Capture of Néréide by HMS Phoebe, on 20 December 1797, Thomas Whitcombe, 1816, in the National Maritime Museum |
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| Career (France) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Néréide |
| Namesake: | Nereid |
| Builder: | Saint Malo, plans by Sané |
| Laid down: | October 1778 |
| Launched: | 31 May 1779 |
| Commissioned: | August 1779 |
| Fate: | captured on 20 December 1797 |
| Career (UK) | |
| Name: | HMS Nereide |
| Acquired: | 20 December 1797 |
| Captured: | 23 August 1810 |
| Fate: | captured |
| Career (France) | |
| Name: | Néréide |
| Acquired: | 23 August 1810 |
| Captured: | 3 December 1810 |
| Fate: | Broken up |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 600 tonnes |
| Length: | 43.9 metres |
| Beam: | 11.2 metres |
| Draught: | 5.4 metres |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Complement: | 260 |
| Armament: |
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| Armour: | Timber |
The Néréide was a Sybille class 32-gun, copper-hulled, frigate of the French Navy. On 22 December 1797 HMS Phoebe captured her and she was taken into British service as HMS Nereide. The French recaptured her at the Battle of Grand Port, only to lose her again when the British took Île de France in 1810. After the Battle of Grand Port she was in such a poor condition that she was broken up.
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On 6 June 1780, along with Zodiaque (74 guns), she captured a British privateer, the 10-gun cutter Prince of Wales off Madeira. She was part of the fleet of Lamotte-Picquet that sailed from Brest and on 2 May 1781 captured 18 ships in a convoy from Sint Eustatius. In 1782 she served in the Caribbean under Vaudreuil.
From 1788, she served off Africa.
After a refit in Rochefort in October 1794, she was sailing off the Isles of Scilly under the command of Lieutenant de Vaisseau Chassériau when she encountered Phoebe. After exchanging broadsides with Phoebe for about an hour and a half, Néréide struck. She had suffered 20 killed and 55 wounded; Phoebe had suffered three men killed and 10 wounded. Although the French vessel had a larger crew, she had a substantially smaller broadside and that told. She entered into British service as HMS Nereide.
In the morning of 1 March 1800, Nereide saw five sail and made towards them. They were five well-armed French privateers, but they scattered as she approached. Nereide lost sight of them until the next morning when she re-encountered one. After a pursuit of 12 hours and 123 miles, Nereide captured the French privateer Vengeance, pierced for 18 guns but carrying sixteen 12-pounders and 174 men. Vengeance had left Bordeaux on 26 February and then had joined the Bellona (twenty-four 12-pounder guns, six 36-pounder carronades, and 420 men), Favorite (sixteen 8-pounder guns and 120 men), Huron (sixteen 6-pounder guns and 187 men), and the schooner Terrailluse (fourteen 6-pounder guns and 80 men).[1]
The next day (3 March), Nereide recaptured the American ship Perseverance, of Baltimore, which was carrying a cargo valued at ₤30,000.[1] Then on 17 March Nereide recaptured the Lord Nelson.[2]
On 11 September Watkins sailed to Curaçao to forestall the French from taking it. Then on 13 September he took possession and signed the terms of capitulation on behalf of the British.[3]
On 25 November 1806 Nereide was under the command of Captain Robert Corbett when she captured the Spanish privateer Brilliante, a privateer lugger of four guns with a crew of 50. She was two days out of Vigo and provisioned for a cruise of four months. Corbett was particularly pleased at the capture as she had not yet captured anything, but there were several sail in sight when Nereide commenced her pursuit.[4]
In 1809, she served as convoy escort. In September, still under the command of Corbett, she played a critical part in the Raid on Saint Paul at Île Bourbon (now Réunion). There Nereide and the landing party captured the frigate Caroline, and recovered the East Indiamen Streatham and Europa, and the 14-gun Bombay Marine brig Grappler.[5] The British also captured some merchant vessels and destroyed several forts and batteries.
In March 1810, Nereide joined HMS Iphigenia, Leopard and Magicienne off Île de France (now Mauritius).
She took part in the Battle of Grand Port where she was severely battered and eventually captured.
She was surrendered in December 1810 when Île de France fell to the British. She was in such a bad shape that she was broken up.