French Frigate Républicaine Française (1794)

''Républicaine française'' was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, of the . The Royal Navy captured her in 1796. The Navy fitted her as a troopship in 1800, but both as a troopship, and earlier as a frigate, she captured several small Spanish and French privateers. She was broken up in 1810.

French service

Ordered in March 1793 as ''Panthère'', she became ''République française'' in January 1794, and eventually ''Républicaine française'' when commissioned in May, as the name had been attributed to the 120-gun .

Under Lieutenant François Pitot, she cruised the Atlantic off Brest. On 30 May 1795, she was again renamed to ''Renommée''.

Action of 13 June 1796

In July 1796, ''Renommée'' patrolled the Caribbean off Porto Rico. On 12 July, she chased a strange ship, which she joined around 18:00. The ship hoisted two flags half-mast and fired a shot, to which ''Renommée'' responded by flying her colours. Immediately, the ship hoisted the Union Jack and gave chase.''Batailles navales de la France'', Onésime-Joachim Troude, Challamel ainé, 1867
vol.3
p.41

Captain Pitot attempted to escape by throwing his anchors and some of his guns overboard, but the ship gained on ''Renommée''. On 13 July, at around 4a.m., the British ship, identified as the 74-gun under captain Drury, fired a broadside that struck ''Renommée'' under the waterline, causing a leak that wet her ammunition. After a second broadside from ''Alfred'', Pitot struck his colours.

Led aboard '' Alfred'', Pitot learned that several ships had been lured into the trap that had caught him. Pitot was later acquitted by the court-martial for the loss of his ship.

British service

On her capture Commander John Richards (acting) took command of ''Renommee''. The Royal Navy commissioned her at Jamaica as HMS ''Renommee'', under the command of Captain Robert Rolles.

On 6 September 1797 she was in company with and when ''Diligence'' captured a Spanish 6-gun packet ship with troops on board.

On 20 September 1798, ''Renommee'' captured the 6-gun privateer ''Triomphante''. Then in February 1799, ''Renommee'' captured the Spanish 4-gun privateer ''Neptune''.

Early in 1799 ''Renommee'' captured a merchant vessel.

''Renommee'' arrived at Portsmouth on 2 August 1799. Captain William Sanderson took command in August, and paid her off that month.

Between January and March 1800, ''Renommee'' underwent fitting at Portsmouth for service as a troopship. In February Commander James Nasmyth Marshall recommissioned her. Commander Peter M'Keller later replaced Marshall.

''Renommee'' served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March 1801 and 2 September, so her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal, which the Admiralty authorised in 1850 to all surviving claimants. After the Egyptian operations ''Renommee'' was paid off.

Between September 1804 and January 1805 ''Renommee'' underwent repairs by Perry & Co., Blackwall. She then underwent fitting-out at Woolwich until March for a return to service as a 38-gun frigate. Captain Sir Thomas Livingstone recommissioned her in January for the Channel. She then sailed to the Mediterranean.

''Renommee'' shared with ten other vessels in the capture on 2 August 1805 of the vessels:
*''Lucy'', F. G. Voizard, Master,
*''Desiree'', J. V, Coltais,
*''Paix'', B. Potel,
*''Deux Amis'', P. Endelinne, and
*Gun Pinnace, No. 311, A. Hice.

On 4 April 1806 ''Renommee'' came upon a Spanish brig anchored under Fort Callcretes on the Cape de Gatte. ''Renommee'' was able to capture the brig despite coming under fire from the brig, shore batteries, and two gun boats. The captured brig was the ''Vigilante'', armed with twelve 12-poounder long guns and six short 24-pounder guns. She had a crew of 109 men under the command of ''Teniento de Navio'' Don Joseph Julian. British casualties amounted to two men wounded; Spanish casualties were one man killed and three men wounded. ''Vigilante''s main mast went overboard shortly after the engagement ended, and her foremast almost did. ''Renommee'' therefore took her under tow and brought her into port. The Royal Navy took ''Vigilante'' into service as .

In the early morning of 4 May, the boats of ''Renommee'' and , under the command of Lieutenant Sir William Parker, of ''Renommee'', brought out from under the fire of the guns of the town and tower of Vieja and also from under the fire of more than 100 musketeers, the Spanish naval schooner ''Giganta''. ''Giganta'' was armed with two 24-pounders, three 4-pounder long guns, four 4-pounders, and swivel guns. She had a crew of 38 men under the command of ''Alfirre de Navis'' Don Juan de Moire. British casualties amounted to four men severely wounded and three lightly wounded; Spanish casualties consisted of one man mortally wounded and nine men severely wounded. There were no immediate fatalities. Livingstone recommended that the Navy take ''Giganta'' into service at Gibraltar.

On 21 and 22 October 1806, Lieutenant Sir William Parker again led ''Renomee''s boats in cutting-out expeditions. The first occurred at Colon, on Majorca, where in the face of enemy fire the British captured one tartane of four guns, and two settees, one of which mounted three guns. The settees were carrying grain and the British were able to bring them out. The tartan ran aground so the raiding party set her on fire, which led to her blowing up. One British seaman was wounded in the action.

The next night, Parker again went into the port and from under the fire of the tower of Falconara, brought out a settee armed with two guns. Small arms fire from shore wounded one British seaman, so Parker landed with some seamen and marines. The landing party killed one Spaniard and drove the others off. There were no other British casualties.

Early in the morning of 7 November 1807, boats from ''Renommee'' and cut out a Spanish brig and a French tartan, each armed with six guns, from under the Torre de Estacio. The prize crews were not able to prevent winds and tides from causing the two vessels to ground. The boats and the two vessels were under a constant fire from the tower that wounded several prisoners. After about three hours the British abandoned their prizes as they could not free them and were unwilling to set fire to them as the captured vessels had prisoners and women and children aboard, many of whom were wounded. The British had two men badly wounded in the action; although the enemy suffered many wounded, they apparently had no deaths.

''Renomee'' shared in the proceeds of ''Grasshopper''s capture on 12 November of the American schooner ''Henrietta'', Henry Dawson, master.

Fate

''Renomee'' was scrapped at Deptford in September 1810.Winfield (2008), pp. 207-8.

Legacy

Derek Gardner created a painting of her surrender to HMS ''Alfred''.''The Surrender of the 'Renommee' to the 'Alfred', 13 July 1796'', Derek G. M. Gardne

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Notes

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References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Republicaine Francaise
Galathée-class frigates
1794 ships
Captured ships
Frigates of the Royal Navy