USS ''Queen of France'' was a

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 ...

in the

Continental Navy The Continental Navy was the navy of the United States during the American Revolutionary War and was founded October 13, 1775. The fleet cumulatively became relatively substantial through the efforts of the Continental Navy's patron John Adams ...

. She was named for

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

. ''Queen of France'' was an old ship purchased in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1777 by American commissioners,

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

and

Silas Deane Silas Deane (September 23, 1789) was an American merchant, politician, and diplomat, and a supporter of American independence. Deane served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Continental Association, and then became the ...

, and fitted out as a 28-gun frigate. She was in

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...

by December 1778. In a squadron commanded by Captain

John Burroughs Hopkins John Burroughs Hopkins (July 25, 1742 – December 5, 1796) was a captain of the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Biography Hopkins was born in Newport, Rhode Island, the son of Continental navy commander-in-chief Esek ...

, ''Queen of France'', commanded by Captain

Joseph Olney Joseph Olney (1737, Rhode Island – 1814 Hudson, Columbia County, New York) was a native of Rhode Island and a leading naval officer during the American Revolution who was involved in the Raid of Nassau, Battle of Block Island and the Battle off ...

, departed Boston, Massachusetts 13 March 1779. She cruised along the Atlantic coast as far south as

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

to destroy small armed vessels operating out of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

to prey upon American shipping. Near dawn 6 April, some 16 miles east of

Cape Henry, Virginia Cape Henry is a cape (geography), cape on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to the long estuary of the Chesapeake ...

, they sighted

schooner A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...

''Hibernia'', a 10-gun

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 ...

, and took her after a short chase. At about the same time the next morning, the American warships saw a fleet of 9 sails and pursued them until catching their quarry that afternoon. Ship ''Jason'', mounting 20 guns and carrying 150 men, headed the list of seven prizes that day, including also ship ''Meriah'' — carrying 10 six pounders and richly laden with provisions and cavalry equipment —

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the ...

s ''Patriot'', ''Prince Ferdinand'', ''John'', and ''Batchelor'', and finally

''Chance''. Hopkins ordered his ships home with their prizes, and ''Queen of France'' reached Boston with ''Maria'', ''Hibernia'', and three brigs on the 20th. While ''Queen of France'' was in Boston, Captain

John Rathbun John Peck Rathbun (1746–1782) was an officer in the Continental Navy and in the United States Navy. Rathbun was from Rhode Island with family in Boston. Rathbun served in the Continental Navy from its late 1775 beginning as John Paul Jones First ...

relieved Capt. Olney in command of the frigate. She sailed 18 June with and . She fell in with the British Jamaica Fleet of some 150 ships near the

Grand Banks of Newfoundland The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a series of underwater plateaus south-east of the island of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. The Grand Banks are one of the world's richest fishing grounds, supporting Atlantic cod, swordf ...

about the middle of July. In the dense fog, the American warships pretended to be British frigates of the convoy’s escort and, sending boarding parties across by boats, quietly took possession of eleven prizes before slipping away at night. Three of the prizes were later recaptured, but the eight which reached Boston with the squadron late in August were sold for over a million dollars. ''Queen of France'' departed Boston with frigates and , and sloop ''Ranger'', on 23 November and cruised east of

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

. They took 12-gun privateer ''Dolphin'' on 5 December before arriving Charleston, on the 23rd. ''Queen of France'' was sunk at Charleston to avoid falling into British hands when that city surrendered 11 May 1780. As of 2022, no other ship has been named ''Queen of France''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Queen of France Ships of the Continental Navy Maritime incidents in 1780 Marie Antoinette