Prévoyante (1793)

''Prévoyante'' was the second of two flûtes (supply or store ships) built to a design by Raymond-Antoine Haran. She was launched in May 1793 at Bayonne. The British frigates and captured ''Prévoyante'' in 1795 and the British took her into the Royal Navy after first converting her to a fifth rate. She served as a frigate until 1800, when she underwent reconversion back to a store ship. As a store ship she sailed to the Mediterranean, Cape of Good Hope, and Quebec. She was sold for breaking up in July 1819.

French career and capture

In late 1794, Admiral Jervis signed a safe-conduct pass for ''Prevoyante'' so that she could repatriate British prisoners of war.

On 2 May 1795 Rear Admiral George Murray sent Captain Alexander Cochrane in ''Thetis'', together with ''Hussar'', to intercept three French supply ships reported at Hampton Roads. At daybreak on 17 May the British came upon five ships 20 leagues West by South from Cape Henry. The French made a line of battle to receive the British frigates. An action commenced, with three of the French vessels eventually striking their colours. ''Thetis'' took possession of the largest, which turned out to be ''Prévoyante'', pierced for 36 guns but only mounting 24. ''Hussar'' captured a second, ''Raison'', pierced for 24 guns but only mounting 18. One of the vessels that had struck nonetheless sailed off. Two of the five had broken off the fight and sailed off earlier. (The three that escaped were ''Normand'', ''Trajan'', and ''Hernoux''.) An hour after she had struck, ''Prévoyante''s main and foremast fell over the side. In the battle, ''Thetis'' had lost eight men killed and nine wounded; ''Hussar'' had only two men wounded.

Four of the French ships had escaped from Guadeloupe on 25 April. They had sailed to American ports to gather provisions and naval stores to bring back to France.

Cochrane had intended to leave the prizes in charge of the cutter ''Prince Edward'' after repairing the damage to his vessel during the night. However, a breeze picked up and by morning the escaping French vessels were out of sight. The British sailed with their prizes to Halifax.

British frigate

Admiral Murray commissioned ''Prevoyante'' under Captain John Poo Beresford, who had been captain of ''Hussar''. He proceeded to pay for some of her fitting out from his own pocket. They also took into service. While on the Halifax station, ''Hussar'', Captain Charles Wemyss, and ''Prevoyante'' captured the ship ''Minerva'' on 10 May 1796. Six or so months after Beresford had assumed command, the Admiralty appointed him to ''Raison'' and Charles Wemyss to ''Prevoyante''.Ralfe (1820), pp.100-101. Then Beresford apparently returned to command of ''Prevoyante'' as he was in command when ''Prevoyante'' captured the ship ''Argus'' on 7 August 1797.

In October 1797 Wemyss replaced Beresford on ''Prevoyante'', On 9 November 1798 ''Prevoyante'' captured the brig ''Norge''.

In January 1799, Captain J. Seater replaced Wemyss. On 16 May, ''Prevoyante'' captured the schooner ''Caroline''.

''Prevoyante'' was among the many British vessels that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French frigate ''Désirée'', which HMS ''Dart'', under Patrick Campbell, captured on 8 July 1800 in the Raid on Dunkirk.

''Prevoyante'' was serving on the North Sea station when she shared in the seizure of the 40-gun Danish frigate ''Freya'' on 25 July 1800 off Ostend. The seizure of the ''Freya'' for opposing the British right of search led to strained relations with Denmark. The British government had to dispatch Lord Charles Whitworth to Copenhagen, with a substantial Royal Navy escort, to convince the Danes to drop the matter. This incident and another in Malta ultimately led in the next year to the British capturing Copenhagen. At the capitulation the British again captured ''Freya'', which they then added to the Royal Navy as .

British store ship

On 10 September 1800 ''Prevoyante'' arrived as Sheerness. Between October and May 1801 she was at Sheerness and Deptford fitting out as a store ship.

In 1803 she was at Woolwich under the command of Mr. William Brown, Master. On 25 April she arrived at Plymouth with a cargo of hemp and iron intended for the dockyards. She had left Malta about a month earlier. On the leg from Gibraltar, ''Prevoyante'' was in company with and when they sighted two French ships of the line off Cape St. Vincent. The French ships veered off rather than engage the British vessels.

On 10 December 1804, ''Prevoyante'' was under the command of Mr. Daniel M'Coy when she was in company with when ''Defence'' captured the Spanish vessel "''Detipente''". ''Defence'', ''Prevoyante'', and ''Guerrier'' shared in the capture of the Spanish ship ''Diligente'' on 30 December.

''Prevoyante'' shared with and in the proceeds from the capture on 11 June 1805 of the Prussian ship ''Edward''. The proceeds were forwarded from Gibraltar.

''Prevoyante'', still under Mr. M'Coy's command, sailed for the Cape of Good Hope on 30 August 1806. She then sailed for the Mediterranean on 28 June 1807.

She underwent repair between May 1811 and May 1812. In 1813 her master was Mr. Stephen Trounce. His replacement, in September 1814, was Mr. Thomas Stokes.

On 15 January 1815 and left Rio de Janeiro, escorting a convoy that included the storeships ''Prevoyante'' and , and seven merchantmen. They left
Pernambuco on 6 March.

In 1817 she was at Quebec.

Fate

''Prevoyante'' was offered for sale at Chatham on 22 July 1819. She was sold that day to Beech & Co. for £3,000 for breaking up.

Notes

Citations

References

*
*Ralfe, James (1820) ''The naval chronology of Great Britain; or, An historical account of naval and maritime events from the commencement of the war in 1803 to the end of the year 1816''. (Whitmore and Fenn).
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Prevoyante (1793)
Captured ships
1793 ships
Frigates of the Royal Navy
Ships built in France