French frigate Engageante (1766)

Engageante was a 26-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead and only ship of the Engageante class. The British captured her in 1794 and converted her to a hospital ship. She served as a hospital ship until she was broken up in 1811.

French service
Engageante was built in Toulon to a design by Jean-François Etienne. She was the sole ship of her class.

From 1781, she took part in the American Revolutionary War, including the Hudson Bay Expedition in 1782.

Capture
She was captured, along with Pomone and HMS Babet (1794), off the Île de Batz during the Action of 23 April 1794. Her captor was HMS Concorde (1783). Engageante suffered 30 to 40 men killed and wounded. Concorde lost one man killed and 12 wounded. In the evening after the action Engageantes masts fell overboard, and Concordes masts were kept upright only with great difficulty.

British service
She was subsequently recommissioned in the Royal Navy and registered as the hospital ship HMS Engageante on 27 July 1794.

She was commissioned at Cork in February 1805 under Lieutenant William Fry. She served for a while as Vice-Admiral Robert Kingsmill's flagship.

In 1796 Lieutenant Henry Parker replaced Fry, but drowned in January 1797. In 1798 Fry returned to command, but he died in 1801. In 1801 Lieutenant Barrington Mansfield assumed command, only to die within the year.

Fate
Engageante was broken up at Plymouth in May 1811.