French Fifth Rate frigate 'La Minerve' (1803)

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La Minerve ➡ 1803 Canonniere
Nominal Guns	38	NNF-1774
Nationality	République Française
Operator	State Navy
Previously	British Fifth Rate frigate 'Minerve' (1795) (38) 1795-1803 British 38 Gun 5th Rate Frigate
Captured	3.7.1803	NNF-1774
Shipyard	Toulon - Provence	BWAS-1793
Category	Fifth Rate	NNF-1774
National Rate	Quatrième Rang	NNF-1774
Ship Type	Frigate	NNF-1774
Sailing Rig	Ship Rigged	NNF-1774
Sold	6.1809	NNF-1774
Becomes	French Privateer frigate 'La Confiance' (1809) (14) 1809-1810 French 14 Gun Privateer Frigate

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentNNF-1774
Length of Gundeck149' 0"French Feet (Pied du Roi)48.3952 (158′ 9″ Imperial)
Length of Keel132' 0"French Feet (Pied du Roi)42.8736 (140′ 7″ Imperial)
Breadth37' 6"French Feet (Pied du Roi)12.0408 (39′ 6″ Imperial)
Depth in Hold19' 3"French Feet (Pied du Roi)6.1802 (20′ 3″ Imperial)
Burthen700Ton

Armament

1804Broadside Weight = 528 French Livre (569.8176 lbs 258.456 kg)NNF-1774
Upper Gun Deck28 French 18-Pounder
Quarterdeck/Forecastle14 French 36-Pounder Obusier
Quarterdeck/Forecastle6 French 8-Pounder

1 Ship Commander

DatesRankNameSource
bef.12.1805 - 6.1809Capitaine de VaisseauFWIKI

1 Crewman

DatesRatingNameSource
c.1808 - 6.1809Volontaire de la Marine, , at 15 years old , 10 months , no dateFWIKI

Service History

DateEventSource
8.1803Renamed CanonniereNNF-1774
12.1805Sailed from Cherbourg FWIKI
21.4.1806Tremendous vs Canonniere
30.4.1806Put in to Simon's Bay, anchored, and sent a boat ashore. She was fired upon, and immediately cut her cable and put out to sea, abandoning her boat, but herself escaping without injury.TRN5
7.1808

Arrived at Île de France

FWIKI
12.9.1808Took the Post Ship off Mauritius
6.1809

Disarmed and sold to merchant firm and renamed La Confiance .

BWAS-1793

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

FWIKIVarious, Web Site

NNF-1774Alain Demerliac, Book

TRN5William Laird Clowes, Digital Book

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Date posted	By	Page
Tuesday 16th of June 2026 20:32	Jon Miller	British hired armed ship 'Countess of Scarborough' (1777) (20) 1777-1779 British 20 Gun Hired Armed Ship
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