The Alceste was a Magicienne class

Magicienne class frigate

The Magicienne class was a type of twelve 32-gun frigates of the French Navy. They were designed by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb.* MagicienneThe Magicienne class was a type of twelve 32-gun frigates of the French Navy...

 frigate

Frigate

A frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...

 of the French Navy

French Navy

The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...

, launched in 1780, seized by the British at the Siege of Toulon

Siege of Toulon

The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...

 and transefered to the Kingdom of Sardinia

Kingdom of Sardinia

The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...

, retaken by the French a year later, and eventually captured by the Royal Navy at the Action of 18 June 1799.

At the outbreak of the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, Alceste served in the Mediterranean, until she was put in the reserved and disarmed in Toulon. The royalist insurrection found her there, and she was seized by the British and transferred to the Kingdom of Sardinia

Kingdom of Sardinia

The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...

 before the conclusion of the Siege of Toulon

Siege of Toulon

The Siege of Toulon was an early Republican victory over a Royalist rebellion in the Southern French city of Toulon. It is also often known as the Fall of Toulon.-Context:...

.

On 10 June 1794, she was retaken by the 32-gun Boussole, and brought back into French service. Under Captain Le Joille, she was part of Admiral Martin

Pierre Martin (French Navy officer)

Admiral Pierre Martin was a French Navy officer and admiral.- Youth :Pierre Martin was born to a Canadian family of Louisbourg. In 1759, his family fled to Rochefort as his hometown was taken by the British during the Seven Years' War.Martin served as an apprentice on the fluit Saint Esprit...

's squadron, where she took part in the capture of HMS Berwick

HMS Berwick (1775)

HMS Berwick was a 74-gun Elizabeth-class third rate of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 April 1775, to a design by Sir Thomas Slade. She fought the French at the Battle of Ushant and the Dutch at the Battle of Dogger Bank...

 in 1795.

In March 1796, she ferried Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet

Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet

Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet was a French General and politician during the period of the French Revolution.Aubert du Bayet was born in Baton-Rouge in the French American colony of Louisiana in 1759...

 to his appointment as ambassador to Constantinople, along with military advisors.

From November 1796 to January 1797, Alceste patrolled the coasts of Italy under Captain Jean-François-Timothée Trullet.

She took part in the Expédition d'Égypte, ferrying General Jean Reynier

Jean Reynier

Jean Louis Ebénézer Reynier rose in rank to become a French army general officer during the French Revolutionary Wars. He led a division under Napoleon Bonaparte in the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria...

, and was later appointed to a squadron under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée

Jean-Baptiste Perrée

Jean-Baptiste Perrée was a French contre-amiral. He was born in Saint-Valéry-sur-Somme in Picardy.Perrée was midshipman in 1793, and was promoted to acting lieutenant de vaisseau in May 1793, taking command of Proserpine and raiding commerce, capturing 63 prizes. His rank was confirmed in late 1793...

, which also comprised Junon, Courageuse, Salamine and Alerte. In the Action of 18 June 1799, Perrée's squadron met with a 30-ship fleet under Lord Keith and struck their colours. The surrender of Alceste was secured by HMS Bellona

HMS Bellona (1760)

HMS Bellona was a 74-gun Bellona-class third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. Designed by Sir Thomas Slade, she was a prototype for the iconic 74-gun ships of the latter part of the 18th century...

, and she was brought into British service as HMS Alceste.

In 1801 HMSAlceste became a floating battery. She was eventually sold for scrap in May 1802.

Sources and references

• Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire de la flotte française de 1671 à nos jours, tome I, p. 30