Hired armed cutter Nile The Royal Navy employed at least two cutters designated as the Hired armed cutter Nile during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars . First hired armed cutter " Nile " . The first hired armed cutter " Nile " had a burthen of 136 tons . She was armed with ten 12 - pounder carronade s and two 6 - pounder bow guns . Her contract ran from 29 March 1799 to 21 November 1801 . From at least May her commander was Lieutenant George Argles . " Nile " and Argeles captured the brig " Assistance , A . H . Stark , master , on 12 October 1800 . One month later , on 13 November , the hired armed cutters " Nile " and " Lurcher " captured the French brig " Prothee " . Five days later they captured a French privateer brig of 14 guns . Four days later , on 17 November , Captain Sir Richard Strachan in chased a French convoy in to the Morbihan where it sheltered under the protection of shore batteries and the 20 - gun corvette " Réolaise " . Lieutenant Argles skillful maneuvered " Nile " , as the first British vessel up , kept the corvette from the north shore . was then able to force the corvette onto the shore at Port Navale , though she got off again . The hired armed cutter " Suworow " then towed in four boats with Lieutenant Hennah of " Captain " and a cutting - out party of seamen and marines . " Nile " and " Lurcher " towed in four more boats from " Magicienne " . Although the cutting - out party landed under heavy fire of grape and musketry , it was able to set the corvette on fire ; shortly thereafter she blew up . Only one British seaman , a crewman from " Suworow " , was killed ; seven men from " Captain " were wounded . However , " Suworow ' s " sails and rigging were so badly cut up that " Captain " had to tow her . " Nile " captured a merchant vessel that was then burnt . On 7 December 1800 , " Nile " discovered a convoy of 15 or 16 small vessels coming round the point of Croisic near the mouth of the river Vilaine in Quiberon Bay . " Lurcher " joined " Nile " and together the two cutters captured or destroyed nine vessels at a cost of only one man wounded on " Lurcher " , despite fire from shore batteries . The four largest were decked and Argles believed that they could be sailed back to England . The others were not . The four largest had been sailing from Boulogne to Brest with cargoes of brandy and wine . They were : On 8 February 1801 " Nile " came into Plymouth from Quiberon with the officers of , which had wrecked there , with no loss of life , but with 20 of her men captured when they reached shore . " Nile " went in with a flag of truce to ascertain their fate . Earlier during this cruise , Lieutenant Argles and " Nile " drove on shore a cutter of sixteen 12 - pounders and a lugger of twelve 9 - pounders . She tried to recover them but was driven off by heavy fire from shore batteries . At high tide the French were able to recover the two vessels , though fire from " Nile " had damaged them badly , and take them into Morbihan . " Nile " shared with , , and the hired armed cutter " Flirt " in the proceeds of the capture of the " San Pedro D ' Alcantare " . " San Pedro D ' Alcantare " was captured on 27 July 1801 . On the same day " Nile " also captured the " Egalité " . On 22 October " Nile " brought into Plymouth the Swedish brig " Assistansen " , Alex Stark , master . She had been sailing from Bayonne to Stockholm with a cargo of rosin . Second hired armed cutter " Nile " . The second hired armed cutter " Nile " had a burthen of 166 tons . She was armed with ten 12 - pounder carronade s and two 6 - pounder bow guns . Her contract ran from 30 May 1804 to 1 March 1805 . In 1804 she was renamed " Phyllis " . In 1806 she resumed the name " Nile " and served a second contract , this time from 18 February 1806 to 12 December 1806 . " Nile " , under the command of Lieutenant John Nugent , recaptured several vessels in 1804 : " Excellent " ( 21 June ) , " Mary " of Newcastle ( 6 July ) , and " Providence " ( 7 July ) . On 23 July " Nile " recaptured the " Albion " . Then on 3 September " Nile " captured the " Nostra Senora del Bon Voiage " . While in command of " Nile " , Nugent chased a praam on shore off Fecamp , recaptured five brigs , and drove on shore and destroyed , off St . Valery , the french lugger " Etoile " . In 1806 " Nile " captured the American brig " Truxton " on 20 April . Then she captured the French chasse maree " Elizabeth " 30 June and the sloop " Susannah Margaretta " on 14 July . This may be the cutter " Nile " that the Royal Navy purchased and registered on 3 November 1806 . His Majesty ' s cutter " Nile " , Lieutenant James Lloyd , captured the American ship " Bristol Packet " , William Day , master , on 5 February 1807 . On 25 December 1807 she captured the " Industry " .