fifth rate
In the rating system of the Royal Navy used to categorise sailing warships, a fifth rate was the second-smallest class of warships in a hierarchical system of six " ratings" based on size and firepower.
Rating
The rating system in the Royal N ...
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
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 ...
. She had formerly served with 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 ...
, initially as the ''Fleur-de-Lys'', and later as the ''Pique''. HMS ''Blanche'' captured her in 1795 in a battle that left the ''Blanche''s commander, Captain Robert Faulknor, dead. HMS ''Pique'' was taken into service under her only British captain, David Milne, but served for just three years with the Royal Navy before being wrecked in an engagement with the French ship ''
'' in 1798. The ''Seine'' had been spotted heading for a French port and ''Pique'' and another British ship gave chase. All three ships ran aground after a long and hard-fought pursuit. The arrival of a third British ship ended French resistance, but while the ''Seine'' and ''
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He w ...
'' were both refloated, attempts to save ''Pique'' failed; she bilged and had to be abandoned.
French career
''Pique'' was built at
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
led to her being renamed ''Pique'' in June 1792.
Between 25 May and 23 December 1792, ''Pique'' was under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau'' d'Ancausse de Labatut. She cruised the environs of
ÃŽle-d'Aix
Île-d'Aix () is a commune and an island in the Charente-Maritime department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), off the west coast of France. It occupies the territory of the small Isle of Aix (''île d'Aix''), in the ...
roads
A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation.
There are many types of ...
. She then sailed to observe the entrance to the Channel.
From 9 January 1793, ''Pique'' was under the command of ''capitaine de vaisseau'' d'Ancausse de Labatut in the Île-d'Aix roads. Then under the command of ''capitaine de vaisseau'' de Leissègues, between 7 March and 23 November 1793 she carried troops and passengers to the
Windward Islands
french: ÃŽles du Vent
, image_name =
, image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada.
, image_alt =
, locator_map =
, location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...
.
On 9 January 1794, ''Pique'' was at
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...
before Leissègues again carried troops and passengers to the Windward Islands.
Capture
''Pique'' encountered (commanded by Captain Faulknor) off the island of Desirade at Pointe à Pitre,
on 4 January 1795. ''Pique'' at first tried to avoid an action, but eventually the two ships came to close quarters in the early hours of 5 January. The two ships closed and exchanged broadsides, with both sustaining heavy damage; ''Blanche'' lost her main and mizzen masts. ''Pique'' then turned and ran afoul of the ''Blanche'', with her
bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay that counteracts the forces from the forestays. The word ''bowsprit'' is thought to originate from the Middle L ...
caught across her
port
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...
quarter. While the French made several attempts to board, which were repulsed, the crew of ''Blanche'' attempted to lash the bowsprit to their capstan, but during the attempt Captain Faulknor was killed by a musket ball to the heart. ''Pique'' then broke away from ''Blanche'' and came round her stern, this time colliding on the
starboard
Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front).
Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...
quarter. ''Blanche''s men quickly lashed the bowsprit to the stump of their mainmast, which held her fast. ''Pique'' was now unable to manoeuvre or bring any of her guns to bear on ''Blanche''. After being repeatedly raked by ''Blanche''s guns, ''Pique'' surrendered. Casualties for the British were eight killed, including Captain Faulknor, and 21 wounded. ''Pique'' had lost 76 killed and 110 wounded. The two ships were joined later that morning by the 64-gun , which helped exchange and secure the prisoners and tow the ships to port. ''Blanche'' towed her
prize
A prize is an award to be given to a person or a group of people (such as sporting teams and organizations) to recognize and reward their actions and achievements.
to a British port, where she was named and registered on 5 September.
British career
HMS ''Pique'' was commissioned in September 1795 under Captain David Milne, and assigned to serve in the
. On 9 March 1796, ''Pique'' and captured the French
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
. She was described as a brig of 14 guns and 90 men. The British took her into service.
''Pique'' then went on to serve as part a squadron under Captain Thomas Parr in the
fourth rate
In 1603 all English warships with a compliment of fewer than 160 men were known as 'small ships'. In 1625/26 to establish pay rates for officers a six tier naval ship rating system was introduced.Winfield 2009 These small ships were divided i ...
HMS ''Malabar''. She was present at the capture of the Dutch colonies of
Demerera
Demerara ( nl, Demerary, ) is a historical region in the Guianas, on the north coast of South America, now part of the country of Guyana. It was a colony of the Dutch West India Company between 1745 and 1792 and a colony of the Dutch state fro ...
and
Essequibo Essequibo is the largest traditional region of Guyana but not an administrative region of Guyana today. It may also refer to:
* Essequibo River, the largest river in Guyana
* Essequibo (colony), a former Dutch colony in what is now Guyana;
* Esseq ...
on 23 April 1796, and the capture of
Berbice
Berbice is a region along the Berbice River in Guyana, which was between 1627 and 1792 a colony of the Dutch West India Company and between 1792 to 1815 a colony of the Dutch state. After having been ceded to the United Kingdom of Great Britain ...
on 2 May 1796.
''Pique'', , , and captured the ''Catherina Christina'' in July 1796. ''Pique'' then returned to Britain and operated in the
from 1797.
''Pique'' shared with , and the hired armedcutter''Nimrod'' in the capture of the ''Anna Christiana'' on 17 May 1798.
While patrolling off the
Penmarks
Penmarch (, ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany, northwestern France. ''Seine'' had crossed the Atlantic from the West Indies and was bound for a French port. The British squadron manoeuvred to cut her off from land, but the ''Mermaid'', under Captain
James Newman-Newman
Captain James Newman-Newman (1767–1811) of the British Royal Navy was an officer who served in numerous actions with distinction during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars before his death in the wreck of his ship of the line HMS ''H ...
, soon lost contact, leaving ''Pique'' under Milne and ''Jason'' under Captain
Charles Stirling
Charles Stirling (28 April 1760 – 7 November 1833) was a vice-admiral in the British Royal Navy.
Early life and career
Charles Stirling was born in London on 28 April 1760 and baptised at St. Albans on 15 May. The son of Admiral Sir Walter ...
, to chase down the Frenchman.
The chase lasted all day, until 11 o'clock at night when ''Pique'' was able to range alongside ''Seine'' and fire a broadside. The two exchanged fire for several hours, with the lighter ''Pique'' suffering considerable damage to her masts and rigging. ''Jason'' then ranged up and Captain Stirling called upon Milne to anchor, but Milne did not hear and was determined to see ''Seine'' captured, and pressed on. Before the battle could be resumed, ''Pique'' ran suddenly aground. ''Jason'' too ran aground before she could swing way, while ''Seine'' was observed to have grounded, and lost all her masts in the process. As the tide rose, ''Seine'' was able to swing into a position to rake the two British ships. With difficulty, the sailors of ''Jason'' dragged several guns to the bow in order to exchange fire, while ''Pique'' was able to bring her foremost guns to bear. Under fire from both British ships, the appearance on the scene of ''Mermaid'' convinced the French to surrender. ''Jason'' had lost seven killed and 12 wounded, while ''Pique'' sustained casualties of two killed and six wounded. ''Seine'' however had 170 killed and 100 wounded.
Fate
''Mermaid'' arrived and retrieved ''Jason'', but ''Pique'' had bilged and had to be destroyed. too arrived and was instrumental in recovering ''Seine''.Harland (1984), p.153. The Royal Navy took into service under her existing name.