French frigate Régénérée (1794)
Encyclopedia
Régénérée was a 40-gun Cocarde class frigate
of the French Navy
. The British captured her in 1801 at the fall of Alexandria but never commissioned her. She was broken up in 1804.
, in a squadron under Sercey
.
On 26 April 1797 she captured the American ship Betsey and took her into Rochefort.
Between 24 and 27 April 1798, Régénérée and Vertu engaged the 32-gun sixth rate in an inconclusive action when Pearl had to pass between them before she could take refuge in St George's Bay, Sierra Leone. The action cost Pearl one man mortally wounded.
A second inconclusive action occurred on 27 July 1798 when Régénérée and Vertu engaged the 28-gun sixth rate in an inconclusive action off Tenerife that resulted in the British vessel losing three men killed and ten wounded before she could make her escape.
In early 1800, Régénérée left Rochefort with Africaine to ferry supplies to Alexandria
. At the Action of 19 February 1801
, HMS Phoebe
, under Captain Robert Barlow
, captured Africaine east of Gibraltar
. However, Régénérée managed to complete her mission, sailing into Alexandria on 2 March, having outwitted the British blockade. The day before she had passed through the British fleet answering signals and without arousing any suspicion, until at last she hoisted the French flag as she headed into the harbor.
She remained there during the siege
until the capitulation of Alexandria
on 2 September 1801. The British discovered the French warships Cause, Égyptienne, Justice and Régénérée, and two Venetian frigates in the harbour of Alexandria at the capitulation. The British and their Turkish allies agreed a division of the spoils. The British received Egyptienne, Régénérée and "Venetian No. 2", of 26 guns. Capitan Pacha (sic) received the 64-gun Cause, Justice, of 46 guns, and "Venetian No. 1", also of 26 guns. The Turks also received some Turkish corvettes that were in the harbour.
BibliographyWilson, Robert T. (1803) History of the British expedition to Egypt: to which is subjoined, a sketch ...
Wilson, John, and James Frederick Ferrier (1865) The Works of Professor Wilson of the University of Edinburgh: Essays critical and imaginative.
Cocarde class frigate
The Cocarde class was a class of three 40-gun/12-pounder frigates of the French Navy. They were designed by Pierre Duhamel in 1793.* Cocarde NationaleThe Cocarde class was a class of three 40-gun/12-pounder frigates of the French Navy...
of the French Navy
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
. The British captured her in 1801 at the fall of Alexandria but never commissioned her. She was broken up in 1804.
Service
In 1796, she was commanded by captain WillaumezJean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez was a French sailor and admiral of the First French Empire....
, in a squadron under Sercey
Pierre César Charles de Sercey
Pierre César Charles de Sercey was a French admiral, most notable for commanding French naval forces in the Indian Ocean from 1796 to 1800. His name is engraved on the Arc de triomphe.-Early life:...
.
On 26 April 1797 she captured the American ship Betsey and took her into Rochefort.
Between 24 and 27 April 1798, Régénérée and Vertu engaged the 32-gun sixth rate in an inconclusive action when Pearl had to pass between them before she could take refuge in St George's Bay, Sierra Leone. The action cost Pearl one man mortally wounded.
A second inconclusive action occurred on 27 July 1798 when Régénérée and Vertu engaged the 28-gun sixth rate in an inconclusive action off Tenerife that resulted in the British vessel losing three men killed and ten wounded before she could make her escape.
In early 1800, Régénérée left Rochefort with Africaine to ferry supplies to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
. At the Action of 19 February 1801
Action of 19 February 1801
The Action of 19 February 1801 was a minor naval battle fought off Ceuta in Spanish North Africa in February 1801 between a French Navy frigate and British Royal Navy frigate during the French Revolutionary Wars...
, HMS Phoebe
HMS Phoebe (1795)
HMS Phoebe was a 36-gun fifth rate of the British Royal Navy. She had a career of almost twenty years and fought in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812...
, under Captain Robert Barlow
Robert Barlow (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral Sir Robert Barlow GCB was a senior and distinguished officer of the British Royal Navy who saw extensive service in the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He made his name in small ship actions, especially fighting French frigates, or which...
, captured Africaine east of Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. However, Régénérée managed to complete her mission, sailing into Alexandria on 2 March, having outwitted the British blockade. The day before she had passed through the British fleet answering signals and without arousing any suspicion, until at last she hoisted the French flag as she headed into the harbor.
She remained there during the siege
Siege of Alexandria
The Siege of Alexandria was fought between 17 August and 2 September 1801, during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French and British forces and was the last action of the Egyptian Campaign. The French garrison at Alexandria surrendered on 2nd September...
until the capitulation of Alexandria
Capitulation of Alexandria (1801)
The Capitulation of Alexandria in August 1801 brought to an end the French expedition to Egypt.French troops, defeated by British and Ottoman forces, had retreated to Alexandria where they were besieged...
on 2 September 1801. The British discovered the French warships Cause, Égyptienne, Justice and Régénérée, and two Venetian frigates in the harbour of Alexandria at the capitulation. The British and their Turkish allies agreed a division of the spoils. The British received Egyptienne, Régénérée and "Venetian No. 2", of 26 guns. Capitan Pacha (sic) received the 64-gun Cause, Justice, of 46 guns, and "Venetian No. 1", also of 26 guns. The Turks also received some Turkish corvettes that were in the harbour.
Fate
She was then temporarily brought into Royal Navy service as HMS Alexandria. Captain Alexander Wilson, who had brought to Alexandria and who had commanded the port, took command of Alexandria and sailed her back to Britian. She arrived in Portsmouth on 1 April 1802 from Malta. She sailed on 8 April for Chatham were she was paid off; this was Wilson's last sea-going command. She was never commissioned and was broken up in 1804.Sources and references
CitationsBibliography
- Williams, Greg H. (2009)