French brig Entreprenant ( 1808 ) Entreprenant appears to have been a sequence of vessels ( at least two and possibly three ) under the same name and with the same captain , at least initially . She served in the East Indies until the British captured her in 1810 and then had her broken up as unfit for further service . Origins . " Entreprenant " appears to have been a sequence of vessels ( at least two and possibly three ) under the same name and with the same captain , at least initially . In 1806 , " Lieutenant de vaisseau " Pierre Bouvet was a prisoner in Bombay , where he observed the indigenous ships of the patamar type . Back in Isle de France ( now Mauritius ) , Bouvet suggested the use of armed patamars to General Decaen , Governor General of the French possessions in the East Indies , to conduct reconnaissance and raids on the British . At this point , the defence of Isle de France had already led the authorities to purchased civilian ships into service , such as Robert Surcouf ' s 18 - gun privateer " Revenant " . Decaen agreed to construct a ship to test Bouvet ' s ideas . In 1807 , after a six - week construction period , the patamar or felucca was ready . She was armed with an 8 - pounder gun and had a crew of 40 men . She served at Île de Bourbon and cruised the north - west coast of India from 7 December 1807 . During these cruises " Entreprenant " took a number of prizes . One of these was the English merchant brig " Marguerite " , which he had captured in February 1808 . " Marguerite " , under the command of Captain Wilson , was of 270 tons burthen , and carried ten 12 - pounder carronades . When he switched his vessels , Bouvet transferred the name " Entreprenant " as well . Later that year the French constructed a " brig gourable " , This vessel received the name " Entreprenant " , and was commissioned under Bouvet ' s command . Career . In May 1809 , Bouvet was sent to Manila to investigate the fate of " Mouche n° 6 " , under Lieutenant Ducrest de Villeneuve , which had been sent there a few months before and had not returned . On 28 August , " Entreprenant " reached Manila and learned that Borneo had sided for the Allies and interned the crew of " Mouche n° 6 " . Furthermore , the 14 - gun HMS " Antelope " was anchored at Cavite . Anchoring his ship off shore under a flag of truce , Bouvet sent a delegation to demand the release of the crew of " Mouche n° 6 " , with orders to return to " Entreprenant " as soon as the message was delivered . However , the delegation had still not returned the next morning . In order to obtain a clear " casus belli " , Bouvet anchored his ship at the entrance of Manila Bay , but stayed ready to set sail . Soon , " Antelope " and shore batteries opened up on " Entreprenant " , which promptly retreated . Bouvet sailed to Corregidor Island and endeavored to blockade all shipping bound for Manila . After collecting enough prisoners in this way , on 3 September , he released them on parole under promise not to navigate at sea before " Mouche n° 6 " would be released . Bouvet had them convey his ultimatum that if his conditions were not met the next day , he would attack the coasts of the island . The French crew detained in Manila was promptly released and returned to " Entreprenant " . On 20 October , " Entreprenant " encountered a British convoy and detected an isolated sail , which she intercepted by 23 : 00 . The ship was the 18 - gun " Ovidor " , of the Dutch East India Company . She surrendered after the first broadside and was brought to Isle de France with a valuable cargo of Chinese goods , and 200 , 000 Piastres . " Ovidor " , a 550 - tonne ship built in Portugal , was brought into French service as the fluyt " Loire " . In the wake of the Battle of Grand Port , at midnight on 21 August , " Entreprenant " was sent , along with Jacques Hamelin ' s squadron comprising the frigates " Vénus " , " Manche " and " Astrée " , to support the squadron under Guy - Victor Duperré . " Entreprenant " arrived first at the entrance of the harbour , where she encountered HMS " Iphigenia " , under Captain Henry Lambert , which was limping out of the port ; the three frigates sailing behind crushed all hopes for Lambert to escape , and he surrendered . " Entreprenant " was sent to search for HMS " Staunch " but did not find her , though she recaptured " Mouche n°23 " , taken by the British in June . Fate . " Entreprenant " was at the island during the Invasion of Isle de France . She was among the spoils of the campaign but rather than take her into the Royal Navy the British broke her up as unfit for further service .