French frigate Hébé (1782)
.jpg) Proserpine, sister-ship of Hébé | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Kingdom of France
| |
| Name: | Hébé |
| Namesake: | Hebe |
| Builder: | Saint Malo[1] |
| Laid down: | December 1781 [1] |
| Launched: | 25 June 1782 [1] |
| Commissioned: | August 1782 [1] |
| Fate: | Captured by the Royal Navy in the Action of 4 September 1782 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Hébé-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 700 tonnes |
| Length: | 46.3 m (152 ft) |
| Beam: | 11.9 m (39 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.5 m (18 ft) |
| Complement: | 297 |
| Armament: |
|
Hébé was an 38-gun of the French Navy, lead ship of the Hébé-class frigate.
Career
Soon after her commissioning under Captain de Vigny, Hébé was tasked to escort a convoy from Saint Malo to Brest and protect shipping from the depredations of the British Royal Navy in the context of the Anglo-French War. [1]
On 3 September 1782, she was chased by the frigate HMS Rainbow, whose 32-pounder chase guns shot away her wheel, allowing the British to catch on and leading to the Action of 4 September 1782. In the ensuing battle, Rainbow devastated Hébé at close range with her newly-introduced carronades. Sustaining severe damage and losses among his crew, Vigny, mistaking Rainbow for a disguised ship of the line and his collapsed foremast preventing him from manoeuvering effectively, struck his colours.
Hébé was taken in British served first as HMS Hebe, and later renamed HMS Blonde. She was eventually broken up in 1811.[1]
Notes, citations, and references
- Notes
- Citations
- References
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours 1 1671 - 1870. p. 238. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.