...

to Petite ferme on the Côte de Beaupré with pilot Pellegrin, port captain of Quebec, who was on his forty-second crossing. Captured by the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

in 1757, she was renamed HMS ''Aurora'' and saw active service in the latter half of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

. She was

broken up Ship-breaking (also known as ship recycling, ship demolition, ship dismantling, or ship cracking) is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships for either a source of Interchangeable parts, parts, which can be sold for re-use, ...

for timber at

Plymouth Dockyard His Majesty's Naval Base, Devonport (HMNB Devonport) is one of three operating bases in the United Kingdom for the Royal Navy (the others being HMNB Clyde and HMNB Portsmouth) and is the sole nuclear repair and refuelling facility for the Roy ...

in 1763.

French Navy career 1756–1757

''Abénaquise'' or ''Abenakise'' was built in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

and launched in 1756.Winfield 2007, p. 200

Royal Navy career 1757–1763

In 1757 she was captured by and brought into Portsmouth Harbour as a

prize ship In admiralty law prizes are equipment, vehicles, vessels, and cargo captured during armed conflict. The most common use of ''prize'' in this sense is the capture of an enemy ship and her cargo as a prize of war. In the past, the capturing force ...

. On

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Traf ...

's order she was purchased by the Royal Navy on 8 January 1758, for a sum of £6,103.11s for the hull and £425.4s for the masts and internal fittings. She was renamed HMS ''Aurora'' on 22 June, and commissioned into the Royal Navy in October 1758 under Captain Samuel Scott. Her 250-man crew comprised four

commissioned officers An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer, or a warrant officer. However, absent context ...

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

and three

lieutenants A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

overseeing 49 warrant and

petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotation OR-5 or OR-6. In many nations, they are typically equal to a sergeant in comparison to other military branches. Often they may be superior ...

s, 117 naval ratings, 44

Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...

and 36 servants and other ranks.Rodger 1986, pp. 348351 Among these other ranks were five positions reserved for widow's men fictitious crew members whose pay was intended to be reallocated to the families of sailors who died at sea. ''Aurora''s first Royal Navy duties were as a troop transport, ferrying British soldiers from England to Gibraltar ahead of an expected French or Spanish assault. Thereafter, she was sailed for

Havre de Grace, Maryland Havre de Grace (), abbreviated HdG, is a city in Harford County, Maryland, Harford County, Maryland. It is situated at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of Chesapeake Bay. It is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which ...

in search of French

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s. However there were concerns about her seaworthiness and she was returned to England in 1760 to undergo two successive naval surveys. No repairs were carried out, and instead ''Aurora'' was

paid off Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to placing a warship in ...

in 1761 and her crew dispersed to other ships. The vessel was recommissioned in 1762 under Captain Raby Vane and assigned to coastal patrols and cruising in English home waters and off the coast of France. She was again the subject of a naval survey, in December 1762, and was removed from active service in the same month. At the conclusion of the

in 1763, she was disassembled at Plymouth Dockyard and her timbers sold for £152.5s.

Notes

References

Bibliography

* W.J. Eccles, ''France in America'', New York, Harper & Row, Publishers, 1972 (présentation en ligne) * * *

French Navy career 1756–1757

Royal Navy career 1757–1763

Notes

References

Bibliography

Further reading