The ''Magicienne'' class was a class of twelve

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 ...

32-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 ...

s 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 ...

, each with a main battery of 26 x 12-pounder long guns, and with 6 x 6-pounder guns on the quarterdeck and forecastle.

They In Modern English, ''they'' is a third-person pronoun relating to a grammatical subject. Morphology In Standard Modern English, ''they'' has five distinct word forms: * ''they'': the nominative (subjective) form * ''them'': the accusat ...

were designed by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb. * ''Magicienne'' :Builder:

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

:Ordered: 7 February 1777 :Begun: March 1777 :Launched: 1 August 1778 :Completed: October 1778 :Fate: captured by British Navy off Boston on 2 July 1781 and added to the British Navy. * ''Précieuse'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 7 February 1777 :Begun: March (or August?) 1777 :Launched: 22 August 1778 :Completed: November 1778 :Fate: out of service in January 1804; broken up in July 1816. * ''Sérieuse'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 28 August 1778 :Begun: March 1779 :Launched: 28 August 1779 :Completed: October 1779 :Fate: sunk at the Battle of Aboukir on 1 August 1798 * ''Lutine'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 23 October 1778 :Begun: March 1779 :Launched: 11 September 1779 :Completed: November 1779 :Fate: captured by British Navy in August 1793, and added to the British Navy - wrecked on 9 October 1799, her ship's bell was salvaged and still hangs in

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...

. * ''Vestale'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 20 April 1780 :Begun: May 1780 :Launched: 14 October 1780 :Completed: February 1781 :Fate: captured by British Navy off Bordeaux on 19 August 1799. * ''Alceste'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 20 April 1780 :Begun: May 1780 :Launched: 28 October 1780 :Completed: February 1781 :Fate: captured on 29 August 1793 by British Navy at Toulon, but retaken by the French ''Boudeuse'' on 8 June 1794, then captured again on 18 June 1799. * ''Iris'' :Builder:

:Ordered: :Begun: May 1781 :Launched: 29 October 1781 :Completed: March 1782 :Fate: captured in August 1793 by British Navy at Toulon, but burnt on 18 December 1793 during the evacuation. * ''Réunion'' :Builder:

:Ordered: :Begun: February 1785 :Launched: 23 February 1786 :Completed: January 1787 :Fate: captured by British Navy off Cherbourg on 18 October 1793, and added to the British Navy. * ''Modeste'' :Builder:

:Ordered: :Begun: February 1785 :Launched: 18 March 1786 :Completed: January 1787 :Fate: captured by British Navy at Genoa on 7 October 1793, and added to the British Navy. * ''Sensible'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 23 January 1786 :Begun: February 1786 :Launched: 29 August 1787 :Completed: March 1788 :Fate: captured by British Navy off Malta on 28 June 1798, and added to the British Navy. * ''Topaze'' :Builder:

:Ordered: 14 March 1789 :Begun: August 1789 :Launched: 26 September 1790 :Completed: February 1791 :Fate: captured by British Navy at Toulon on 29 August 1793, and added to the British Navy. * ''Artémise'' :Builder:

:Ordered: :Begun: end 1791 :Launched: 25 September 1794 :Completed: November 1794 :Fate: sunk at the Battle of Aboukir on 2 August 1798

References

* Winfield, Rif and Roberts, Stephen (2015), '' French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786-1861: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates''. Seaforth Publishing. . * Winfield, Rif (2008) ''

British Warships in the Age of Sail ''British Warships in the Age of Sail'' is a series of four books by maritime historian Rif Winfield comprising a historical reference work providing details of all recorded ships that served or were intended to serve in the (British) Royal Navy ...

, 1714-1792: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates''. Seaforth Publishing. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Magicienne Class Frigate Frigate classes