French frigate Gracieuse (1787)

Gracieuse was a 32-gun Charmante-class frigate of the French Navy. Renamed to Unité, she took part in the French Revolutionary Wars. The Royal Navy captured her in 1796 off Île d'Yeu and brought her into British service as HMS Unite. She was sold in 1802

French service
Re-commissioned in Rochefort in April 1793 under Captain Chevillard, Gracieuse took part in the War in the Vendée, capturing the British privateer Ellis on 22 July 1795.

In September 1795 Gracieuse was renamed Unité. She was to be named Variante in April 1796, but the Royal Navy captured her before the name change took effect.

She then undertook a crossing from Port Louis to Rochefort under commander Durand. On 13 April 1796 HMS Indefatigable (1784), under the command of Captain Sir Edward Pellew was in pursuit of a French frigate. Pellew signaled to his squadron mate HMS Révolutionnaire (1794) to sail to cut the frigate off from the shore. Revolutionnaire then captured Unite after having fired two broadsides into her. Unite had nine men killed and 11 wounded; Revolutionnaire had no casualties. The Royal Navy took the frigate into service as HMS Unite.

British service
She was then captained by Ralph Willett Miller and Sir Charles Rowley.

On 4 March 1799 she and the sloop HMS Gaiete (1797) left Portsmouth as escorts to a convoy for the West Indies.

Fate
Unite was paid off at Sheerness in April 1802. She was sold there in May 1802.

Citations and references

 * Citations


 * References
 * Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire de la flotte française de 1671 à nos jours, Tome 1, p. 229
 * Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015 Forthcoming) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 - 1862: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. (Seaforth Publishing). ISBN 9781848322042