French cutter Espion (1781)

The French cutter Espion was launched in 1781. The British captured her and took her into the Royal Navy as HMS Espion. She was sold in 1783.

French service
Espion was one of the last of the Levrette-class cutters of Royal French Navy, built by Jacques and Daniel Denys at Dunkirk, and launched on 22 June 1781. On 7 December she and Sagittaire sailed as escors to a convoy of ten transports taking supplies to the fleet of Admiral de Grasse at Martinique. The convoy arrived safely in January and from there sailed to bring shells to the forces under François Claude Amour, marquis de Bouillé, which were Basseterre, the chief port and capital of St Kitts.

On 24 January 1782 she encountered a British fleet under Admiral Sir Samuel Hood, which was sailing to try to relieve St Kitts. The sixth-rate frigate HMS Lizard (1757) captured Espion near Nevis. Her captain was the Knight of Malta Lieutenant de Vaiseau Chevalier de Montluc de la Bourdonnaye. Hood described her as a large cutter, seven months old, and armed with sixteen 6-pounder guns.

Hood sailed on to Basseterre but the delay occasioned in capturing Espion gave de Grasse time to get out to sea. Although Hood was unable to relieve the siege, he was able to goad de Grasse into three futile attacks on the British fleet on 25 and 26 January. These attacks cost the British 172 men killed and 244 wounded; the French evacuated some 1000 wounded to Sint Eustatius. Hood then sailed away to Barbados. The Brimstone Hill redoubt at St Kitts surrendered on 13 February. Hood and Admiral George Rodney would then meet and defeat de Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes in early-April.

Fate
The British took Espion into service under her existing name and commissioned her 24 January under the command of Lieutenant Thomas Sevell Shivers. She then sailed for Britain in September 1782. The Admiralty sold Espion in April 1783.