| Career (France) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Alerte |
| Builder: | Rochefort |
| Laid down: | 1786 |
| Launched: | 20 April 1787 |
| Captured: | 28 August 1793 |
| Career (UK) | |
| Name: | HMS Alerte |
| Acquired: | 28 August 1793 |
| Fate: | Burnt, 18 December 1793 |
| Career (France) | |
| Name: | Alerte |
| Acquired: | by salvage, 28 December 1793 |
| Captured: | 17 June 1799 |
| Career (UK) | |
| Name: | HMS Minorca |
| Namesake: | Minorca |
| Acquired: | 17 June 1799 |
| Commissioned: | August 1800 |
| Out of service: | April 1802 |
| Honours and awards: |
Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt"[1] |
| Fate: | Sold, 1802 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Brig |
| Tonnage: | 248 (bm) |
| Length: | 85 ft 0 in (25.91 m) (overall); 70 ft 1 in (21.36 m) (keel) |
| Beam: | 26 ft 7 in (8.10 m) |
| Depth of hold: | 10 ft 0 in (3.05 m) |
| Armament: | 10-16 guns |
The French brig Alerte was launched in 1787 and captured by the Royal Navy at Toulon in 1793. The British set her on fire when they evacuated Toulon later that year. After the French rebuilt her as Alerte, she served at the Battle of Aboukir Bay. The British recaptured her in 1799 and took her into service as Minorca. Minorca was sold in 1802.
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Alerte was built at Rochefort and designed as an aviso. Hubert Pennevert completed here as a bric.[2] She was commissioned as a brig of 10 guns. In 1790 she was under the command of Commandant D'Aujard in the Levant.[3]
On 28 August 1793, the British occupied Toulon. Alerte was among the many vessels they seized. The British may have renamed her HMS Vigilante.[3][Note 1] In September she was under the command of Commander William Edge.[2]
The Siege of Toulon went badly for the Royalist, Spanish and British forces and they were forced to quit the city on 18 December. As they did so, they set fire to the "Frigate Alerte", of "16 guns" and "in want of repairs".[4]
Alerte burned to her waterline, but the French were able to rebuild her. On 1 August 1798 she was at the battle of Aboukir Bay (Battle of the Nile).
Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys D'Aigalliers hoped to lure the British fleet onto the shoals at Aboukir Island, sending the brigs Alerte and Railleur to act as decoys in the shallow waters, but the plan failed.[5] Then, as the British fleet approached, Brueys sent Alerte ahead, passing close to the leading British ships and then steering sharply to the west over the shoal in the hope that the ships of the line might follow and become grounded.[6] None of Nelson's captains fell for the ruse and the British fleet continued undeterred.[7]
After the French defeat, Alerte left Alexandria in the squadron under Contre-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée, consisting of the 40-gun Junon, 36-gun Alceste, 32-gun Courageuse, 18-gun Salamine and Alerte. The squadron then took shelter in Genoa.[3]
On 17 June 1799 the squadron, still under Perrée, while enroute from Jaffa for Toulon, ran into a British squadron under the command of Captain John Markham of Centaur.[3] The British captured the entire French squadron, with Captain capturing Alerte. Markham described Alerte as a brig of 14 guns and 120 men, under the command of Lieutenant Dumay.[8]
The British took Alerte into service as Minorca. They commissioned her in August 1800 under Commander George Miller.[2] On 26 January Foudroyant was in company with Minorca and Queen Charlotte when she recaptured the Ragusean brig Annonciata, Michele Pepi, master.[9]
Minorca served with the British blockade of Malta. Between 29-31 March Minorca played an important role in the capture of the French ship of the line Guillaume-Tell by sailing to bring up ships of the blockading squadron while the frigate HMS Penelope harried her.
Minorca was among the many ships that shared in the proceeds of the capture of the French frigate Dianne on 25 August.[10] On 16 February 1801 she captured the Turenne, J. Imbert, master,[11] or the Furienne.[12][Note 2] Turenne or Furienne was a French xebec of six guns and a crew of 38 men. She had 1200 stand of arms on board and had been sailing from Leghorn to Alexandria.[12]
In March Minorca returned to Aboukir Bay. She was part of Admiral Keith's naval force at the British expedition to Egypt. Here she was among the vessels moored as near as possible to the beach, with their broadsides towards it to support the landing of the troops.[14] In 1847 the Admiralty authorized the award of the Naval General Service medal with clasp "Egypt" to all claimants from vessels that had been present between March and September. Minorca was among the vessels listed as qualifying.
Minorca was paid off in April 1802. She was sold later that year.[2]
This article includes data released under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported UK: England & Wales License, by the National Maritime Museum, as part of the Warship Histories project