This one is the GHQ 40-gun French Frigate modeled as HMS Révolutionnaire of 36-guns. Révolutionnaire was a Seine-class 40-gun French frigate launched in May of 1794. She was capture October 21st 1794, on her maiden voyage, by the 38-gun frigate HMS Artois, part of a four frigate British squadron cruising eight to ten leagues west of Ushant. She was taken into Royal service as a 36-gun 18 pounder frigate.
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| Révolutionnaire |
As part of a squadron commanded by Sir Edward Pellew in HMS Indefatigable, she took part in the capture and sinking of nine merchant vessels from March 11 to 21, 1796. On 12 April she captured the French frigate Unité. On May 30th 1799, she captured the French privateer Victoire, with 16 x 9 pounder guns and 160 men, after an eight hour chase. on May 29th she captured the French letter of marque brig Hyppolite. On July 7th HMS Dryad, Diamond, and Révolutionnairé captured the French privateer Determiné, armed with 18 brass 18 and 9 pounder guns along with 163 men. Then on September 19th, along with Dryad, she captured another French letter of marque Ceres, enroute from Bordeux to the Caribbean. On October 11th, after a 114 mile chase over nine and a half hours in a heavy gale, she captured the Bourdelaise with 16 x 12 pounder guns and 8 x 36 pound carronades, along with 202 men. on March 4th 1800 Révolutionnaire captured the new French privateer Coureur. In doing so she freed the Captain and most of the crew of HMS Princess Royal, which the privateer had captured earlier while sailing for Tortola.
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| HMS_Révolutionnaire-Antoine_Roux |
British service during the Napoleonic War (the following is from Wikapedia):
Révolutionnaire was recommissioned in April 1803 under the command of Captain Walter Lock. On 20 May 1803, Révolutionnaire captured the French dogger Grand Adrian (or Grand Adrien). Two days later Révolutionnaire and Nemesis captured Alexander. The next day Révolutionnaire captured Windboud.
Lock then sailed Révolutionnaire to Gibraltar on 5 June. Eight days later, Révolutionnaire captured the French merchant vessel Hirondelle. In August, Captain Robert Hall took command for the Channel. On 16 October 1803, Révolutionnaire captured the French sloop Sophia, of eight men. Then on 1 December Révolutionnaire captured the French schooners Ceres, and her crew of 76 men, and Marian, in ballast. As the size of her crew makes clear, Ceres was a privateer. Two days later Révolutionnaire recaptured the American brig Tartar. In December, Révolutionnaire returned to Britain from the West Indies.
In April 1804 Révolutionnaire was recommissioned under Captain the Honourable Henry Hotham. By November she was off the coast of the United States and stopped in at Norfolk, Virginia. Then she sailed up to New York where she picked up $750,000 in gold to take back to Britain. Hotham would have received a commission of about 1% of the value for carrying the money.
On 1 and 4 July 1805, vessels in a squadron captured Harmony and Rachael. Révolutionnaire was one of the 39 vessels that shared in the prize money.
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| Révolutionnaire |
On 4 November 1805, Révolutionnaire, participated in the Battle of Cape Ortegal. She and Phoenix captured Scipion, which the Royal Navy commissioned as HMS Scipion. In the battle, Révolutionnaire lost two men killed and six wounded. Révolutionnaire shared in the prize money for Formidable, Duguay Trouin and Mont Blanc, as well as Scipion. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "4 Novr. 1805" to all surviving claimants form the battle.
In February 1806 Captain Charles Fielding took command as Révolutionnaire served in the Channel.
Révolutionnaire shared with Hero, Iris, and Confiance in the proceeds from the recapture on 11 January 1807 of the schooner Monarch. On 25 September she shared with Pomone in the capture of the Danish ship Resolution.
Then between October 1811 and December 1812 she underwent a major overhaul at Plymouth. She was recommissioned in October 1812 under Captain John Woolcombe (or Woollcombe). At some point Révolutionnaire sailed to North America.
Révolutionnaire recaptured Ajax, M'Kay, master, and sent her into Plymouth, where she arrived on 12 May 2013. Ajax had been sailing from Aberdeen to St Croix when the American privateer General Tompkins, of fourteen 18-pounder guns and 109 men, had captured her on 31 March.
On 25 July 1813, Révolutionnaire captured the American privateer schooner Matilda, of 190 tons. She was pierced for 18 guns but carried 11. Lion had captured Matilda in a severe action off the coast of Brazil, but the American privateer Argus, or by other accounts, the USS Argus had recaptured her. Matilda reached Plymouth on 29 July.
Already by August 1813, Révolutionnaire was part of a squadron under the command of Captain Sir George Collier. On 27 August the boats of the squadron made a successful attack on the island of Santa Clara, at the mouth of the harbour of Saint Sebastian. Révolutionnaire suffered no casualties. She then provided seamen to man a battery of 24-pounder guns from Surveillante hauled up to the top of the island. The battery then silenced the enemy's guns. In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "St. Sebastian" to all claimants from Collier's naval operations in the region in August and September.
On 20 October Révolutionnaire captured Fire Fly. Then on 5 November Révolutionnaire recaptured the Gaditana.
On the last day of 1813, Révolutionnaire sailed with a convoy for the East Indies. She and Zebra were in Simon's Bay on 28 July 1816 where they were stranded and almost destroyed by a terrible hurricane. On 6 October she reached St. Helena and on 13 October she sailed for Britain.
Post War and Fate:
In early 1817 Révolutionnaire underwent repairs at Plymouth. She was then fitted for sea between August 1818 and January 1819. She was commissioned under Captain Fleetwood Pellew Révolutionnaire in August 1818 for the Mediterranean.
At midnight or so on 16 December Vengeur, which was carrying the king of Naples, was under full sail when she ran into the side of Révolutionnaire. Fortunately the impact was oblique, not perpendicular, or Révolutionnaire would have been sunk. As it was, both vessels were badly damaged and had to put into the Bay of Baia for repairs.
On 18 May 1821 Révolutionnaire captured two piratical gun-boats, with bounty money for the crews being paid in 1834. Pellew remained in command until 1822.
Révolutionnaire was briefly under the command of Captain Henry Duncan, but was broken up on 4 October 1822.
The model:
