French frigate Ariane (1811)

For other ships with the same name, see French ship Ariane.

Ariane was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.

Clorinde, sister-ship of French frigate Ariane (1811)
History
France
Name	Ariane
Namesake	Ariana
Builder	Nantes
Laid down	1807
Launched	1811
Commissioned	9 January 1812
Fate	Ran aground and scuttled 22 May 1812
General characteristics
Class & type	Ariane-class frigate
Length	45.5 m (149 ft 3 in)
Beam	12.36 m (40 ft 7 in)
Draught	5.9 m (19 ft 4 in)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship, 1,950 m2 (21,000 sq ft)
Complement	325
Armament	46 guns: Battery: 28 × 18-pounder long guns Quarterdeck and forecastle: 4 × 8-pounder long guns 12 × 18-pounder carronades

Ariane aground (second from left), Andromaque ablaze and sinking (second right), and HMS Northumberland (right) on 22 May 1812.

Career

Ariane was commissioned on 9 January 1812 under Captain Jean-Baptiste-Henri Féretier.

Between 21 February 1812 and 17 May, a three-vessel French squadron consisting of the frigates Ariane and Andromaque, and the brig Mameluck engaged in commerce raiding in the Atlantic. They captured numerous British and American vessels and burnt them all, except for Patent, M'Master, master, and Woodrup, Sims, master. They made a cartel of Patent, putting their British prisoners aboard her; she arrived at Plymouth on 24 May. The American prisoners the French put on Woodrop, which they sent to America.^[1]

Returning to Lorient, the squadron met the British 74-gun ship-of-the-line HMS Northumberland, Captain Henry Hotham. In the ensuing action of 22 May 1812, the two frigates ran aground trying to escape their much stronger opponent; their crews set them afire to prevent the frigates's capture.^[2]

See also

• List of French sail frigates