''Aigrette'' was a 30-gun

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

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 ...

. She took part in the Seven Year War and in the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

Career

''Aigrette'' took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 November 1759 under Longueville, and escaped into Vilaine River. On 27 July 1778, she took part in the Battle of Ushant. She was then part in the

Armada of 1779 The Armada of 1779 was a combined Franco-Spanish naval enterprise intended to divert British military assets, primarily of the Royal Navy, from other war theatres by invading the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. ...

. In 1779, ''Aigrette'' was under Lieutenant

Mortemart Mortemart (; oc, Mòrtamar) is a commune in the Haute-Vienne department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in west-central France. See also *Communes of the Haute-Vienne department The following is a list of the 195 communes of the Haute-Vienn ...

. On 18 March, she was fought HMS ''Arethusa'', under captain Charles Holmes Everitt. ''Arethusa'' sustained damage and was wrecked the next day off

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of governm ...

, at a point . In 1781, she was under Traversay, part of the squadron under Grasse. She took part in the

action of 4 January 1781 The action of 4 January 1781 was a minor battle of the War of American Independence. A French frigate division, departing Brest, met two British 74-gun ships of the line. The frigates tried to flee their stronger opponents, which gave chase. One o ...

. ''Aigrette'' took part in the

Battle of Fort Royal The Battle of Fort Royal was a naval battle fought off Fort Royal, Martinique in the West Indies during the Anglo-French War on 29 April 1781, between fleets of the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. After an engagement lasting four hours, th ...

on 29 April and 30 April 1781. In July 1781, she sailed to Havana to ferry 500,000 piasters that the Spanish government was providing to fund the French squadron. She returned to Bahamas with the funds in August. She took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781.} In September 1781, she ferried troops from Annapolis to James River to support the

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. On 11 September, she captured HMS ''Richmond''.

Fate

''Aigrette'' was condemned in Brest in October 1789.

Citations

References

* * * * (1671-1870) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Aigrette Age of Sail frigates of France Blonde-class frigates Ships built in France 1756 ships