The French frigate ''Iris'' was a ''Magicienne''-class frigate, one of seven, launched at Toulon in 1781 for 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 ...

. Note: Between 1781 and 1784, there were two French frigates ''Iris'', this newly launched frigate, and the former USS ''Hancock'', which the British had captured in 1781 in the American theatre and renamed ''Iris'', and which the French had captured in 1781 and sold in 1784. The British captured the new ''Iris'' at Toulon on 28 August 1793, and burned her on their evacuation of the city in December.

Fate

When the Royalist French surrendered Toulon to Lord Hood in 1793, they found ''Iris'' dismantled and being used as a powder hulk. As the republicans advanced on the town, the Anglo-Spanish forces evacuated, destroying the arsenal and as many ships as they could of those that they could not sail out of the port. Captain Sidney Smith took charge of a small squadron of three English and three Spanish gunboats and went into the inner harbour to scuttle the ships. Against orders, instead of sinking one of the frigates, the Spanish crew of one gunboat set the frigate alight. The vessel, possibly ''Iris'', was being used to store one thousand barrels of gunpowder. The resulting explosion blew the British gun boat ''Terrible'', commanded by Lieutenant Patey, to pieces; however, the men were picked up alive.Gardner p.104 Another British gunboat, ''Union'', which was nearest to ''Iris'', too was blown to pieces; her commander, Mr Young, was killed, together with three of his men. At least one other powder hulk, French frigate ''Montréal'',Henry G. Bohn, "Battles of the British Navy", Joseph Allen, ESQ. R.N., Volume 1, ''1853'', pp. 369–370 was also destroyed in the evacuation, and ''Iris'' was recorded as being one of those burnt in the retreat.

Citations and references

Citations References * * Von Pivka, Otto; Navies of the Napoleonic era. Taplinger Pub Co; Book Club Edition (1980) * * *Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015 Forthcoming) ''French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1862: Design Construction, Careers and Fates''. (Seaforth Publishing). {{DEFAULTSORT:Iris (1781) 1781 ships Frigates of the French Navy Captured ships Maritime incidents in 1793