French frigate Sémillante ( 1792 ) The Sémillante ( French : " Shiny " or " Sparkling " ) was a 32 - gun frigate of the French Navy , lead ship of her class . She was involved in a number of multi - vessel actions against the Royal Navy , particularly in the Indian Ocean . She captured a number of East Indiamen before she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and turned her into a merchant vessel . The British captured her and broke her up in 1809 . French Revolutionary Wars . Between 1 July and 21 November 1792 " Sémillante " was under the command of " Commandant chevalier " de Bruix , " lieutenant de vaisseau " . She escorted a convoy and carried troops from Lorient to Saint - Domingue . She returned to Lorient from Port - au - Prince with some government officials . de Bruix , was promoted to the rank of " capitaine de vaisseau " and remained captain until 14 May 1793 , with " Sémillante " escorting convoys between Bordeaux and Brest . " Lieutenant de vaisseaux " Gaillard replaced de Bruix . On 21 May 1793 , " Sémillante " captured the Liverpool privateer " Active " . She was under the command of Captain Stephen Bower , and was sailing under a letter of marque dated 2 May 1793 . The letter of marque described her as a sloop of 100 tons burthen ( bm ) , armed with twelve 4 - pounder guns and four swivel gun s , and having a crew of 40 men . The British later recaptured " Active " and sent her into Guernsey . The next day " Sémillante " captured the Guernsey privateer " Betsey " , of 10 guns and 55 men . On 27 May 1794 " Sémillante " encountered the British frigate . In the ensuing combat , which lasted some two hours , " Sémillante " lost 20 men killed and 40 wounded , Gaillard being among the dead . When " Venus " lost her main top mast , " Sémillante " was able to extricate herself and escape to Brest , where she arrived on 2 June . " Enseigne de vaisseaux non entretenu " Garreau replaced Gaillard . Later , " Capitaine de vaisseau " Lemancq took command . In June – July 1794 Lemancq sailed to the United States , returning with a convoy and passengers from the Chesapeake to Brest . In May – June 1795 , " Sémillante " was under the command of " lieutenant de vaisseau " Bertrand ( aîné ) . He sailed her to New York , returning to Lorient . He later received promotion to " capitaine de vaisseau " , and sailed " Sémillante " on a cruise in the Atlantic in May 1796 , before returning to Lorient . The next year he carried passengers from Port Francais in Sainte - Domingue to Guadeloupe and then to Lorient . In 1798 , " Sémillante " took part in the Expédition d ' Irlande , and notably the Battle of Tory Island . At the time she was under the command of " capitaine de frégate " Lacoutre . On 9 April 1799 , " Sémillante " , under the command of " capitaine de frégate " Montalan , along with " Vengeance " and " Cornélie " , encountered and fought and off Belle Île . The engagement was indecisive , with the French ships escaping up the Loire . The British suffered three men killed and 35 wounded . In November – December 1800 Montalan was still captain of " Sémillante " when she carried Citizen Pichon , France ' s commissionaire general for commercial relations , to the United States . In January 1801 " Sémillante " sailed back to Lorient . Napoleonic Wars . Between 15 May 1803 and 17 December , " capitaine de frégate " ( later " capitaine de vaisseau " ) Léonard Motard sailed " Sémillante " to the East Indies . There she destroyed English factories on Sumatra and near the roads of Batavia . In 1804 , " Sémillante " was based at Île de France to engage in commerce raiding . She captured the Honourable East India Company ’ s ships " Fame " and " James Drumond " . " Sémillante " and the frigate " Atalante " were sailing in a squadron under the command of Contre - Admiral Charles - Alexandre Durand Linois with the 74 - gun fourth rate ship of the line " Marengo " . " Sémillante " was in Linois ' squadron at the Battle of Pulo Aura on 15 February 1804 . Linois attacked the Honourable East India Company ' s China Fleet , a large convoy of well - armed merchant ships carrying cargo worth £8 million . Although the entire British fleet consisted of merchantmen , escorted by the East India Company ' s tiny gun - brig " Ganges " , Linois failed to press the attack . Instead , he withdrew with the convoy at his mercy , invoking the anger of Napoleon when the news reached France . On 15 September 1804 , under Motard , together with " Marengo " and " Atalanta " , " Sémillante " participated in the Battle of Vizagapatam . During the battle the three French ships engaged the sole British warship , the 50 - gun . " Sémillante " also captured the East Indiaman " Prince Charlotte " . The French squadron caused a second East Indiaman , the " Barnaby " , to panic and run aground . Despite his overwhelming superiority in firepower , Linois once again withdrew his squadron , leaving " Centurion " to survive . On 3 December , along with " Berceau " , " Sémillante " destroyed and captured seven British merchantmen off Paolo Bay . On 8 June 1806 , she captured the East Indiamen " Acteon " , " Warren Hastings " and " Active " . On 11 November , she encountered and ; an engagement developed on 13 November , which resulted in the retreat of the British ships . Between 15 March and 18 March 1808 , she fought a running battle with , and escaped to Île de France . " Terpsichore " suffered 21 men killed and 20 wounded . " Sémillante " was so seriously damaged that the French removed her armament and decommissioned her on 10 July . Fate . In September Robert Surcouf purchased " Sémillante " , after his own ship , the " Revenant " , had been requisitioned for the defence of the island . He renamed " Sémillante " " Charles " and sailed her to Saint Malo , laden with the spoils of his campaign . He reached there on 5 February 1809 . He then did not go to sea again , though he did arm and fit out privateers . In December 1809 , captured " Charles " . Too old and damaged to be brought into British service , she was broken up .