''Courageuse'' was a 12-pounder ''Concorde'' class frigate 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 was launched in 1778. The British captured her in 1799 and thereafter used her as a receiving ship or prison hulk at Malta before breaking her up in 1802.

Career

In 1790, under Captain"''Major de vaisseau''"; Fonds Marine, p.22 de Grasse-Briançon, ''Courageuse'' was part of the Toulon squadron under Poute de Nieuil.Fonds Marine, p.22 From 2 August, she ferried troops and civil commissioners to Corsica, and cruised in the area before making a port call to Ajaccio and eventually returning to Toulon on 30 October.Fonds Marine, p.26 In 1792, under Captain de La Croix de Saint-Vallier, ''Courageuse'' sailed off Smyrna, Saloniki and Tripoli, returning to Smyrna on 6 December.Fonds Marine, p.33 In January 1793, she escorted a convoy to Marseille, and from there returned to Toulon, arriving on 12 May.Fonds Marine, p.52 ''Courageuse'' took part in the

Croisière du Grand Hiver The ''Croisière du Grand Hiver'' (French "Campaign of the Great Winter") was a French attempt to organise a winter naval campaign in the wake of the Glorious First of June. Context The Glorious First of June had ended on a strategic success f ...

in the winter of 1794-1795, under Captain Dalbarade.Fonds Marine, p.121 She was part of the naval division under Rear-admiral Renaudin, which arrived in Toulon on 2 April 1795. In the summer of 1795, she was part of the station of the

Gulf of Roses The Gulf of Roses ( ca, Golf de Roses ) is the most northeastern bay on the Catalonia, Catalan coast of Spain. The bay is wide and is formed by the valley of the Fluvià river but also contains the estuaries of the Manol and the Muga River, Muga ...

, under Lieutenant Pourquier,Fonds Marine, p.132 supporting the

Army of the Pyrenees One of the French Revolutionary armies, the Army of the Pyrenees (''Armée des Pyrénées'') was created by a decree of the National Convention dated 1 October 1792 and formed out of the right wing of the Armée du Midi. At the outbreak of the Wa ...

in the Siege of Roses.Troude (1867), vol.2, p.447 On 9 July, she defended herself against a Spanish squadron,Fonds Marine, p.136 composed of 16 gunboats, supported by three frigates and two ships of the line. ''Courageuse'', supported by artillery fire from French-held forts, successfully fended off the attack. In the fleet of Toulon, ''Courageuse'' took part in the

Mediterranean campaign of 1798 The Mediterranean campaign of 1798 was a series of major naval operations surrounding a French expeditionary force sent to Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Republic sought to capture Egypt as the fi ...

; after the

Battle of the Nile The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay; french: Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the Navy of the French Republic at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast off the ...

, she was armed

en flûte ''En flûte'' (French: "as a fluyt") is a French naval expression of the Age of Sail to designate the use of a warship as a transport with reduced armament.Willaumez, p. 294 Some warships, ships of the line or frigates, were occasionally used wit ...

and ferried supplies for the French Army in Egypt and Syria. Under Captain Trullet, ''Courageuse'' was part of the Syrian naval station under Rear-admiral Perrée.Fonds Marine, p.229 She ferried artillery and ammunition of the French Army besieging Acre; on 9 April 1799, she captured the British gunboat ''Foudre''. HMS ''Centaur'' captured ''Courageuse'' in the

action of 18 June 1799 The action of 18 June 1799 was a naval engagement of the French Revolutionary Wars fought off Toulon in the wake of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798. A frigate squadron under Rear-admiral Perrée, returning to Toulon from Syria, met a 30-ship ...

Fate

French sources report that ''Courageuse'' was used as a

prison hulk A prison ship, often more accurately described as a prison hulk, is a current or former seagoing vessel that has been modified to become a place of substantive detention for convicts, prisoners of war or civilian internees. While many natio ...

for French prisoners at Port Mahon.Fonds Marine, p.240 British sources report that the British commissioned HMS ''Courageuse'' under Commander John Richards. She served as a receiving ship until at least 1803. Alternatively, served as a receiving or prison ship at Malta where she was broken up in 1802.

Note

A few weeks after ''Centaur'' captured ''Courqageuse'', captured the French privateer near the Azores. She may have come into Gibraltar and have been taken into service as HMS ''Lutine''. She was sold for breaking up at the

Peace of Amiens The Treaty of Amiens (french: la paix d'Amiens, ) temporarily ended hostilities between France and the United Kingdom at the end of the War of the Second Coalition. It marked the end of the French Revolutionary Wars; after a short peace it se ...

. The coincidence of two prizes with almost identical names being at the same place at the same time and both being taken into the Royal Navy in the theatre has resulted in some confusion of the vessels. The capture on 29 March 1800 of a ''Courageux'' that was taken into Minorca, and the existence in 1800 of a French naval brig at Toulon named ''Courageux'' only adds to the confusion.

Notes, citations, and references

Notes

Citations

References

* Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Courageuse (1779) Age of Sail frigates of France 1778 ships Concorde-class frigates Frigates of the Royal Navy Captured ships