''Vaillante'' was a ''brick cannonier'' (gunbrig) launched in 1793, probably at

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

. She spent the first year or so her career escorting convoys off the coast of Brittany. In May 1795 she was renamed ''Violente'', but she reverted to the name ''Vaillante'' in 1796. 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 F ...

destroyed her in the Caribbean late in 1796.

Career

* Between 27 August 1793 and 9 November, she was under the command of ''enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' Le Bozec. She was stationed at

Perros-Guirec Perros-Guirec (; br, Perroz-Gireg) is a commune in the department of Côtes-d'Armor in Brittany. It has been a seaside resort since the end of the 19th century. Geography Climate Perros-Guirec has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classificatio ...

and escorted convoys between Saint-Malo and

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 *Br ...

. * Between 24 January 1794 and 20 March she was under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Le Bozec. she escorted convoys between

Granville, Manche Granville (; Norman: ''Graunville'') is a commune in the Manche department and region of Normandy, northwestern France. The chef-lieu of the canton of Granville and seat of the ', it is a seaside resort and health resort of Mont Saint-Michel Ba ...

and

Douarnenez Douarnenez (, ; meaning ''douar'' (land) ''an enez'' (the island) or land of the island), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, northwestern France. It is located at the mouth of the Pouldavid River, an estuary ...

. * Between 19 June 1794 and 2 September she was under the command of ''enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' Poirier, still escorting convoys between Granville and Douarnenez.

Fate

On 25 November 1796, Captain R. Barton and were at

St Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

when an express boat brought the news that a French force consisting of two warships, several smaller ships, and 400 troops, were threatening

Anguilla Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...

. Contrary winds prevented ''Lapwing'' from arriving in time to prevent the French from burning the town. Still, ''Lapwing'' was able to meet the French force near St Martin's. There she was able to capture the , and destroy ''Vaillante''. In all, ''Lapwing'' captured 170 men. ''Décius'' was armed with twenty-four 6-pounder guns, two 12-pounder carronades, and two field pieces. She had a crew of 133 men, and was carrying 203 troops, all under the command of Citizen Andrée Senis. ''Vaillante'' was armed with four 24-pounder guns, had a crew of 45 men, and was carrying 90 troops, all under the command of Citizen Laboutique. Half an hour after ''Décius'' struck, ''Vaillante'' ran aground at St Martin's, where fire from ''Lapwing'' destroyed her.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaillante (1793) 1793 ships Brigs of the French Navy