French frigate Pauline (1807)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Bellone.

Pauline was a 44-gun Hortense-class frigate of the French Navy.

Pomone, sister-ship of Pauline
History
France
Name	Pauline
Namesake	Pauline Bonaparte
Ordered	21 March 1806
Builder	Toulon, plans by Sané
Laid down	May 1806
Launched	18 April 1807
Commissioned	15 May 1807
Decommissioned	1840
Renamed	Bellone, 11 April 1814
Fate	Struck 11 December 1841
General characteristics
Class and type	Hortense-class frigate
Length	48.75 m (159 ft 11 in)
Beam	12.2 m (40 ft 0 in)
Draught	5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	Sails
Sail plan	Ship
Armament	40 guns 26 × 18-pounder long guns 6 × 8-pounder long guns

Service history

On 27 February 1809, along Pénélope, she captured the 32-gun HMS Proserpine. In October 1809, she sailed from Toulon to escort a convoy bound for Barcelona. Chased by a British squadron under Admiral Collingwood during the Battle of Maguelone, and sailing with Borée, she managed to repel and escape HMS Tigre and HMS Leviathan, and returned to Toulon after Amélie joined up.

Pauline was then used for convoy escort in the Mediterranean. She took part in the action of 29 November 1811, fleeing the battle while frigate Pomone and the smaller Persanne were captured by the British. Her commanding officer, Captain François-Gilles Montfort, was subsequently court-martialled and relieved of command.

On 11 April 1814, she was renamed Bellone. She took part in the landing at Sidi Ferruch during the Invasion of Algiers in 1830, and used as a ferry the following years.

• 
  Capture of HMS Proserpine by Pénélope and Pauline. Watercolour by Antoine Roux.

Sources and references

• 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. 344. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
• HMS Ambuscade website