''Diane'' was a 38-gun

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

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 ...

, launched in 1796. She participated in 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 ...

, but in August 1800 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 ...

captured her. She was taken into British service as HMS ''Niobe'', and broken up in 1816.

French career

She took part in 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 ...

, managing to escape to Malta with . During the battle Rear-Admiral

Denis Decrès Denis Decrès (18 June 1761 – 7 December 1820) was an officer of the French Navy and count, later duke of the First Empire. Early career Decrès was born in Châteauvillain, Haute-Marne on 18 June 1761 and joined the Navy at the age of 18, ...

was on board ''Diane'' in his capacity as commander of the frigate squadron. He would go on to become Napoleon's Minister of Marine. In 1800, as she tried to escape from Malta, , , and HMS ''Genereux'' captured her. At the time she had only 114 men on board, having left the remainder at Malta to assist in its defense.

British career

The Royal Navy commissioned her as HMS ''Niobe'', under the command of Captain

John Wentworth Loring Admiral Sir John Wentworth Loring, KCB, KCH (13 October 1775 – 29 July 1852) was a Royal Navy officer of the early nineteenth century who is best known for his service in the Napoleonic Wars as a frigate commander. Born in the Thirteen ...

, there already being an in service. On 28 March 1806, ''Niobe'' was off

Groix Groix (; br, Enez Groe) is an island and a commune in the Morbihan department of the region of Brittany in north-western France. Groix lies a few kilometres off the coast of Lorient. Several ferries a day run from Lorient to Groix. There are ...

when she captured the 16-gun , which had just separated from Leduc's division. ''Niobe'', still under Captain Loring, and , Commander James Stuart, captured the Danish ship ''King of Assianthe'' on 31 August 1807. On 13 November 1810, off

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

along with ''Diana'', ''Niobe'' sighted the 40-gun and the 44-gun . and joined the chase, attacking the French squadron when it was anchored at

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. Toponymy Saint-Vaast is the Norman name of Saint Vedast and Hougue is a Norman language word meaning a "mound" or "loaf" and comes from the Old Norse ...

at the

action of 15 November 1810 The action of 15 November 1810 was a minor naval engagement fought during the British Royal Navy blockade of the French Channel ports in the Napoleonic Wars. British dominance at sea, enforced by a strategy of close blockade, made it difficult ...

. Eventually, ''Elisa'' was wrecked near La Hougue, while ''Amazone'' escaped to Le Havre. Four months later at the action of 24 March 1811, ''Niobe'' participated in the destruction of the French frigate ''Amazone'' near the Phare de Gatteville lighthouse,

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

. On 24 March 1811, she sailed with a squadron comprising HMS ''Berwick'', , , and , again chased ''Amazone'', which they trapped near Barfleur. ''Amazone''s crew scuttled her to prevent her capture.

Fate

HMS ''Niobe'' was eventually sold on 31 July 1816.

Citations

Sources

Naval Database
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Diane (1796) 1796 ships Frigates of the French Navy War of 1812 ships of the United Kingdom Frigates of the Royal Navy Captured ships