''Aréthuse'', launched in April 1798, was the name-ship of the eponymous s of the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

. captured her in 1799. The

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

took her into service under the name HMS ''Raven''. She was wrecked in 1804.

French service

Jean-François Gauthier designed her and she was the only vessel of her class. She carried only 18 cannon, though she was designed for 20. ''Aréthuse'' served between France and the Caribbean. On 9 October 1799 she was under the command of ''lieutenant de vaisseau''

Emmanuel Halgan Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Halgan (31 December 1771 – 20 April 1852) was a French Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial and departmental heads of Martinique, governor of Martinique from 1834 to 1836. ...

on her way from

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

for Cayenne with dispatches. She was sailing towards and her convoy when the 74-gun ''Excellent'', which was to windward of ''Impregnable'', spotted her. ''Excellent'' chased ''Aréthuse'', catching her during the night. Captain Robert Stopford of ''Excellent'' described ''Aréthuse'' as having eighteen 9-pounder guns and a crew of 153 men, all under the command of a ''lieutenant de vaisseau''. She was sailing from Lorient to Cayenne with dispatches that she succeeded in destroying before she

struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Struck Adolf Hermann Struck (1877–1911) was a German sightseer and writer. He is known for his Travel literature, travelogue ''Makedonische Fahrten'' and for surveying the ...

. ''Excellent'' shared the capture with ''Impregnable''.

British service

''Aréthuse'' arrived in Plymouth on 26 November 1799. Four hundred French prisoners from ''Aréthuse'' and ''Bourdelaise'' had landed there two days earlier.''Naval Chronicle'', Vol. 2, p.542. ( ''Revolutionnaire'' had captured ''Bordelais'' on 11 October.) ''Aréthuse'' was fitted for service with the Royal Navy between September and December 1800. She was commissioned in September 1800 under Commander James Sanders for the Channel. She was recommissioned in June 1802 under Commander Spelman Swaine, and in August sailed for the Mediterranean.

Fate

On 4 January 1804 ''Raven'' sailed from Malta as escort to the merchant ship ''Dolphin'', bound for Naples. She was following a course along the south coast of Sicily that would take her between the islands of

Favignana Favignana () is a ''comune'' including three islands (Favignana, Marettimo and Levanzo) of the Aegadian Islands, southern Italy. It is situated approximately west of the coast of Sicily, between Trapani and Marsala, the coastal area where the ...

and Marettimo. In the evening of the next day

master's mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the British Royal Navy, Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the sailing master, master. Master's mates evolved into th ...

Robert Incledon had the watch and saw a light shape in the moonless night. He thought it was a sail but it turned out to be a tower on the cliffs near Mazari, on the south west coast of Sicily. At 11pm she ran aground. Despite efforts to lighten and free her, efforts that extended into the afternoon of 6 January, the pumps were unable to clear the water that was coming in and she had to be abandoned. ''Dolphin'' rescued her crew. The court martial on 10 February 1805 admonished the master for having steered too near the land.

Notes

Citations

References

Les bâtiments ayant porté le nom dAréthuse''
netmarine.net * * * Roche, Jean-Michel (2005) ''Dictionnaire des Bâtiments de la Flotte de Guerre Française de Colbert à nos Jours.'' (Group Retozel-Maury Millau). * *

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aréthuse (1798) Age of Sail corvettes of France Ships built in France 1798 ships Captured ships Maritime incidents in 1804 Shipwrecks of Italy Shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea