French frigate Diane (1796)
| Career (France) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | Diane |
| Namesake: | Diana |
| Builder: | Toulon |
| Laid down: | July 1794 |
| Launched: | 10 February 1796 |
| In service: | March 1796 |
| Captured: | 27 August 1800 |
| Career (UK) |  |
| Name: | HMS Niobe |
| Namesake: | Niobe |
| Acquired: | 27 August 1800 by capture |
| Fate: | Broken up in 1816 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,466 tons (French) |
| Tons burthen: | 1,142 15⁄94 (bm) |
| Length: | 47.6 m (156 ft) |
| Beam: | 12 m (39 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.7 m (19 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Sail |
| Armament: | 38 to 44 guns |
| Armour: | Timber |
The Diane was a 38-gun frigate of the French Navy.
She took part in the Battle of the Nile, managing to escape to Malta with the Justice.
In 1800, as she tried to escape from Malta, HMS Success, HMS Northumberland, and HMS Genereux captured her. At the time she had only 114 men on board,[1] having left the remainder at Malta to assist in its defense.[2]
She was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Niobe.[3]
On 28 March 1806,[4][5] Niobe captured the 16-gun Néarque off Groix, which had just separated from Leduc's division.
On 13 November 1810, off Le Havre along with Diana, Niobe sighted the 40-gun Amazone and the 44-gun Elisa. HMS Donegal and HMS Revenge joined the chase, attacking the French squadron when it was anchored at Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue at the Action of 15 November 1810. Eventually, the Elisa was wrecked near La Hougue, while the Amazone escaped to Le Havre. Four months later at the Action of 24 March 1811, Niobe participated in the destruction of the French frigate Amazone near the Phare de Gatteville lighthouse, Normandy.[6]
On 24 March 1811, she sailed with a squadron comprising HMS Berwick, Amelia, Goshawk, and Hawk again chased Amazone, which they trapped near Barfleur. Her crew scuttled Amazone to prevent her capture.
Fate
HMS Niobe was eventually sold on 31 July 1816.[3]
References
- ↑ Winfield and Roberts (2015 forthcoming), Chap. 5.
- ↑ You must specify issue=, startpage=, and date= when using {{London Gazette}}. Available parameters:
{{London Gazette |issue= |date= |startpage= |endpage= |supp= |city= |accessdate= |nolink= |separator= |ps= }} - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Winfield (2008), p. 164.
- ↑ Troude, p.436
- ↑ Roche, p.323
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 16469. p. 573. 26 March 1811.
External links
- Naval Database
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
- Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French) 3. Challamel ainé.
- Winfield, Rif (2008). British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth. ISBN 1-86176-246-1.
- Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015 Forthcoming) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1862: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. (Seaforth Publishing). ISBN 9781848322042