HMS ''Rapide'' was a British schooner of unknown name that the French captured in 1806. The French Navy took her into service as ''Villaret'', but renamed her ''Rapide''. She then became the model for a class of advice boats ('' aviso''s). The British

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 in 1808 in the West Indies and took her into service as the ship's tender ''Rapide''. She was lost in 1814.

French ''aviso''

French records give ''Rapide''s origins as a British schooner that Admiral Willaumez's squadron captured on 3 July 1806, probably near Nevis, during his Atlantic campaign of 1806. The French records mis-identify the schooner and her name remains a mystery. The French took the schooner into service as ''Villaret'' and she served in the Antilles until she sailed to Bayonne in July 1807. She was renamed ''Rapide'' on 4 November, but then taken out of commission from 11 November to 14 May 1808 while her lines were being taken. ''Rapide'' was renamed ''Mouche No.1'' on 16 May 1808 when the Navy ordered six more vessels (''Mouche'' ''Nos.2–7'') built to her lines. On 21 May ''Rapide'' sailed from Bayonne for Cayenne and Vera Cruz.

Capture

Admiral Lord Collingwood received intelligence that the French corvette ''Rapide'' was on her way from Bayonne with dispatches and he asked Admiral Lord

Alexander Cochrane Admiral of the Blue Sir Alexander Inglis Cochrane (born Alexander Forrester Cochrane; 23 April 1758 – 26 January 1832) was a senior Royal Navy commander during the Napoleonic Wars and achieved the rank of admiral. He had previously captain ...

to attempt to intercept her. On 12 July ''Belette'' captured ''Rapide'', of one gun and 22 men, and took her into Barbados. ''Rapide'' was sailing from Bayonne and Cayenne to Martinique with dispatches. However, ''Rapide''s captain had managed to throw the dispatches overboard before ''Belette'' captured her. On 23 July duplicates of the dispatches and much besides were found concealed aboard the cartel ''Phoenix'', which had sailed from Cayenne and had stopped in Barbados. She had aroused suspicion, leading Cochrane to having her searched. Because carrying these documents was a violation of the cartel (truce) flag, the British seized ''Phoenix'' and sent the seized documents in .

Royal Navy

The Royal Navy took ''Rapide'' into service as a ship's tender, though it is not clear for what vessel she was a tender. On 2 February 1810 ''Rapide'', Lieutenant William Mather, commander, recaptured the brig ''Mary''. The gun-vessel , Lieutenant Henry Harford, commander, was in sight. In 1813 Lieutenant William Mather received a promotion to Commander and command of . ''Tweed'' was wrecked, with heavy loss of life, in November.

Fate

''Rapide'' was reported to have been wrecked in the Saintes in March 1814.

Notes

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References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rapide (1808 schooner) 1800s ships Captured ships Schooners of the French Navy Schooners of the Royal Navy Maritime incidents in 1814