| Career (France) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Gracieuse |
| Namesake: | Gracious |
| Builder: | Rochefort |
| Laid down: | November 1785 |
| Launched: | 18 March 1787 |
| Commissioned: | March 1788 |
| Captured: | 11 April 1796 |
| Career (United Kingdom) | |
| Name: | HMS Unite |
| Acquired: | 11 April 1796 |
| Fate: | Sold in 1802 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Charmante class frigate |
| Tons burthen: | 540 tonnes |
| Length: | 44.2 metres |
| Beam: | 11.2 metres |
| Draught: | 5.4 metres |
| Propulsion: | Sails |
| Sail plan: | Full rigged ship |
| Armament: |
26 12-pounder long guns |
The Gracieuse was a 32-gun Charmante class frigate of the French Navy. Renamed to Unité, she took part in the French Revolutionary Wars. She was captured by the Royal Navy in 1796 and brought into British service as HMS Unite.
Re-commissioned in Rochefort in April 1793 under Captain Chevillard, Gracieuse took part in the War in the Vendée, capturing the British privateer Ellis on 22 July 1795.
In September 1795 Gracieuse was renamed Unité.
In April 1796, she was again renamed, this time to Variante. She then undertook a crossing from Port Louis to Rochefort under commander Durand. On 13 April 1796 Indefatigable, under the command of Captain Sir Edward Pellew was in pursuit of a French frigate. Pellew signaled to his squadron mate HMS Révolutionnaire to sail to cut the frigate off from the shore. Revolutionnaire then captured Unite after having fired two broadsides into her. Unite had nine men killed and 11 wounded; Revolutionnaire had no casualties.[1] The Royal Navy took the frigate into service as HMS Unite.
She was then captained by Ralph Willett Miller and Sir Charles Rowley.
On 16 June 1812 boats from Unite, Orlando and Cerberus captured three vessels of from eighty to one hundred tons in the small port of Badisea, near Otranto.[2]
On 9 November 1812 Unite was in sight when Furieuse captured Nebrophonus.[3]