Incomplete plan 1811 by Edward Sison, Master Shipwright, Woolwich Dockyard, National Maritime Museum
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History | |
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France | |
Name | Diligente |
Builder | Brest Dockyard[1] |
Laid down | June 1793 |
Launched | 17 January 1794[1] |
Captured | June 1800 |
Great Britain | |
Name | HMS Diligente |
Acquired | June 1800 by capture |
Fate | Sold August 1814 |
General characteristics [1] | |
Displacement | 461 tons (French) |
Tons burthen | 348+14⁄94 (by calc.) (bm) |
Length | 31.75 m (104.2 ft) (overall) |
Beam | 8.31 m (27.3 ft) |
Depth of hold | 4.17 m (13.7 ft) |
Complement | French service:187 (130 at capture) |
Armament |
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Diligente was a French Navy Naïade-class corvette, launched in 1794 as a brig. HMS Crescent captured her in the Antilles in 1800. The British took her into service as a 14-gun transport and sold her in 1814.
Diligente was a sister ship to Naïade. They were built to a plan by Pierre-Agustin Lamothe. The Royal Navy captured Naïade in 1806 and took her into service as HMS Melville; she was sold for breaking up in 1811.
Between 30 Mar 1794 and 29 May, Diligente was under the command of lieutenant de vaisseau Lacouture. Then from 9 June to 15 December Diligente was under the command of lieutenant de vaisseau Noguez. Under these lieutenants' command, Diligente conducted a cruise into the Bay of Biscay, returning to Lorient, visited Brest, cruised into the Atlantic, escorted a convoy to the Île-d'Aix roads, cruised the region around the Azores and returned to Brest, and escorted a convoy from Camaret to Saint-Malo.[2]
Between 18 March 1795 and 25 July Diligente was in Saint-Malo roads, cruised in the bay of Saint-Brieuc and bay of Granville, and returned to Saint Malo.[2]
Around 17 July 1797, Diligente escorted a convoy from Mindin (opposite Saint-Nazaire) to Larmor, while still under Noguez's command, who had by then been promoted to capitaine de frégate.[2]
Quasi War:On 6 September, 1799, under command of "Citizen" Du Bois, she captured American merchantman "America" at (28°00′N 35°00′W / 28.000°N 35.000°W) in the Atlantic Ocean.[3] War of Knives and Quasi War:Shortly after 3 December, 1799 she encountered USS Boston , but no action took place as she was convoying troops of General Toussaint for the Haitian Revolution, seemingly carrying a US pass.[4] Anchored at Cape Nicola, St Domingo on 7 December, 1799.[5]
In July 1800 the frigate HMS Crescent captured Diligente, which was armed with twelve 12-pounder guns and had a crew of 130 men.[6] The Royal Navy took her into service as a 14-gun transport under her existing name.