French frigate Fine (1779)
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=Capture of La Nereide Decr 21st. 1797.jpg |Ship caption=Fine{{'}}s sister ship Néréide (right) in 1797 }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=France |Ship flag={{Shipboxflag|Kingdom of France|naval}} {{Shipboxflag|France|naval-1790}} {{Shipboxflag|France|naval}} |Ship name=Fine |Ship namesake=clever |Ship ordered= |Ship builder=Rochefort. Plans by Sané |Ship laid down=October 1778 {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}} |Ship launched=11 August 1779 {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}} |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned=October 1779 {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}} |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship renamed= |Ship captured= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship fate=Wrecked in Chesapeake Bay in November 1793 |Ship honours= |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= {{sfnp|Winfield|Roberts|2015|p=124}}{{sfnp|Winfield|2008|loc=chapter 5}} |Ship class=Sybille-class frigate |Ship tons burthen=892 {{small|{{frac|22|94}}}} (Builder's Old Measurement) |Ship displacement=1,100 tons (French) |Ship length=*{{convert|43.91|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (overall)
|Ship beam={{convert|11.21|m|ftin|abbr=on}} |Ship draught={{convert|5.36|m|ftin|abbr=on}} (laden) |Ship propulsion=Sail |Ship speed= |Ship range= |Ship endurance= |Ship test depth= |Ship boats= |Ship capacity= |Ship time to activate= |Ship complement=290 {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}} |Ship armament=
}} |
Fine was a {{sclass|Sibylle|frigate|0}} 32-gun, copper-hulled, frigate of the French Navy.
Career
On 4 December 1778, Fine departed Brest under Lieutenant Saint-Félix,{{sfnp|Caron|1996|p=454}} bound for the Cape of Good Hope and ultimately for Isle de France (Mauritius), carrying {{ill|Étienne Claude Chevreau|fr}} ,{{ill|Intendant des îles de France et de Bourbon|fr}}.{{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}}
= Indian Ocean campaign of the American Revolutionary War =
On 16 April 1781, she was part of Suffren's squadron at the Battle of Porto Praya, although she did not take part in the action. {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}} She took part in several actions in the Indian Ocean. In November 1781, Captain Périer de Salvert took command.{{sfnp|Caron|1996|p=24}} Fine was part of the French frigate screen at the Battle of Providien, where she collided with {{HMS|Isis|1774|6}} before unentangling herself, then ran aground, then caught fire, but managed to save herself.{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|pp=136-137}} In June, Fine captured the 24-gun storeship {{ship||Yarmouth|1782 ship|2}}, carrying rice, field artillery and nine British Army officers.{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=160}}
On 23 June, Fine captured the East Indiaman {{ship||Fortitude|1780 EIC ship|2}}.[http://searcharchives.bl.uk/IAMS_VU2:IAMS045-001115005 British Library: Fortitude (1).] When the French captured her they freed some eight men from {{ship|French ship|Artésien||2}}, who had been part of the French prize crew at the Battle of Porto Praya. Fine brought Fortitude to Cuddalore, where Suffren's squadron was anchored, arriving there on 29 June. {{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=162}}
On 14 July 1782,{{refn|{{harvnb|Cunat|1852|p=198}} suggests 7 July, while {{harvnb|Lacour-Gayet|1910|p=659}} says 14 July.|group=Note}} following the Battle of Negapatam, Suffren appointed La Corne to Fine,{{sfnp|Lacour-Gayet|1910|p=659}}{{sfnp|Caron|1996|p=454}}{{refn|Often spelt "La Cosne".{{sfnp|Caron|1996|p=454}}|group=Note}}{{sfnp|Oury|1990|p=70}}{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=198}} replacing Salvert whom he had promoted to {{ship|French ship|Flamand||2}}.{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=180}} On 28 July 1782, Fine joined Suffren's squadron at Bahour, where a diplomatic meeting with Hyder Ali was taking place. She was bringing as prize a British brig carrying a cargo of rice, as well as British colonel Horn, who was to take command of the Army of Thanjavur. {{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=192}} On 2 August 1782, Fine was at Tharangambadi with spare anchors for the squadron.{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=197}}
On 8 August, as the squadron was sailing for the oncoming Battle of Trincomalee, Fine collided with Héros, snapping Héros' bowsprit.{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=198}}{{refn|The incident occurred as the French squadron as passing Trincomalee harbour, where {{HMS|Sceptre|1781|6}} and {{HMS|Monmouth|1772|2}} were at anchor. Cunat conjectures that if the collision had not happened, he would have investigated the port, and probably destroyed or captured two of Hughes' best ships .{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=198}}|group=Note}}
On 23 September 1782,{{sfnp|Lacour-Gayet|1910|p=659}} L'Abbé de Saint-Georges took command of Fine.{{sfnp|Caron|1996|p=454}}
In January 1783, Fine was under Chevalier de Saint-Georges. She intercepted the East Indiaman Bland-Fort but engaged from too far away and wasted her ammunition in a futile attempt to stop her. Three days after, Fine was thus unable to engage two other Indiamen when they passed nearby. Bland-Fort would be captured on 12 January by M. d'Herly, captaining {{HMS|Coventry|1757|2}}, herself captured and recommissioned in the French Royal Navy that very day.{{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=256}}
= Later career =
On 5 February 1791, under Augustin Truguet (1753–1793),{{cite web |last1=Bergougniou |first1=Jean-Michel |title=Amiral mystère Laurent TRUGUET |url=https://envelopmer.blogspot.com/2018/12/amiral-mystere-laurent-truguet.html |access-date=22 April 2020 |date=22 December 2018}} she departed Brest, as part of a squadron bound for Martinique. {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}}
In October 1793, she departed for France. {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}}
Fate
Fine was wrecked in November 1793 in Chesapeake Bay. {{sfnp|Roche|2005|p=201}}
Notes
{{reflist|group=Note}}
Citations
{{Reflist|30em}}
References
- {{cite book |last1=Caron |first1=François |author-link1=François Caron (French Navy officer)|title=Le Mythe Suffren |date=1996 |publisher=Service historique de la Marine |location=Vincennes}}
- {{cite book |last1=Cunat |first1=Charles |author-link1=Charles Cunat|title=Histoire du Bailli de Suffren |date=1852 |publisher=A. Marteville et Lefas |location=Rennes |pages=447 |url=https://archive.org/details/histoiredubaill00torpgoog}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/chan/chan/series/pdf/Marine-B4.pdf|author=Archives nationales|access-date=29 April 2020|title=Fonds Marine, sous-série B/4: Campagnes, 1571-1785|year=2011}}
- {{cite book |last=Lacour-Gayet |first=Georges|author-link=Georges Lacour-Gayet|title=La marine militaire de la France sous le règne de Louis XVI |date=1910 |publisher=Honoré Champion |location=Paris |url=https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1181278}}
- {{cite RNB1823 |wstitle=Index |volume= |part= |page=}}
- {{cite journal |last1=Oury |first1=Guy-M. |date=1990 |title=Une famille canadienne dans la tourmente révolutionnaire : le Chevalier de la Corne |url=https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1015569ar |journal=Les Cahiers des dix |issue=45 |pages=67–94 |doi=10.7202/1015569ar |doi-access=free }}
- {{cite book |first=Jean-Michel |last=Roche |year=2005 |title=Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671 - 1870 |isbn=978-2-9525917-0-6 |oclc=165892922 |pages=325–6|publisher=Group Retozel-Maury Millau}}
- {{cite book |first=Rif|last=Winfield|title=British Warships in the Age of Sail 1793–1817: Design, Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth|year=2008|isbn=978-1-86176-246-7}}
- {{cite book |first1=Rif|last1=Winfield|first2=Stephen S |last2=Roberts |year=2015|title=French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=9781848322042}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fine (1779)}}
Category:Age of Sail frigates of France
Category:Ships built in France