Étonnante was an 18-gun Etna-class corvette of the French Navy, launched in 1795. She was struck from the navy in 1804 and hulked in 1806.
| History | |
|---|---|
 France | |
| Name | Étonnante |
| Namesake | "Surprising" |
| Builder | Fouache & Reine, Honfleur |
| Launched | 27 August 1795 |
| In service | November 1796 |
| Fate | Hulked in Brest in 1806 |
| General characteristics [1][2] | |
| Type | Corvette |
| Displacement | 640-719 tons (French) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 9.74 m (32.0 ft) |
| Draught | 4.68 m (15.4 ft) (unladen) |
| Depth of hold | 4.82 m (15.8 ft) |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Armament |
|
| Armour | Timber |
Career
editIn the night of 13 to 14 November 1796, Étonnante departed Le Havre with her sister-ship Etna, and was chased by HMS Melampus and HMS Minerva, which drove her ashore near Barfleur. However the British were not able to get close enough to assure the destruction of Étonnante. Still, they were able to capture Etna.[3] The French were able with difficulty to salvage Étonnante.[2]
Étonnante later served at Saint-Malo in 1797 and at Brest in 1802. She was struck in 1804.[1] She then underwent conversion to a ponton arrière-garde or corps de garde. She disappears from records after 1806.[2]
Citations
edit- ^ a b Roche (2005), p. 186.
- ^ a b c Winfield & Roberts (2015), p. 173.
- ^ "No. 13953". The London Gazette. 19 November 1796. p. 1116.
References
edit- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, 1671–1870. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 186. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
- Winfield, Rif; Roberts, Stephen S. (2015). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.