HMS Babet (1794)

HMS ''Babet'' was a 20-gun sixth-rate post ship of the British Royal Navy. She had previously been a corvette of the French Navy under the name ''Babet'', until her capture in 1794, during the French Revolutionary Wars. She served with the British, capturing several privateers and other vessels, and was at the Battle of Groix. She disappeared in the Caribbean in 1800, presumably having foundered.

French career and capture

''Babet'' was built at Le Havre, one of a two-ship ''Prompte'' class of 20-gun corvettes built to a design by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb.

In the Bay of Biscay, on 18 May 1793, Captain Andrew Snape Douglas's captured her sister, ''Prompte'', which the Royal Navy took into service as HMS ''Prompte''. ''Babet'' was laid down in September 1792, fitted out in May 1793 and launched on 12 December 1793.

Her commander from 9 January 1793 to October was ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Rolland. Rolland's replacement on 23 October was ''enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' Pierre-Joseph-Paul Belhomme.Fonds, Vol. 1, p.40.

''Babet''s French career was brief. Under Belhomme's command she sailed from Havre to Cherbourg via La Hogue. She then cruised the Channel before sailing from Honfleur to Cherbourg, on to Brest, and returning to Cancale. She was part of a squadron consisting of two frigates ( ''Pomone'' and ''Engageante'') and another corvette that a British squadron under John Borlase Warren engaged off the ÃŽle de Batz in the action of 23 April 1794. and captured ''Babet'' and brought her into Portsmouth, arriving on 30 April. The action had cost ''Babet'' some 30 to 40 of her crew killed and wounded. ''Flora'' had one man killed and three wounded; ''Arethusa'' had three men killed and five wounded.

British career

''Babet'' was registered for service on 19 June 1794, and was commissioned in December that year under Captain the Honourable John Murray, for service with Lord Howe's fleet. Captain Joshua Mulock replaced Murray in April 1795 while ''Babet'' was being fitted for service at Portsmouth, a process completed on 10 May that year, having cost £2,544. Captain Edward Codrington replaced Mulock; ''Babet'' was Codrington's first command after he had made post captain

Codrington then sailed ''Babet'' to join Lord Bridport's fleet. On 23 June 1795 she was with the fleet at the battle of Groix. In 1847, the Admiralty awarded any remaining survivors who claimed it, the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "23rd June 1795".

Captain William Lobb replaced Codrington in December 1795 and sailed ''Babet'' to the Leeward Islands in February the following year. There ''Babet'' was present at the capture of Demerara on 23 April, and the capture of Berbice on 2 May 1796.

In July 1796, ''Babet'', ''Prompte'', and captured the ''Catherina Christina'' in July 1796. At some point ''Babet'' sailed in company with ''Prompte'' and the two vessels captured the Danish brig ''Eland Fanoe''. On 23 July, ''Scipio'', ''Babet'', ''Pique'' and ''Prompte'' shared in the capture of the ''Ariel'' and the ''Zee Nymphe''.

On 16 September , ''Scipio'' and ''Babet'' captured the ''John and Mary''. The first, fourth and fifth-class shares of the prize money were shared, by agreement, with and ''Prompte''. ''Thorn'' captured the schooner ''Abigail'' on 24 September. This time the first, fourth and fifth-class shares were shared with ''Scipio'', ''Babet'', ''Madras'' and ''Prompte''. Then on 16 November ''Thorn'' and captured the Spanish schooner ''Del Carmen''. Once again the first, fourth and fifth class shares were shared with ''Scipio'', ''Babet'', ''Madras'' and ''Prompte''.

On 10 January 1797, ''Babet'' and drove a small French privateer schooner ashore on Deseada. They tried to use the privateer ''Legere'', of six guns and 48 men, which ''Bellona'' had captured three days earlier, to retrieve the schooner that was on shore. In the effort, both French privateers were destroyed. Then ''Babet'' chased a brig, which had been a prize to the schooner, ashore. The British were unable to get her off so they destroyed her. ''Babet'' and were paid headmoney in 1828, more than 30 years later.

Captain Jemmett Mainwaring took command of ''Babet'' in June 1797. Between 25 July and 5 October '' Babet'' captured three merchant vessels:
*brig ''Decision'' (or ''Decisive'' or ''Maria''), of 200 tons and eight men, recaptured while sailing from Cape to Puerto Rico in ballast;
*brig ''Schylhill'' (probably ''Schuylkill''), of Philadelphia, of 100 tons and eight men, sailing from New York to Puerto Rico with a cargo of flour, supposedly Spanish property; and
*barque ''Æolus'', of Copenhagen and of 180 tons and 10 men, sailing from Marseilles to St. Thomas, with a cargo of wine, French property.

Then on 16 January 1798 ''Babet''s boats captured the French schooner ''Désirée''. The schooner was sailing towards ''Babet'' as ''Babet'' was sailing between Martinique and Dominique. As soon as the schooner realized that ''Babet'' was a British warship she attempted to escape. The wind failed and the schooner then took to her sweeps. Lieutenant Samuel Pym of ''Babet'' took 24 men in her pinnace and launch and went after the schooner. After rowing several leagues the boats closed to within range of their cannon, which they then commenced to fire. The British closed on their quarry despite a strong counter-fire. The British then boarded ''Désirée'' and took her. She was armed with six guns and had a crew of 46 men. The British lost one man killed and five wounded; the French had three men killed and 15 wounded. ''Désirée'' was six days out of Guadeloupe and had taken one American brig that had been sailing from St. Vincent to Boston.

''Babet'' was refitted at Portsmouth between July and December 1798 at a cost of £5,194. Then, in December she recaptured the American ship ''Helena''.

On 18 and 19 January 1799, ''Babet'' captured two French fishing vessels, ''Deux Freres Unis'', with a cargo of herring, and the ''Jacques Charles''. On 3 June ''Babet'' was in company with when they captured the John. Then on 24 June they captured the ship ''Weloverdagt''.

Then ''Babet'' took part in the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland in 1799. There she briefly served as Vice-Admiral Andrew Mitchell's flagship in the Zuider Zee. On 28 August 1799, the fleet captured several Dutch hulks and ships in the New Diep, in Holland. ''Babet'' was listed among the vessels qualifying to share in the prize money. However, by the time this was awarded in February 1802, ''Babet'' had been lost at sea. Similarly, ''Babet'' was also present at the subsequent Vlieter Incident on 30 August.

''Babet'' was among the numerous vessels that shared in the proceeds after cut out the French frigate ''Desirée'' from Dunkirk harbour on 8 July 1800.

Fate

''Babet'' left Spithead on 14 September 1800, arrived at Fort Royal Bay, Martinique, on 24 October, and sailed the next day for Jamaica. She was not seen again; she had probably foundered at sea during a tropical storm.

General John Knox was a passenger on ''Babet''. He was sailing out to Jamaica to take up the position of Governor. With him were his aide-de-camp, and possibly some other members of his entourage or other passengers.

See also

*List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea
*List of ships captured in the 18th century

Notes, citations, and references

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Babet (1794)
1793 ships
1800s missing person cases
Age of Sail corvettes of France
Captured ships
Maritime incidents in 1801
Missing ships
People lost at sea
Post ships of the Royal Navy
Ships built in France
Shipwrecks in the Caribbean Sea
Warships lost with all hands