The French corvette ''Républicaine'' (AKA ''Republican'' and ''Republique'') was a merchant ship launched in 1793 that the French Navy requisitioned in 1795 at Grenada. On 14 October 1795 captured her in the Leeward Islands. The Royal Navy took ''Republicaine'' into service as HMS ''Republican'' (or ''Republicaine''), a lugger of 18 guns. It is not clear that ''Republican'' was ever commissioned. The Navy sold her at Grenada in 1803. __TOC__

French service

On 5 September 1794, , Devonish, master, encountered ''Républicaine'', which Devonish described as being armed with twenty 6-pounder guns and 18

swivel gun The term swivel gun (or simply swivel) usually refers to a small cannon, mounted on a swiveling stand or fork which allows a very wide arc of movement. Another type of firearm referred to as a swivel gun was an early flintlock combination gun wi ...

s, and having a crew of 100-150 men. At 5p.m. a four-hour engagement commenced, that resumed the next morning, when after two-and-a-half hours ''Républicaine'' withdrew. ''Esther'' had one man fatally wounded, her mate, out of a crew of 18 men and three boys.

Capture

On 10 October 1795 ''Mermaid'' captured the 10-gun French brig ''Brutus'' off

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

. ''Brutus'' had been in the company of a ship, which temporarily escaped. However, on 14 October ''Mermaid'' was able to find and capture the ship after a fight of half an hour that cost ''Mermaid'' one man killed and three men wounded. The French ship was the French corvette ''Républicaine'', and she was armed with eighteen guns. She had some 250-260 men aboard at the start of the action, one of whom was a French general, with his staff, on his way to take command of

. In the action, the French lost 20 men killed and some wounded. shared by agreement. The Royal Navy took ''Républicaine'' into service as HMS ''Republican''.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Republicaine (1795) Corvettes of the French Navy Sloops of the Royal Navy Captured ships 1793 ships