HMS Actif (1794)

HMS Actif was a 16-gun French privateer that HMS Iphigenia (1780) captured on 16 March 1794. The Royal Navy took her into service but unfortunately she foundered on 26 November, though all her crew were saved.

Actif was a Liverpool privateer that the French captured in May 1793.

On 16 March 1794 HMS Iphigenia (1770) captured both Actif and HMS Espiegle (1794). The Royal Navy registered Actif as a sloop on 17 July. However, already by 4 June she was on active service with the Royal Navy, participating in the capture of Port-au-Prince.

Commander John Harvey became her captain on 5 September.

Harvey was sailing Actif to England when by 24 November she developed leaks while off Bermuda. Even with the crew working the pumps continuously, she took on so much water as her structure weakened that on the 26th she had to make distress signals. HMS St Albans (1764) came up and rescued Harvey and his crew. The rescuers left her to founder at latitude 30° 09' North, longitude 76° 58 West.

Notes, sources and references

 * Notes


 * Sources


 * References
 * Leslie, Sir Stephen (1891) Dictionary of National Biography. (Smith, Elder).
 * Norie, J. W. (1842) The naval gazetteer, biographer and chronologist; containing a history of the late wars from ... 1793 to ... 1801; and from ... 1803 to 1815, and continued, as to the biographical part to the present time. (London, C. Wilson).
 * Norie, J. W. (1842) The naval gazetteer, biographer and chronologist; containing a history of the late wars from ... 1793 to ... 1801; and from ... 1803 to 1815, and continued, as to the biographical part to the present time. (London, C. Wilson).