French gunboat 'La Cruelle' (1793)

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Jean-Louis PestelFrench
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Service 1793
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French 24 Gun
6th Rate Frigate (Corvettes de Charge)
1795 Renamed "Calliope"
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Service 1806-1812
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Fanfaron (16) 1804-1809
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Recent Comments

Lord Thurlow (Unknown) 1789-1802
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1789)
Robert WardlawBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1799-1807
William MaxwellBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1798-1809
George GoochBritish
Ship Owner
Service 1809-1821
John Altham CumberlegeBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1800-1802
Patrick BurtBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1793-1802
Peter SampsonBritish
Merchant Sailor
Service 1791-1803
Dover Castle (Unknown) 1798-1813
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1798)
Charlton (Unknown) 1799-1809
British Unknown Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1799)
Duke of Montrose (26) 1785-1808
British 26 Gun
Merchant East Indiaman
(1785)
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La Cruelle
Nominal Guns	4	NNF-1792
Nationality	République Française
Operator	State Navy
Launched	7.1793	NNF-1792
First Commissioned	8.1793	NNF-1792
How acquired	Purpose built	NNF-1792
Shipyard	St Malo - Brittany	BWAS-1714
Ship Class	Vesuve Class (1793)	NNF-1792
Designed by	Le MarchandFrench Ship Builder	BWAS-1714
Constructor	Le MarchandFrench Ship Builder	BWAS-1714
Category	Unrated	NNF-1792
Ship Type	Gunboat	NNF-1792
Captured	1.6.1800	BWAS-1714
Becomes	British cutter 'Cruelle' (1800) (8) 1800-1801 British 8 Gun Unrated Cutter

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentNNF-1792
Length of Gundeck70' 0"French Feet (Pied du Roi)22.736 (74′ 7″ Imperial)
Length of Keel60' 0"French Feet (Pied du Roi)19.488 (63′ 11″ Imperial)
Breadth20' 0"French Feet (Pied du Roi)6.496 (21′ 3″ Imperial)
Depth in Hold7' 8"French Feet (Pied du Roi)2.4901 (8′ 2″ Imperial)
Burthen80Tonneaux

Armament

1800Broadside Weight = 48.5 French Livre (52.3412 lbs 23.7408 kg)NNF-1792
Gun Deck4 French 24-Pounder
Gun Deck2 French Pierrier

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
179384Design Complement
1.6.180043 TRN5

1 Ship Commander

DatesRankNameSource
1800 - 1.6.1800Enseigne de VaisseauTRN5

Service History

DateEventSource
1.6.1800Taken by off Toulon

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

BWAS-1714Rif Winfield, Book

NNF-1792Alain Demerliac, Book

TRN5William Laird Clowes, Digital Book

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Tim Oakley on Wednesday 11th of May 2016 05:23

1/6/1800 South of Les Hières Mermaid32 Captain Robert Dudley Oliver captured Cruelle, which was eight hours out of Toulon. Cruelle6 command of Ensigne de vaisseau Francis Xavier Jeard and crew of 43, four guns thrown overboard during the chase. Bomb vessel but had left her mortar at Toulon. She was carrying supplies for Malta when Mermaid intercepted her

Posted by Tim Oakley on Friday 28th of September 2012 22:41

taken off Toulon

Posted by Tim Oakley on Tuesday 28th of August 2012 21:22

Colledge has Cruelle as a cutter taken off Toulon by Mermaid 32 cap Oliver

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Recent comments to other pages

Date posted	By	Page
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:49	Jon Miller	British Merchant east indiaman 'Lord Thurlow' (1789) (Unknown) 1789-1802 British Unknown Gun Merchant East Indiaman
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:44	Jon Miller	Robert WardlawBritish Merchant Sailor Service 1799-1807
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:43	Jon Miller	William MaxwellBritish Merchant Sailor Service 1798-1809
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:42	Jon Miller	George GoochBritish Ship Owner Service 1809-1821
Tuesday 28th of July 2026 12:41	Jon Miller	John Altham CumberlegeBritish Merchant Sailor Service 1800-1802

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