The Vénus was a Junon class

Junon class frigate

The Junon class was a type of three 40-gun frigates of the French Navy, built to the specifications of the Pensée, designed by Pierre Forfait.* Amazone...

 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...

.

On 10 November 1808, she departed Cherbourg, bound for Île de France

Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811

The Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811 was a series of amphibious operations and naval actions fought to determine possession of the French Indian Ocean territories of Île de France and Île Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars...

, where she served as Hamelin's flagship, leading a squadron also comprising the frigate Manche

French frigate Manche (1803)

The Manche was a 40-gun Hortense Class frigate of the French Navy.She took part in operations at Île de France under Captain François-Désiré Breton....

 and the sloop Créole

French brig Créole (1809)

The Créole was a three-masted schooner sloop of war of the French Navy.On 26 April 1809, she left île de France under captain Bouvet, part of Hamelin's squadron. She sailed to Manilla, where she captured a British and a Portuguese prize...

.

On the 29 and 30 December 1808, she captured and destroyed the East indiamen Hiran and Albion. On 4 November 1809, she captured the East Indiaman Lady Bentick and the American merchantman Samson.

She was central in the Action of 18 November 1809

Action of 18 November 1809

The Action of 18 November 1809 was the most significant engagement of a six month cruise by a French frigate squadron in the Indian Ocean during the Napoleonic Wars. The French commander, Commodore Jacques Hamelin, raided across the Bay of Bengal with his squadron and achieved local superiority,...

, where the squadron captured three armed East Indiamen.

From 20 to 26 August 1810, she took a minor part in the Battle of Grand Port

Battle of Grand Port

The Battle of Grand Port was a naval battle between squadrons of frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy. The battle was fought during 20–27 August 1810 over possession of the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France during the Napoleonic Wars...

.

On 17–18 September 1810, along with Victor

French corvette Revenant

Revenant was a 20-gun privateer corvette designed by Robert Surcouf for commerce raiding. She was later requisitioned for service in the French Navy, and was renamed Iéna, but was subsequently captured by and served in the Royal Navy as HMS Victor...

, she captured the 40-gun HMS Ceylon

HMS Bombay (1805)

HCS Bombay, later HMS Bombay and HMS Ceylon, was a 672 ton fifth rate, 38-gun wooden warship built in the Bombay Dockyard for the Honourable East India Company and launched in 1793. The Royal Navy purchased her in 1805 and renamed her HMS Bombay. She served with the Royal Navy under that name...

, losing her fore-mast and her topgallant masts in the process. The next day, Vénus and Ceylon were taken by a British squadron composed of HMS Boadicea

HMS Boadicea (1797)

HMS Boadicea was a frigate of the Royal Navy. She served in the Channel and in the East Indies during which service she captured many prizes. She participated in one action for which the Admiralty would award the Naval General Service Medal...

, HMS Otter and the brig HMS Staunch

HMS Staunch (1804)

HMS Staunch was a Royal Navy 14-gun , built by Benjamin Tanner and launched in 1804 at Dartmouth, Devon. She served in the Indian Ocean and participated in the Action of 18 September 1810 before she foundered with the loss of all hands in 1811.-Service:...

. Victor managed to escape.

Vénus was brought into British service as HMS Nereide, in honour of the defence of HMS Nereide

French frigate Néréide (1779)

The Néréide was a Sybille class 32-gun, copper-hulled, frigate of the French Navy. On 22 December 1797 HMS Phoebe captured her and she was taken into British service as HMS Nereide. The French recaptured her at the Battle of Grand Port, only to lose her again when the British took Île de France in...

at Grand Port. She subsequently took part in the blockade and surrender of Île de France.