Officeuse (1776 ship)

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History
French Navy EnsignFrance
NameOfficieuse
BuilderLe Havre by Jean-Joseph Ginoux
Laid downDecember 1775
LaunchedAugust 1776
CompletedMarch 1778
Fatewrecked November 1781
General characteristics [1]
Displacement~700 tonnes
Tons burthen350-400 (bm)
Length113 ft 2 in (34.5 m)
Beam25 ft 0 in (7.6 m)
Draught12 ft 6 in (3.8 m)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement50-190
ArmamentPierced for 20 or 24, carrying 16-20 x 6-pounder guns (w/40 shot per gun)

Officieuse was a storeship launched on 3 August 1776. The French Royal Navy lent her to the Compagnie de Guyane in September. She completed four voyages for the Compagnie, before wrecking on the fifth.[2]

  • January to July 1777: Le Havre, Tenerife, Gorée, Juda, Île du Prince (possibly Prince Edward Island, Cap-Français, Le Havre
  • July 1778 to 1779: Rochefort, Lorient, Gorée, Groix, Guyanne, Rochefort
  • August 1779 to end-1779: Rochefort to Senegal and return
  • March 1780 to November: Rochefort to Guyane and return

During this last voyage she captured the British merchant vessel Arlequin (probably Harlequin), off Cayenne. However, in 1781 the British recaptured her.[3] The captor was possibly HMS Belisarius, which captured the brig Harlequin on 7 December 1781.[4]

In June 1781, Officeuse left Bordeaux for Senegal. In November she wrecked while crossing the bar at Casamance to escape HMS Leander, under Captain . Shirley reported that Officeuse was supposed to be worth £30,000.[5]

Citations[]

  1. ^ Demerliac (1996), p.107, #746.
  2. ^ Demerliac (1996), p.206, #2074.
  3. ^ Demerliac (1996), p.207, #2091.
  4. ^ "No. 12540". The London Gazette. 4 May 1784. p. 4.
  5. ^ "No. 12312". The London Gazette. 9 July 1782. p. 4.

References[]

  • Demerliac, Alain (1996) La Marine De Louis XVI: Nomenclature Des Navires Français De 1774 À 1792. (Nice: Éditions OMEGA). ISBN 2-906381-23-3
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