HMS Blonde (1760)

HMS Blonde was a 32-gun fifth rate. During the French and Indian War a British squadron under Captain John Elliot in HMS Aeolus met a French squadron under Captain François Thurot in the Maréchal de Belle-Isle on 24 February 1760. In the action, the British captured Maréchal de Belle-Isle (after Thurot was killed), HMS Terpsichore (1760), and Blonde. The Royal Navy took the latter two into service. During the American Revolution, Blonde was wrecked on Blonde Rock, Nova Scotia in May 1782. The 60 American prisoners on board the HMS Blonde made their way to Seal Island, Nova Scotia. American privateer Noah Stoddard in the Scammell rescued them and allowed the British crew to return to Halifax in the HMS Observer, which was involved in the Naval battle off Halifax enroute.

Legacy

 * namesake of Blonde Rock, Nova Scotia