Two vessels of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

have borne the name HMS ''Fleche'', after the French for "arrow": * HMS ''Fleche'' was the French 14-gun corvette launched in 1768 that the British captured in 1794. She wrecked in the bay of

San Fiorenzo Saint-Florent (; it, San Fiorenzo, ; co, San Fiurenzu, ) is a commune in Haute-Corse department on the island of Corsica, France. Originally a fishing port located in the gulf of the same name, pleasure boats have now largely taken the place of ...

in November 1795. * was the French privateer ''Caroline'', which captured on 31 May 1798. The British took her into the navy as an 18-gun sloop. She was wrecked at the mouth of the Elbe on 24 May 1810 due to the errors of her pilots. All her crew were saved. * ''Fleche'' was a French sloop of twenty 8-pounder guns. While under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Bonamy, she transported deportees from Nantes to the Seychelles in 1801. It was near there that first engaged her on 2 September 1801 and captured her on 5 September. ''Fleche'' grounded and her crew set her on fire. The British were able to put the fire out, but she fell on her side and sank, and so was never actually taken into the Royal Navy.

Citations and references

References References * * Demerliac, Alain (1996) ''La Marine De Louis XVI: Nomenclature Des Navires Français De 1774 À 1792''. (Nice: Éditions OMEGA). * Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome premier : BB4 1 à 209 (1790-1804

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fleche Royal Navy ship names