HMS Canopus ( 1798 ) HMS " Canopus was an 84 - gun third rate ship of the line of the British Royal Navy . She had previously served with the French Navy as the " Tonnant " - class Franklin " , but was captured after less than a year in service by the British fleet under Rear Admiral Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in 1798 . Having served for less than six months for the French from her completion in March 1798 to her capture in August that year , she would eventually serve for 89 years for the British . Her career began as the flagship of Rear - Admiral Armand Blanquet du Chayla , second in command at the Battle of the Nile , where she distinguished herself with her fierce resistance before being forced to surrender with over half her crew dead or wounded , and most of her guns disabled . Taken into British service she was refitted and served as the flagship of several admirals . Commanded by Francis Austen " Canopus " was Rear - Admiral Thomas Louis ' s flagship in the Mediterranean under Nelson , and narrowly missed the fighting at Trafalgar . She saw action with Duckworth ' s fleet at the Battle of San Domingo , and remained with him during the attempt to force the Dardanelles , and the operations in support of the Alexandria expedition in 1807 . She remained active against the French in the Mediterranean for the rest of the Napoleonic Wars , helping to drive ashore two large French ships of the line in a notable incident in 1809 . " Canopus " remained in service after the end of the wars , serving as a flagship into the mid - nineteenth century , but as sail gave way to steam , she was relegated to support duties in Devonport , becoming a receiving ship , tender and a mooring hulk . She was eventually sold for breaking up in 1887 , after nearly ninety years in British service . Construction and French career . " Franklin " was built to a design by Jacques - Noël Sané at the Toulon shipyard between November 1794 and March 1798 , having been launched on 25 June 1797 . She was named after the American scientist and politician Benjamin Franklin . Commanded by Captain Maurice Gillet and flying the flag of Rear - Admiral Armand Blanquet du Chayla , " Franklin " was one of the ships that accompanied Vice Admiral François - Paul Brueys ' s fleet , carrying Napoleon Bonaparte and the French troops to invade Egypt . " Franklin " was anchored with Brueys ' s fleet in Aboukir Bay on 1 August , when they were discovered in the evening by a British fleet under Rear - Admiral Horatio Nelson . Nelson ordered his fleet to attack immediately , with the British forces moving on the French van , doubling their line . Brueys was taken by surprise , having expected the British to attack his rear and centre , where he had consequently placed his heaviest ships , including the " Franklin " . " Franklin " did not therefore enter the engagement until later that evening , as the French van surrendered and the British ships moved down the line to engage the remaining ships . " Franklin " s fight . " Franklin " , positioned just ahead of Brueys ' s flagship , the 120 - gun " Orient " , and astern of the 74 - gun " Peuple Souverain " , came under fire from , and . The British ships and the French centre exchanged a heavy fire , with the British being joined by the newly arrived , and . As Du Chayla later recalled ' The action in this part then became extremely warm . ' The two sides were intensely engaged for the next hour , during which the " Peuple Souverain " was forced out of the line , and the " Orient " caught fire . As the fire on " Orient " raged out of control , the nearby French and British ships scrambled to escape the anticipated explosion . " Orient " s magazine blew up at 9 : 37 p . m . , obliterating her and sending burning debris raining down on the nearby ships . Large amounts fell upon the " Franklin " , starting fires which caused the arms locker to explode and set fire to the poop and quarterdeck . For a while it seemed that " Franklin " would also be burnt , but her crew were able to put out the fires . With Brueys killed aboard " Orient " , Du Chayla now became commander . Both he and Captain Gillet had been seriously wounded and taken below , but he continued to order the attack . The brief quiet that had resulted from the explosion of the " Orient " was broken by " Franklin " s guns , and the battle resumed . She fought for another hour , but by then she had lost her main and mizzenmasts , nearly all of her cannons had been knocked out , and over half her crew were dead or wounded . She finally struck her colours . British service . Mediterranean and San Domingo . The " Franklin " was one of nine ships captured by the British at the Nile , and she was taken into service with the Royal Navy , being registered under the name HMS " Canopus " on 9 December 1798 . She was sent back to Britain under the command of Captain Bartholomew James , and arrived at Plymouth on 17 July 1799 . She briefly became the flagship of Admiral Philip Affleck for service off Lisbon , but was paid off into ordinary in August that year . She began a refit at Plymouth in August 1801 , but the work was suspended incomplete in November that year , and was only completed in January 1803 . She recommissioned in April that year under the command of Captain John Conn , and became the flagship of Rear - Admiral George Campbell . " Canopus " was sent in August 1803 to join the Mediterranean Fleet , based off Toulon under Nelson . Conn was succeeded in February 1805 by Captain Francis Austen , and " Canopus " became the flagship of Rear - Admiral Thomas Louis . " Canopus " narrowly missed being present at the Battle of Trafalgar , having been sent to Gibraltar with Louis ' s squadron to resupply . She returned to Britain in mid - 1806 , where she was taken in hand at Plymouth for repairs , which were completed in August at a cost of £31 , 804 . In January 1806 she joined Vice - Admiral Sir John Thomas Duckworth ' s squadron in the pursuit of Corentin Urbain Leissègues , and took part in the Battle of San Domingo on 6 February , engaging the 74 - gun " Diomède " among other ships . " Canopus " sustained casualties of eight dead and 22 wounded . Thomas Shortland became captain of " Canopus " in July 1806 , and sailed to the Mediterranean with Duckworth ' s squadron , still flying Louis ' s flag . She took part in the attempt to force the Dardanelles on 19 January , and in subsequent operations in support of the Alexandria expedition , during which nine Turkish vessels were captured or destroyed . Shortland was succeeded by Captain Charles Inglis in 1808 , and became the flagship of Rear - Admiral George Martin . " Canopus " was attached to the Mediterranean Fleet under Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood and in October 1809 was part of the fleet that gave chase to a French convoy and their escorts under Rear - Admiral François Baudin in the Gulf of Lyons . The French were chased into the mouth of the Rhone , where the 80 - gun " Robuste " and the 74 - gun " Lion " were driven aground , and after attempts to salvage them had failed , the French were forced to burn them . " Canopus " became the flagship of Rear - Admiral Charles Boyles between 1811 and 1812 , after which she was paid off into ordinary again . Postwar . A large repair was carried at Plymouth for the sum of £78 , 909 between March 1814 and March 1816 , but with the end of the Napoleonic Wars she was laid up for a number of years . " Canopus " was fitted for sea at Plymouth in May 1834 , and underwent further repairs between December 1839 and May 1842 . She was prepared for sea again in early 1845 , spending time under the command of Fairfax Moresby , before being laid up at Plymouth in 1848 . She was fitted out there as a receiving ship between June and October 1862 , and served as a tender to , the Devonport guardship . " Canopus " became a mooring hulk in 1869 , with her masts being removed in April 1878 . She was finally sold after 89 years service with the Royal Navy in October 1887 to J . Pethick , and was broken up .