French frigate Étoile ( 1813 ) Étoile was a 44 - gun frigate of the French Navy , launched in 1813 . The British captured her in 1814 and the Royal Navy took her into service as HMS " Topaze " . She did not go to sea again until 1818 , and was paid off in 1822 . She served as a receiving ship until 1850 and was broken up in 1851 . French service . Initially , " Etoile " was in the Nantes Division , first under " capitaine de vaisseau " Le Bozec ( 27 July to 20 September ) , and then under " capitaine de frégate " Henri Pierre Philibert ( 7 October to 24 November ) . She sailed for the Azores with the " Sultane " to engage in commerce raiding . On 18 January 1814 was escorting a convoy from England to Bermuda when she encountered " Sultane " and " Étoile " . " Severn " drew them away from the convoy , saving it . After a long chase , the French frigates gave up and sailed away . On 24 January , " Sultane " and " Étoile " engaged the frigates and . The two British frigates had sailed for the Cape Verde Islands ; they reached Maio early on 23 January 1814 . Off the Cape Verde Islands they encountered two frigates and two merchant ships , one a brigantine and the other a schooner , all at anchor . The French frigates did not respond to the Portuguese and Spanish flags that the British set and instead set sail as the British frigates approached ; the British frigates then pursued them . " Astraea " had problems with her sails so " Creole " pulled ahead . She exchanged some shots and eventually four broadsides with the rearmost French frigate , which would turn out to be the " Sultane " . " Astraea " then sailed between " Creole " and her opponent , coming alongside the French frigate . Two broadsides from " Astraea " then temporarily silenced the French frigate as fires aboard " Creole " took her out of the action for a while . She re - engaged " Sultane " , but then disengaged and sailed towards Santiago . " Astraea " went ahead in pursuit of the first French frigate , which turned out to be the " Étoile " . " Astraea " exchanged a broadside and then crossed " Etoile " s bow and raked her . At this moment a shot took away " Astraea " s wheel and killed both quartermasters , causing " Astraea " to lose direction and momentum . Now the situation reversed , with French guns nearly touching " Astraea " s taffrail . She received broadsides that tore away her lower rigging , scarred her deck and destroyed one of her carronades . However , she suffered no damage forward . " Astrea " was able to get starboard to starboard with her opponent . The two vessels exchanged broadsides at close range for two hours until " Étoile " sailed off . During the engagement a pistol shot hit Eveleigh below the heart , mortally wounding him . " Sultane " came up and also exchanged a broadside with " Astraea " . " Astraea " , much damaged , broke off the engagement as the two French frigates too sailed away . " Creole " had suffered ten men dead and 26 wounded ; " Astraea " lost nine men dead and 37 wounded . That evening the two British ships anchored in Porto Praya on Santiago to effect repairs . The British captured both " Sultane " and " Étoile " on 27 March as the two French frigates were returning from the Cape Verde Islands . captured " Sultane " , without a fight . In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp " Hebrus Wh . L ' Etoile " to the 40 still surviving claimants from the action . Also in 1847 , the Admiralty issued gold medals to a select set of captains for certain particularly notable battles and engagements . Captain E . Palmer , of " Hebrus " , was one of the recipients . British service . The Royal Navy registered and re - named " Etoile " HMS " Topaze " on 15 June . She underwent repairs that lasted from end - March 1814 to end - February 1815 , and the Navy then had her laid up . Between March 1818 and 1 July she underwent repairs and fitting for sea duty . In April Captain John Richard Lumley commissioned her . He then sailed her to the East Indies . On 19 October 1819 , " Topaze " arrived at Mauritius from Ceylon with a number of crew ill from an unknown disease resembling cholera . The local authorities permitted the crew to land and the landing of the ill , bypassing quarantine . By 18 November the disease had spread to the local population . The locals deserted Port Louis and demanded that " Topaze " sail for the Seychelles to wait out the storm season there . Lumley initially refused , but by January assented . " Topaze " returned to Mauritius in April , and was put into quarantine , though the epidemic had passed , and there was repaired and thoroughly disinfected . " Topaze " finally saw action in December 1820 at Mocha , Yemen . The British East India Company ( EIC ) government at Bombay had demanded redress for harm to British interests at Mocha from the Imaun of Senna . They were unsuccessful so the Governor - General of India authorized the sending of a squadron to Mocha . The EIC sent their Resident at Bushire , a Captain Bruce , as their Agent to negotiate , and to inform the local authorities at Mocha that a squadron was to follow . Rear - Admiral Sir Richard King , the commander - in - chief on the Royal Navy ' s East Indies Station , sent Lumley in " Topaze " , as overall commander . The EIC also sent vessels from its Bombay Marine , as well as a company of artillery . The EIC sent its cruisers " Benares " ( Commander Faithful ) and " Antelope " ( Lieutenant Robson ) , its bomb vessel " Thames " ( Lieutenant Elwon ) , and a " Ernaad " ( Lieutenant Jones ) , a storeship . After a two - week voyage from Bombay , " Topaze " and the squadron arrived on 3 December , and bombarded Fort Taire , the North Fort the next day . A landing party attempted to storm the fort but its defenders had not left and they repelled the British . " Topaze " had four men killed and 16 wounded , two of whom died later . The Company had four men killed and eight wounded . Negotiations recommenced during a sequence of truces , again unsuccessfully . On 26 December " Topaze " again bombarded the North Fort , this time driving out the defenders . A landing party was able to spike the guns and throw out their carriages . Between 26 and 30 December " Topaze " and the other vessels approached Fort Abdoufoof , the South Fort , and opened fire on the 30th . Here too they succeeded in driving out the defenders , and subsequently spiking the guns and destroying their carriages . Casualties were much lighter this time , with " Topaze " losing one marine killed and five wounded , and the Company having five men wounded . By 7 January 1821 the government of Mocha had acceded to the British terms . Lumley died on 23 July 1821 as " Topaze " arrived at Prince of Wales ' Island ; his widow and infant daughter were on board at the time . He was buried at Penang . Lumley ' s replacement was Commander J . L . Curry . Captain Charles Richardson replaced Curry . Richardson sailed " Topaze " from Penang to China . There local Chinese wounded 14 crewmen who were drawing water at Lintin Island . Cannon fire from " Topaze " killed two Chinese . Consequently , the Chinese expelled the British factory at Canton , and the EIC ' s ships in the Boca Tigris also had to leave . Matters were settled in early 1822 . Richardson then sailed " Topaze " back to India . In May 1822 Commander Price Blackwood ( acting ) replaced Richardson . " Topaze " was paid off in October . Between January and February 1823 " Topaze " underwent fitting as a receiving ship for Portsmouth . She then served in that role until 1850 . Fate . In March 1850 " Topaze " became a target for HMS " Excellent " . " Topaze " was finally broken up in December 1851 .