The Dutch corvette ''Waakzaamheid'' was launched at Enkhuizen in 1786. The French Navy captured her in 1794 and renamed her ''Vigilance''. She was part of a squadron that in 1794 captured or destroyed a large number of British merchant vessels on the Guinea coast. The French returned her to the Dutch (the Batavian Republic), in 1795. The Dutch Navy returned her name to ''Waakzaamheid''. The British

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 ...

captured her without a fight in 1798. She then served as HMS ''Waaksaamheid'' until she was sold in September 1802.

Career

''Waakzaamheid''

''Waakzaamheid'' was launched in 1786.

''Vigilance''

The French Navy captured ''Waaksamheid'' on 23 May 1794. They renamed her ''Vigilance''. She then served in a squadron on the Guinea Coast. In September 1794 a French naval squadron comprising the

razee A razee or razée is a sailing ship that has been cut down (''razeed'') to reduce the number of decks. The word is derived from the French ''vaisseau rasé'', meaning a razed (in the sense of shaved down) ship. Seventeenth century During the ...

, ''Vigilance'', , ''Épervier'', and was cruising the West African coast, destroying British

factories A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...

and shipping. Among many other vessels they captured two vessels belonging to the Sierra Leone Company, , and , and . In 1795 the French sold ''Vigilance'' to the Batavian Republic.

''Waakzamheid''

On 24 October 1798 captured in the

Texel Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...

''Waakzaamheid'' and the frigate ''Furie''. ''Waakzaamheid'' was under the command of Senior Captain Neirrop. She was armed with twenty-four 9-pounder guns on her main deck and two 6-pounders on her forecastle. She had 100 Dutch seamen aboard her, as well as 122 French troops, and was carrying 2000 stands of arms as well as other ordnance stores. ''Waakzaamheid'' put up no struggle. The sloop shared in the capture. HMS Sirius vs Furie, 1798-b

HMS ''Waaksaamheid''

''Waaksamheid'' arrived at Sheerness on 17 November 1798. She underwent fitting there between July 1799 and May 1800. In August 1800 ''Waaksamheid='' was part of fleet under the command of Vice-admiral

Archibald Dickson Admiral Sir Archibald Dickson, 1st Baronet (c.1739–1803) was a Royal Navy officer. Naval career He was born around 1739 the son of Archibald Dickson. He initially entered the merchant navy in 1752. He moved to the Royal Navy in 1755 and pa ...

that accompanied a diplomatic mission to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

under Lord Whitworth. The fleet does not appear to have gone beyond The Skaw. The fleet returned to Yarmouth on 14 September. Captain Robert Hall was promoted to

post captain Post-captain is an obsolete alternative form of the rank of captain in the Royal Navy. The term served to distinguish those who were captains by rank from: * Officers in command of a naval vessel, who were (and still are) addressed as captain ...

on 18 November 1799. After his return to England on 31 August 1800 as captain of , he took command of ''Waaksamheid'' on the North Sea station. In 1800 ''Waaksaamheid'' participated in cruises off the Dutch coast in Dickson's squadron, and escorted convoys in the North Sea between the Baltic and Leith. On 11 October 1801 she was at Sheerness, waiting to be paid off following the signing of the Peace of Amiens.

Fate

The "Principal Officers and Commissioners of his Majesty's Navy" offered "Waaksamheidt, 504 Tons, Copper-bottomed, and Copper braces, and Pintles, lying at Deptford", for sale on 1 August 1802. She was offered for sale again on 9 September. She sold then.

Notes

Citations

References * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Waakzaamheid 1786 ships Ships built in the Netherlands Captured ships Corvettes of the French Navy Post ships of the Royal Navy