''Sans Pareille'' was a privateer that 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 ...

purchased off the stocks in 1797 or 1798, and that was launched in 1798. 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 ...

captured her in 1801 off

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, but laid her up when she reached Britain in 1802. She was sold in 1805.

Early service

''Sans Pareille'' was one of three corvettes at the battle of the Malta convoy on 18 February 1800. ''Sans Pareille'' and the other two corvettes escaped before the engagement began.

Capture

On 20 January 1801, was some 40 leagues off Sardinia when she captured ''Sans Pareille'' after a chase of nine hours. ''Sans Pareille'' was a French navy

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

under the command of Citoyen Gabriel Renault, ''lieutenant de vaisseau''. She carried 18 long brass 9-pounders and two

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s. The reason she did not resist was that she had a crew of only 15 men. She had sailed from

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

the day before and was carrying a cargo of shot, arms, medicines, and all manner of other supplies for the French army at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

, Egypt. The Admiralty took ''Sans Pareille'' into service as HMS ''Delight''.

HMS ''Delight''

It is not clear when the Royal Navy commissioned ''Delight''. Commander the Honourable Frederick Aylmer was formally appointed to command ''Delight'' on 13 July 1802. On 11 September ''Delight'' arrived at the

Motherbank The Motherbank is a shallow sandbar off the northeast coast of the Isle of Wight in England. It lies in the Solent between Cowes and Ryde. The Motherbank is located near historically significant ports and anchorages such as Portsmouth, Spithead ...

and promptly went into

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been ...

. She had made the transit from

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in 15 days. Five days later she sailed eastward to be paid off.

Fate

''Delight'' arrived at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

on 19 September where she was paid-off and laid-up. The Principal Officers and Commissioners of the Navy first offered the "Hull of His Majesty's Sloop Delight", at Plymouth for sale on 20 March 1805. ''Delight'' sold there in April.

Notes

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sans Pareille (1798) 1798 ships Age of Sail corvettes of France Ships built in France Captured ships Sloops of the Royal Navy