French frigate Aigle ( 1782 ) HMS " Aigle " was the French frigate " Aigle " , launched in 1780 as a privateer , that the French navy purchased in 1782 . The British captured her that same year and took her into the Royal Navy as a 38 - gun fifth rate under her existing name . During the French Revolutionary Wars she served primarily in the Mediterranean , where she wrecked in 1798 . French career . In early 1782 , Captain Latouche assumed command of " Aigle " , which , along with the frigate " Gloire " , under Captain de Vallongue , ferried funds and equipment for the fleet of Admiral Vaudreil . On their way , " Aigle " and " Gloire " skirmished with the 74 - gun HMS " Hector " in the night Action of 5 September 1782 ; " Hector " was sailing to Hallifax with a prize crew , in a convoy under Rear - admiral Graves . The reduced crew of " Hector " allowed the frigates to battle her in spite of her overwhelmingly superior artillery ; she was saved from captured when the morning revealed the rest of the convoy and Latouche decided to retreat . " Aigle " and " Gloire " captured off the Delaware River on 10 September 1782 . Three days later , a small British squadron consisting of , , and the prize " Sophie " , led by Captain G . K . Elphinston in , sighted the three vessels anchored in the Delaware River off Cape Henlopen Light . The British set out in chase , but the French were able to navigate the sandbanks with the help of " Racoon " s pilot , who agreed to help the French for a payment of 500 Louis d ' or . Still , " Aigle " ran aground , which enabled the British to capture her , and with her all of " Racoon " s crew . " Aigle " had had on board some senior French officers , who escaped ashore , as did the now - wealthy pilot . Latouche had cut away her masts in an attempt to lighten her , and when that failed , had had holes bored in her hull . He remained with her and struck her colours on 15 September . Despite the attempts to scuttle " Aigle " , the British were able to refloat her and took her into service under her own name . " Gloire " and " Racoon " escaped . British career . The British commissioned " Aigle " under Captain Richard Creyk in December 1782 for the Leeward Islands station . She was paid off in August 1783 . In December 1792 Captain John Nicholson Inglefield commissioned " Agile " . On 7 April 1793 he sailed for the Mediterranean . Shortly thereafter , the British were dissatisfied with the actions of the neutral Genoa , in allowing the French frigate and two French tartane s to ' insult ' and ' molest ' " Aigle " while she was also in Genoa . On 10 August 1794 , " Aigle " was present at the surrender of Calvi , on the island of Corsica . She therefore shared in the first grant of £6000 in prize money . In 1795 Captain Samuel Hood took command . On 9 December 1795 , the French frigate " Sensible " and corvette " Sardine " captured while she was at anchor in the neutral port of Smyrna . " Nemesis " did not resist but Samuel Hood Linzee , captain of " Nemesis " , protested the illegality of the action . The British frigates " Aigle " and blockaded the three ships until Ganteaume ' s squadron drove the British ships off . The French sailed " Nemesis " to Tunis in January 1796 , but the British recaptured her on 9 March . Samuel Hood ' s replacement , in April 1797 , was Captain Charles Tyler . In 1797 " Aigle " captured several French privateers . On 13 June she captured a brig of six guns and 24 men off Lisbon . The vessel was eight days out of Bordeaux , on her way to Île de France . On 16 April , " Aigle " was in company with when " Boston " captured the French privateer " Enfant de la Patrie " . " Enfant de la Patrie " was armed with 16 guns and had a crew of 130 men . She surrendered after a chase of six hours , and after her captain , who reportedly was drunk , had fired at " Boston " and run into her , with the result that five of his men were killed , he himself drowned , and ten men were wounded . On 12 June , " Aigle " and " Boston " captured the French brig " Henrietté " . " Henrietté " ( or " Hariotte " ) , was a privateer of six guns . Then on 30 July , she , with " Boston " in company , captured the French privateer lugger " Hazard " of eight guns and 50 men . " Hazard " was from Bayonne , but on this cruise she had last left Corunna . She had made no captures . Then on 13 August " Aigle " captured the French privateer lugger " La Manche " ( or " La Mouche " ) , of eight guns and eight swivel gun s , and 49 men . She was 13 days out of Nantes and had made no captures . She was sent into Lisbon and sold there . Four days later , Tyler observed two vessels sailing out of the Bay of Lax . He ordered his lugger to cut them out . The weather prevented the lugger from bringing one out , a brig , so Tyler had her cargo of rice taken out and then burnt the vessel , which was Spanish , bound for Corunna . On 13 October , " Aigle " and " Boston " captured the Spanish packet ship " Patagon " . She was sent into Lisbon and sold there . At the end of November , on the 30th , " Aigle " captured a French privateer of four guns and 52 men . She had taken three English merchant vessels and sent one into Lachs Bay . Tyler sent " Aigle " s master , Mr . Tritton , with 20 men to bring her out . She turned out to be the " Requin " . That same evening they also captured a Spanish ship with a cargo of sardines , and sent her into Lisbon . The day after Christmas , " Aigle " was in company with chased three vessels into the bay of Corunna , where they captured their quarry . Tyler left " Aurora " in charge of the prizes while he chased a strange sail . When he got back , he discovered that one had capsized , but her crew had been saved . The two remaining prizes were carrying hemp , coals , and nails . On 4 January 1798 " Aigle " captured a French privateer off the coast of Corunna . The privateer carried 20 guns and crew of 90 men . She was eight days out of Lorient and had not made any captures . Tyler noted that the prize was coppered and a fast sailer . She turned out to be the " Minerve " . On 13 January captured the French privateer " Henri " , from Nantes . She carried 14 guns , five of which she had thrown overboard during the chase . She also had a crew of 108 men . She had been cruising for five days but had taken nothing . Captain Richard Williams of " Gorgon " put a prize crew aboard and took her with him into Lisbon . The prize crew consisted mostly of 16 men from " Aigle " , plus Mr . Tritton . Fate . " Aigle " was under Tyler ' s command when she wrecked on Plane Island off Cape Farina , Tunisia , due to an error in navigation . All the crew were saved . Tyler was also acquitted of the loss .