HMS Athenienne

HMS Athenienne was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was the former Maltese ship San Giovanni, which the French captured on the stocks in 1798 and launched and commissioned as Athénien. The Royal Navy captured her at the surrender of Valletta, on 4 September 1800, and took her into service as Athenienne. She was wrecked near Sicily, with great loss of life, in 1806.

French career
San Giovanni was captured while nearing completion at her building site in La Valette. She was launched four months later, and taken into French service as Athénien. She was appointed to the medical services of the fleet, and carried out research on the diseases affecting the French fleet in the Mediterranean.

The British acquired Athénien when they captured Malta at the end of the Siege of Malta. The Royal Navy brought her into British service as HMS Athenienne.

British career
In December 1800, Sir Thomas Livingstone assumed command Athenienne. He then accompanied Rear Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren to the coast of Egypt in search of a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume, which was east of Sardinia. The French squadron escaped.

Athenienne then joined the squadron under Lord Keith off Alexandria until she sprang a leak and returned to Malta for repairs. Thereafter she was sent to cruise the island of Elba until the Peace of Amiens led to her to being recalled. Her officers and crew were paid off at Portsmouth in October 1802.

In 1805, while under the command of Captain John Griffard, she sailed to Gibraltar with stores and supplies for the fleet after the Battle of Trafalgar.

Fate
On 16 October 1806, Athenienne sailed from Gibraltar for Malta under the command of Captain Robert Raynsford, with a crew of 470. In the evening of 20 October, she ran aground on a submerged reef, the Esquirques (37.78333°N, 10.76667°W), in the Strait of Sicily.

The crew cut away ship's masts to prevent her rolling on her side, but nevertheless she flooded to the lower deck ports within half an hour, then rolled over. Captain Raynsford had had an improvised raft constructed. Unfortunately two of the ship's boats were swamped when launching and two others deserted the wreck; after much trouble the ship's launch was freed and got into the water. Over 100 survivors were crammed into her and she was picked up the following day by a Danish brig. In all, 347 people died, including Captain Raynsford, while 141 men and two women were rescued.