Nymphe-class frigate

The Nymphe class was a class of four 34/44-gun frigates of the French Navy, designed in 1781 by Pierre-Augustin Lamothe. The prototype (Nymphe) was one of the earliest of the frigates to be armed with 18-pounder long guns. The first two - Nymphe and Thétis - carried 34 guns comprising twenty-six 18-pounders on the upper deck and eight 8-pounders on the quarterdeck and forecastle. The latter two - Cybèle and Concorde - carried an increased armament of 44 guns comprising twenty-eight 18-pounders on the upper deck and twelve 8-pounders plus four 36-pounder obuses on the quarterdeck and forecastle. Thétis was retro-fitted by 1794 to carry the same increased armament as the last two; she was rebuilt at Rochefort from October 1802 to September 1803.

Capture of the Thétis by HMS Amethyst on 10 November 1808, by Thomas Whitcombe
Class overview
Name	Nymphe class
Builders	Brest, France
Operators	French Navy  Royal Navy
Preceded by	Danaé class
Succeeded by	Minerve class
Planned	4
Completed	4
General characteristics
Type	Frigate
Displacement	750 tonnes
Length	46.9 m (153 ft 10 in)
Beam	11.9 m (39 ft 1 in)
Draught	5.8 m (19 ft 0 in)
Sail plan	Ship-rigged
Complement	297
Armament	26 × long 18-pounder guns (later increased to 28) 12 × long 8-pounder guns 4 × 36-pounder obusiers

The design followed on at Brest from an earlier class of three smaller frigates (armed with 12-pounder long guns) - named Nymphe (1777), Andromaque (1778) and Astrée (1780) - built at Brest to a different design by Lamothe's father.

Ships in earlier (12-pounder armed) class

These three ships were named on 11 April 1777, 29 September 1777 and 4 December 1778 respectively.

• Nymphe (12-pounder armed frigate)

Builder: Brest

Begun: April 1777

Launched: 18 August 1777

Completed: November 1777

Fate: captured by British Royal Navy in 1780 and became HMS Nymphe.

• Andromaque

Builder: Brest

Begun: August 1777

Launched: 24 December 1777

Completed: April 1778

Fate: Scuttled by fire on 22 August 1796

• Astrée

Builder: Brest

Begun: August 1779

Launched: 16 May 1780

Completed: July 1780

Fate: Wrecked in the Atlantic in May 1795

Ships in (18-pounder armed) class

• Nymphe (18-pounder armed frigate)

Builder: Brest

Begun: December 1781

Launched: 30 May 1782

Completed: August 1782

Fate: Wrecked at Noirmoutier on 30 December 1793.

• Thétis

Builder: Brest

Ordered: 4 November 1786

Begun: September 1787

Launched: 16 June 1788

Completed: October 1788

Fate: Captured by the British Navy on 10 November 1808 off Lorient. The British took her into service as HMS Brune.

• Cybèle

Builder: Brest

Begun: June 1788

Launched: 7 July 1789

Completed: May 1790

Fate: Wrecked in action 24 February 1809 off Sables d'Olonne.

• Concorde

Builder: Brest

Begun: April 1790

Launched: 25 October 1791

Completed: February 1793

Fate: Captured by the British Navy off Brazil on 4 August 1800.