The Libre was a Romaine-class frigate

Romaine class frigate

The Romaine class was a class of nine 42-gun frigates of the French Navy, designed in 1794 by Pierre-Alexandre Forfait. They were originally designated as "bomb-frigates" and were intended to carry a main armament of twenty 24-pounder guns and a 12-inch mortar. Experience quickly led to the...

 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...

. She was built at Le Havre

Le Havre

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...

, and though launched in 1796, was not placed into service until 1798. She sailed from Le Havre in March 1801 in the company of Indienne towards Cherbourg, then Cadiz and La Corogne under Captaine de Frégate Bourdet. From September to December 1803 she was stationed at the mouth of the River Meuse

Meuse

Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

.

On 14 December 1805, HMS Egyptienne and HMS Loire

French frigate Loire (1797)

The Loire was a 44-gun frigate of the French Navy.-French service and capture:She took part in the Expédition d'Irlande, and in the Battle of Tory Island, where she battled , , and . After the battle, Loire and Sémillante escaped into Black Sod Bay, where they hoped to hide until they had a clear...

 captured her six leagues north-west of Rochefort

Rochefort, Charente-Maritime

Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...

, near the "Phare de Baleines" (Lighthouse of the Whales) on the Île de Ré

Île de Ré

Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....

. Libre suffered two killed and 18 wounded, including Captain de frégate Deschorches. Loire had no casualties but Egyptienne had eight men wounded, one mortally.

By British report, Libre was armed with twenty-four 18-pounders, six 36-pounder carronades and ten 9-pounder guns. Libre was badly damaged and had lost her masts so Loire took her in tow and reached Plymouth with her on 4 January 1806. The British did not take Libre into Royal Navy service.