French ship Experiment (1779)

Experiment was a 50-gun ship of the line of the British Royal Navy. Captured by Sagittaire during the War of American Independence, she was recommissioned in the French Navy, where she served into the 1800s.[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Experiment.

Painting of a model of Experiment, by Joseph Marshall
History
Great Britain
NameHMS Experiment
BuilderDeptford [1]
Laid downDecember 1772 [1]
Launched23 August 1774 [1]
France
NameExperiment
Commissioned24 September 1779 [1]
Captured1805
General characteristics
Type50-gun ship of the line
Tons burthen700 tonnes [1]
Length44.2 metres [1]
Beam11.7 metres [1]
Draught7.5 metres [1]
Armament44 to 50 guns [1]

British service
Experiment attended the British attack on Rhode Island, 8 December 1776, by Irwin John Bevan

On 8 January, 1778, under the command of Captain Sir James Wallace, she captured merchant sloop Morning Star approximately 475 miles off Cape Henlopen.[2] On 11 January she captured Danish flagged schooner Willing Maid 294 miles off Cape Henlopen sailing to North Carolina from Curacao.[3] On 13 January, 1778 she captured brigantine Sally approximately 160 miles off Cape Henlopen.[4] On 14 January, 1778 she captured Dutch ship Vrouw Margaretta 130 miles off Cape Henlopen.[5] On 11 May 1778, still Captained by Sir James Wallace, she captured New Hampshire Privateer "Portsmouth" off Chedabucto Head, Nova Scotia.[6] On 28 May 1778 she captured the 16 gun Massachusetts privateer brig "Wexford" near Cape Sable Island ((43°10′N 65°00′W)).[7] She captured 3 prizes off Cape Henry in January, 1779.[8]

When the French attempted to invade Jersey in 1779, Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot, who had left Spithead with a squadron escorting a convoy en route to North America, sent the convoy in to Torbay and proceeded to the relief of Jersey with his ships. However, when he arrived he found that Captain Ford of HMS Unicorn had the situation well in hand.[9] The French flotilla retreated to Saint-Malo, but then anchored at Coutances.

HMS Experiment in the action of 13 May 1779

A British squadron under Wallace in Experiment attacked the French in the action of 13 May 1779 in Cancale Bay. The British managed to set Valeur (6 guns), Écluse (8), and Guêpe (6) on fire, though the French were able to salvage Ecluse and Guêpe after the British withdrew. The British also captured the 32-gun frigate Danae along with a brig, and a sloop.[10][11][lower-alpha 1]

French service

On 23 September,[13] Sagittaire captured the 50-gun HMS Experiment, which carried 118,819 piastres. Experiment was coppered and had excellent nautical qualities.[14] In late 1779, she returned to Toulon, along with Sagittaire.[15]

In 1780, Experiment was captained by Martelly Chautard.[16] On 1 May 1780, she departed Marseille, escorting 33 merchantmen to Saint-Pierre de la Martinique. She arrived on 16 June and joined a squadron under Bouillé. She then took part in the Invasion of Tobago in June 1781.[17]

In early September 1781, she was part of a division stationed off James River and York River to secure communications channels between Grasse's squadron and Saint-Simon's expeditionary corps, along with Glorieux, Triton and Vaillant, and the frigates Andromaque and Diligente.[18]

In early 1782, command of Experiment went to Charles de Médine.[lower-alpha 2][19] In March 1782, Médine transferred to Réfléchi and Experiment was under Fleuriot de Langle, with La Monneraye as first officer.[20][19]

In March, Experiment departed France to join the French squadron off Rhode Island, along with Sagittaire, under Montluc de la Bourdonnaye. In April 1782, De Grasse sent them to escort a convoy and put them out of danger from Hood's squadron.[21]

In 1786, Experiment cruised off Africa with Pandour, Boulonnaise and Rossignol.[1]

In 1794, Experiment was razéed into a frigate.[1] In September 1794, under Lieutenant Arnaud, she was part of a division also comprising Vigilance, Félicité, Épervier, and Mutine, cruising the West African coast, destroying British factories and shipping.[22] Among many other vessels they captured two Sierra Leone Company vessels, Harpy and Thornton, Sayford, master. They retained Harpy but destroyed Thornton. In August or December, Experiment captured a ship, possibly Princess Royal.[1]

Fate

Experiment was used as a horse transport from December 1797, and hulked in Rochefort on 23 August 1802.[1]

Notes
  1. Other vessels in the squadron consisted of the armed ship HMS Leith, the sloops HMS Cygnet, Fortune, and Wasp, and the cutter True Briton.[10] The hired armed ship Heart of Oak apparently was present in some capacity both at the relief and the subsequent action.[12]
  2. Either from late January or from February.[19]

Citations
  1. Roche (2005), p. 190.
  2. "Naval Documents of the American Revolution" (PDF). US Government Printing Office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  3. "Naval Documents of the American Revolution" (PDF). US Government Printing Office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  4. "Naval Documents of the American Revolution" (PDF). US Government Printing Office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  5. "Naval Documents of The American Revolution Volume 11 AMERICAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778 EUROPEAN THEATRE: Jan. 1, 1778–Mar. 31, 1778" (PDF). U.S. Government printing office via Imbiblio. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  6. "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  7. "NAVAL DOCUMENTS OF The American Revolution" (PDF). history.navy.mil. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  8. "The Maritime War: The Revolutionary War in Princess Anne County" (PDF). vbgov.com. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  9. "No. 11976". The London Gazette. 4 May 1779. pp. 2–3.
  10. "No. 12100". The London Gazette. 11 July 1780. p. 4.
  11. Clowes et al. (1899), p.25.
  12. "NMM, vessel ID 368348" (PDF). Warship Histories, vol i. National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 August 2011. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
  13. Roche (2005), p. 392.
  14. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 223.
  15. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 227.
  16. La Monneraye (1998), p. 190.
  17. Contenson (1934), p. 221.
  18. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 405.
  19. La Monneraye (1998), p. 183.
  20. La Monneraye (1998), p. 27.
  21. Lacour-Gayet (1910), p. 428.
  22. Lloyd's List 10 February 1795, №2689.

References
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