The ''Hazard'' was an 18-gun brig 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 ...

, lead ship of her class.

Career

''Hazard'' was launched in

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

in January 1788, and launched in April of the same year. After commissioning, she sailed to Rocheford, from where she departed in a squadron bound for Brest, further composed of the frigates ''Gracieuse'', ''Néréide'' and ''Courageuse'', her sister-ships ''Lutin'' and ''Espoir''. In 1790, she cruised off

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; grc, Σμύρνη, Smýrnē, or , ) was a Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to promi ...

and in the Egean sea under Lieutenant de Panat,Fonds Marine, p. 21 returning from Smyrna to Toulon by way of Methoni. She later was part of the Middle Eastern station under sub-Lieutenant Mauric.Fonds Marine, p. 22 On 16 April 1792, still under Mauric, by then promoted to Lieutenant, she cruised from

Milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine *'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...

to Toulon, and conducted a mission to

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, before returning to Toulon on 21 October.Fonds Marine, p. 33 In June 1793, she was at Ajaccio.Fonds Marine, p. 60 On 22 October 1793 ''Hazard'' was part of a five-vessel squadron under the command of

Jean-Baptiste Perrée Jean-Baptiste Perrée (19 December 1761Levot, p.394 in 1866 write 19 April 1761 – 18 February 1800Levot, p.395) was a French Navy officer and Rear-admiral. Career Born to a family of sailors in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, Perrée started sailing in ...

. In addition to ''Mignonne'', the squadron included the frigates , ''Minerve'', and ''Fortunée'', and ''Mignonne''. They encountered the 64-gun

third rate In the rating system of the Royal Navy, a third rate was a ship of the line which from the 1720s mounted between 64 and 80 guns, typically built with two gun decks (thus the related term two-decker). Years of experience proved that the third r ...

, under the command of Captain

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...

. ''Agamemnon'' and ''Fortunée'' engaged in an inconclusive action before the French squadron chose not to pursue the matter and sailed off.James (1837), Vol. 1, pp. 117–8. From 11 February 1794, under Lieutenant Racord, she was part of the Villefranche naval station; she returned to Toulon on 26 July.Fonds Marine, p. 98 On 1 March 1795, under the command of Lieutenant Leduc, ''Hazard'' cruised in the

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient L ...

with the squadron of Toulon. She took part in the

Battle of Cape Noli The Battle of Genoa (also known as the Battle of Cape Noli and in French as ''Bataille de Gênes'') was a naval battle fought between French and allied Anglo-Neapolitan forces on 14 March 1795 in the Gulf of Genoa, a large bay in the Ligurian ...

, and returned to Toulon on 24 March.Fonds Marine, p. 134 In September 1794, ''Hazard'' and sailed in consort with the frigate ''Alceste'', under Captain Perrée, for a

commerce raiding Commerce raiding (french: guerre de course, "war of the chase"; german: Handelskrieg, "trade war") is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt logistics of the enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than enga ...

cruise in the Mediterranean.Fonds Marine, p. 81 The division returned to Toulon on 10 October.

Fate

On 25 October 1796, under Lieutenant Bassière, ''Hazard'' was wrecked on the shore of

Île Saint-Honorat The Île Saint-Honorat is the second largest of the Lérins Islands, about off shore from the French Riviera town of Cannes. The island is approximately in length (East to West) and wide. Since the fifth century, the island has been home to a ...

.Fonds Marine, p. 172 The court-martial of Lieutenant Bassière for the loss of his ship found him guilty. The court sentenced him to a six-month prison term barred him from all command for three years.

Notes and references

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hazard (1788) 1788 ships Ships built in France Captured ships