British Sixth Rate post ship 'Babet' (1794)

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Babet
Nominal Guns	20	BWAS-1793
Nationality	Great Britain
Operator	Royal Navy
Previously	French Sixth Rate corvette 'Le Babet' (1793) (24) 1793-1794 French 24 Gun 6th Rate Corvette
Captured	23.4.1794	BWAS-1793
Shipyard	Le Havre - Normandy	NNF-1774
Ship Class	Prompte Class (1792)	NNF-1774
Designed by	Joseph-Marie-Blaise CoulombFrench Designer Ship Builder Service 1755-1789	NNF-1774
Constructor	Pierre MaugerFrench Ship Builder	NNF-1774
Category	Sixth Rate	BWAS-1793
Ship Type	Post Ship	BWAS-1793
Foundered	25.10.1801	BWAS-1793

Dimensions

DimensionMeasurementTypeMetric EquivalentBWAS-1793
Length of Gundeck119' 1"Imperial Feet36.2725
Length of Keel99' 5 ⅜"Imperial Feet30.1847
Breadth31' 1"Imperial Feet9.4742
Depth in Hold9' 4 ½"Imperial Feet2.7559
Burthen511 ¹⁄₉₄Tons BM

Armament

12.1794Broadside Weight = 138 Imperial Pound ( 62.583 kg)BWAS-1793
Upper Gun Deck20 British 9-Pounder
Quarterdeck6 British 12-Pound Carronade
Forecastle2 British 12-Pound Carronade

Crew Complement

Date# of MenNotesSource
19.6.1794165 BWAS-1793

6 Ship Commanders

DatesRankNameSource
8.10.1794Captain ADM 6/25/93ADM 6/2512.1794 - 4.1795CaptainBWAS-17934.1795 - 5.1795CommanderBWAS-17935.1795 - 12.1795CaptainBWAS-179312.1795 - 6.1797CaptainBWAS-17936.1797 - 25.10.1801Captain†BWAS-1793

1 Flag Officer

DatesRankNameSource
7.10.1799Vice-Admiral of the BlueBWAS-1793

1 Commissioned Officer

DatesRankNameSource
7.5.1800 - 24.12.1800LieutenantNBD1849

2 Warrant Officers

DatesRankNameSource
1795 - 23.6.1795CarpenterADM 171/810.10.1795 - 5.12.1795CarpenterADM 29/8

1 Petty Officer

DatesRatingNameSource
4.1795 - 1797MidshipmanNBD1849

Service History

DateEventSource
30.4.1794Arrived at PortsmouthBWAS-1793
6.1794Began fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
19.6.1794RegisteredBWAS-1793
10.5.1795Completed fitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £2544.0.0dBWAS-1793
23.6.1795Action of Ile Groix
25.2.1796Sailed for the Leeward IslandsBWAS-1793
23.4.1796Capture of Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice
10.1.1797

In company with Bellona destroyed a small privateer off Deseada

BWAS-1793
7.1798Began refitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth BWAS-1793
25.10.1801Lost presumed foundered with all hands on passage from Martinique to JamaicaBWAS-1793
1980Completed refitting at Portsmouth Dockyard - Portsmouth at a cost of £5194.0.0dBWAS-1793

Sources

IDNameAuthorType

ADM 171/8British Admiralty, Document

ADM 29/8 Archive

ADM 6/25 Archive

BWAS-1793Rif Winfield, Book

NBD1849O'Brien, Digital Book

NNF-1774Alain Demerliac, Book

Previous comments on this page

Posted by Jon Miller on Saturday 18th of July 2026 12:35

The Lady Frances packet brought intelligence to Port Royal, of an American vessel being in sight when the Babet sloop of war, with General Knox on board, foundered, and every soul perished. [Hampshire Telegraph, 8 June 1801]

NB Date of foundering must be 1800, not 1801]

Posted by Jon Miller on Sunday 12th of July 2026 18:49

Prize Money: The crews of the Scipio, Pique, Prompt, and Babet, for the capture of the Carl and Zee-Wart, a distribution was made at Downing-street, the 20th instant. [Hampshire Chronicle, 23 March 1801]

Posted by Anne Young on Sunday 3rd of January 2021 23:50

The Babet foundered in 1800 but its fate was only determined in 1801
The refitting was probably completed in 1798

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Recent comments to other pages

Date posted	By	Page
Friday 24th of July 2026 08:52	Jon Miller	Philip AffleckBritish Naval Sailor Service 1743-1799
Friday 24th of July 2026 08:41	Jon Miller	George SarradineBritish Naval Sailor Service 1794-1802
Friday 24th of July 2026 08:28	Jon Miller	British Other Vessels discovery vessel 'Discovery' (1789) (10) 1789-1834 British 10 Gun Other Discovery Vessel
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Friday 24th of July 2026 06:56	Jon Miller	British Fifth Rate frigate 'Ethalion' (1797) (38) 1797-1799 British 38 Gun 5th Rate Frigate

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