HMS Donegal ( 1798 ) Barra was a 74 - gun ship of the line of the French Navy . She was renamed " Pégase " in 1795 , and " Hoche " in 1797 . She was captured by the British on 12 October 1798 and recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS " Donegal " . Capture . As " Hoche " , she took part in the French attempt to land in County Donegal , in the west of Ulster , to support the Irish Rebellion of 1798 . She formed the flagship of an expedition under Commodore Jean - Baptiste - François Bompart , consisting of the " Hoche " and eight frigate s , and transporting 3 , 000 French troops . Aboard the " Hoche " was Wolfe Tone , the leading figure in the Society of United Irishmen . The ships were chased by a number of British frigate s after they had left the port of Brest on 16 September . Despite throwing them off , they were then pursued by a fleet of larger ships under the command of Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren . Both sides were hampered by the heavy winds and gales they encountered off the west coast of Ireland , and " Hoche " lost all three of her topmasts and had her mizzensail shredded , causing her to fall behind . The French were finally brought to battle off Tory Island on 12 October 1798 . The battle started at 07 : 00 in the morning , with Warren giving the signal for to steer for the French line and attack " Hoche " directly . " Hoche " then came under fire from . The next three British ships into action , the frigates , and , all raked the isolated " Hoche " as they passed before pressing on sail to pursue the French frigates , now sailing towards to the south - west . With the " Hoche " heavily damaged , Bompart finally surrendered at 10 : 50 with 270 of his crew and passengers killed or wounded , giving his sword to Lieutenant Sir Charles Dashwood . Wolfe Tone was later recognised and arrested . In Royal Navy service . Off Cadiz . The captured " Hoche " was taken into service and renamed HMS " Donegal " , after the action in which she had been captured . She spent 1800 in Plymouth , and in 1801 came under the command of Captain Sir Richard Strachan , with William Bissell as her First Lieutenant from 1801 until December 1805 . " Donegal " was initially deployed in the English Channel , but following the outbreak of hostilities with Spain , she was assigned to watch the French squadron at Cadiz . Whilst on this station , she spotted and gave chase to the large 42 - gun Spanish frigate " Amfitrite " in November 1804 . After pursuing her for 46 hours , " Amfitrite " lost her mizzen - top - mast and was subsequently overhauled by the " Donegal " . A boat was dispatched from the " Donegal " and the Spanish captain was brought aboard . Sir Richard did not speak Spanish and the captain did not speak English , so it was with difficulty that Sir Richard attempted to inform him that his orders were to return the " Amfitrite " back to Cadiz . Sir Richard allowed the captain three minutes to decide whether he would comply with the order , but after waiting for six minutes without an answer , opened fire on the " Amfitrite " . The engagement lasted only eight minutes , and resulted in a number of deaths , including the Spanish captain , who fell to a musket ball . The " Amfitrite " surrendered and after being searched , was found to be laden with stores and carrying dispatches from Cadiz to Tenerife and Havana . She was taken over and later commissioned into the Navy as . " Donegal " would later make another capture off Cadiz , taking a Spanish vessel carrying a cargo reputed to be worth 200 , 000 pounds . In the Mediterranean and Atlantic . By 1805 " Donegal " was still off Cadiz , under the command of Captain Pulteney Malcolm . She then accompanied Vice - admiral Nelson in his pursuit of the combined fleets across the Atlantic to the West Indies and back . She was not present at Trafalgar , but was able , on 23 October , to capture the partially dismasted Spanish first rate which had escaped Trafalgar , but had been ordered to sea again to attempt to recapture some of the British prizes . " Donegal " was then part of a squadron off Cadiz under Vice - admiral John Duckworth , when news reached him that two French squadrons had sailed from Brest in December 1805 . Duckworth took his squadron to Barbados to search for them , eventually sighting them off San Domingo on 6 February . Duckworth organised his ships into two lines , the weather line consisting of , and , while the lee line consisted of , , " Donegal " and . The lines moved to attack the French ships and the Battle of San Domingo broke out . " Donegal " initially engaged the " Brave " with several broadsides , forcing her to surrender after half an hour . Captain Malcolm then moved his position to fire a few broadsides into the " Jupiter " before sending a boarding party aboard her . The crew of the " Jupiter " then surrendered her . Captain Malcolm then directed the frigate to take possession of the " Brave " . After the battle , " Donegal " had lost her fore - yard and had 12 killed and 33 wounded . Off the French coast . She remained under the command of Pulteney Malcolm , and was stationed off Finisterre throughout 1807 . She then became the flagship of Rear - admiral Eliab Harvey , and was later placed under the command of Rear - admiral Richard Keats in the Channel . " Donegal " was at Spithead in 1808 and over a period of five days from 1 August Captain Malcolm oversaw the disembarkation of Sir Arthur Wellesley ' s army at Mondego Bay . " Donegal " ’ s first - lieutenant James Askey acted as the beach - master during the landings . On 23 February 1809 " Donegal " was part of a squadron under Rear - admiral Stopford , when they chased three enemy frigates into the Sable d ' Olonne , leading to the Battle of Les Sables - d ' Olonne . was able to anchor within half a mile of them , whilst " Donegal " and had to anchor further out because of their deeper draughts . Their combined fire eventually forced two of the frigates to run ashore , whilst " Donegal " suffered one man killed and six wounded in the engagement . By April 1809 " Donegal " was sailing with Admiral James Gambier ' s fleet in the Basque Roads . During the Battle of the Basque Roads , " Donegal " s first - lieutenant James Askey commanded the fire ship " Hercule " in the attack on the French fleet , with the assistance of midshipman Charles Falkiner , also of the " Donegal " . " Donegal " was commanded by acting - Captain Edward Pelham Brenton when she sailed for Cadiz on 24 July 1809 , carrying the ambassador to the Junta at Seville , Marquess Richard Wellesley , brother of Sir Arthur Wellesley . She arrived on 1 August , shortly after the Battle of Talavera , and after the failure of Richard Wellesley ' s mission , returned him to Britain in November . On her arrival , Captain Malcolm resumed command of the " Donegal " . On 13 October 1810 , the frigates and " Niobe " attacked and drove two French frigates ashore near La Hogue . " Donegal " and arrived the next day and together the four ships fired upon the French for as long as the tide would allow . " Donegal " had three men wounded in this action . Fate . She spent most of 1811 off Cherbourg , before being reduced to ordinary at Portsmouth later that year . She was later moved and spent 1814 in ordinary at Chatham . " Donegal " was eventually broken up in 1845 .