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The ''Sémillante'' (French: "Shiny" or "Sparkling") was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was involved in a number of multi-vessel actions against the Royal Navy, particularly in the Indian Ocean. She captured a number of East Indiamen before she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and turned her into a merchant vessel. The British captured her and broke her up in 1809. ==French Revolutionary Wars== Between 1 July and 21 November 1792 ''Sémillante'' was under the command of ''Commandant chevalier'' de Bruix, ''lieutenant de vaisseau''. She escorted a convoy and carried troops from Lorient to Saint-Domingue. She returned to Lorient from Port-au-Prince with some government officials.〔''Fonds marine'', p. 35.〕 de Bruix, was promoted to the rank of ''capitaine de vaisseau'' and remained captain until 14 May 1793, with ''Sémillante'' escorting convoys between Bordeaux and Brest. ''Lieutenant de vaisseaux'' Gaillard replaced de Bruix. On 21 May 1793, ''Sémillante'' captured the Liverpool privateer ''Active''.〔Williams (1897), p.314.〕 She was under the command of Captain Stephen Bower, and was sailing under a letter of marque dated 2 May 1793.〔 The letter of marque described her as a sloop of 100 tons burthen (bm), armed with twelve 4-pounder guns and four swivel guns, and having a crew of 40 men.〔Letter of Marque () - accessed 15 May 2011.〕 The British later recaptured ''Active'' and sent her into Guernsey.〔〔This may have been the ''Actif'', which the Royal Navy took into service as .〕 The next day ''Sémillante'' captured the Guernsey privateer ''Betsey'', of 10 guns and 55 men. On 27 May 1794 ''Sémillante'' encountered the British frigate . In the ensuing combat, which lasted some two hours, ''Sémillante'' lost 20 men killed and 40 wounded, Gaillard being among the dead. When ''Venus'' lost her main top mast, ''Sémillante'' was able to extricate herself and escape to Brest, where she arrived on 2 June.〔 ''Enseigne de vaisseaux non entretenu'' Garreau replaced Gaillard. Later, ''Capitaine de vaisseau'' Lemancq took command.〔''Fonds marine'', p.44.〕 In June–July 1794 Lemancq sailed to the United States, returning with a convoy and passengers from the Chesapeake to Brest.〔''Fonds marine'', p.82.〕 In May–June 1795, ''Sémillante'' was under the command of''lieutenant de vaisseau'' Bertrand (aîné). He sailed her to New York, returning to Lorient.〔''Fonds marine'', p.141.〕 He later received promotion to ''capitaine de vaisseau'', and sailed ''Sémillante'' on a cruise in the Atlantic in May 1796, before returning to Lorient.〔''Fonds marine'', p.168.〕 The next year he carried passengers from Port Francais in Sainte-Domingue to Guadeloupe and then to Lorient.〔''Fonds marine'', p.192.〕 In 1798, ''Sémillante'' took part in the Expédition d'Irlande, and notably the Battle of Tory Island. At the time she was under the command of ''capitaine de frégate'' Lacoutre.〔''Fonds marine'', p.203.〕 On 9 April 1799, ''Sémillante'', under the command of ''capitaine de frégate'' Montalan,〔''Fonds marine'', p. 221.〕 along with ''Vengeance'' and ''Cornélie'', encountered and fought and off Belle Île.〔''The Naval History of Great Britain, 1793 - 1820'', Volumes II and IV, by William James, R. Bentley, London, 1837.〕 The engagement was indecisive, with the French ships escaping up the Loire. The British suffered three men killed and 35 wounded. In November–December 1800 Montalan was still captain of ''Sémillante'' when she carried Citizen Pichon, France's commissionaire general for commercial relations, to the United States.〔''Fonds Marine'', p.244.〕 In January 1801 ''Sémillante'' sailed back to Lorient.〔''Fonds Marine'', p. 272.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「French frigate Sémillante (1792)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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