French schooner Impériale (1805)
The French schooner "Impériale" was a 3-gun mercantile schooner-aviso of the French Navy commissioned at Guadeloupe on 23 September 1805. The Royal Navy captured her on 24 May 1806 and named her HMS "Vigilant". The Navy renamed her HMS "Subtle" on 20 November 1806. She wrecked at Bermuda on 20 October 1807. Capture. On 23 May 1806, "Impériale" left Saintes to capture some merchant vessels at Roseau. The former British cutter , which mutineers had taken four days earlier and delivered to the French at Basse-Terre, joined her. (The French had immediately commissioned "Dominica  under the name Napoléon", and put 75 men aboard her. At Roseau they managed to take one vessel that the British later recaptured. The next day, His Majesty's sloop was anchored at Prince Rupert's Bay, Dominica, when Robert Bell Campbell, "Cygnet"s captain, received information that a cutter and a schooner were nearby. He immediately made the appropriate signals to , which was entering the bay. By 2p.m. "Wasp" had recaptured "Dominica". As "Cygnet" chased "Impériale", the packet ship "Duke of Montrose" joined the chase and at 8pm engaged "Impériale". As "Cygnet" came up, "Impériale" surrendered to "Duke  of Montrose". "Impériale" was armed with three guns and had a crew of 65 men under the command of a "lieutenant de vaisseau". "Impériale" was carrying General Hortrade, not in uniform, and 50 soldiers of the 26th Brigade. "Duke of Montrose", Captain Birt Dynely (or Dyneley), which had been with the convoy in Roseau roads, and had sailed out in pursuit of the two French vessels, had taken on board Lieutenant Wallis and 40 soldiers from the 46th Regiment of Foot. Loss. The Royal Navy took "Impériale" into service as HMS "Vigilant", and commissioned her under the command of Lieutenant  William Dowers. However, there was already a schooner in service, so on 20 November the Navy renamed the ex-"Impériale" HMS "Subtle". "Subtle" was sailing from the Delaware Capes to Barbados when Lieutenant Dowers decided to make for Bermuda as she was short of fresh water and had developed an annoying leak in her breadroom. On 25 October 1807, as "Subtle" sailed through the St George's Channel, sounding her way continuously, she nevertheless grounded. Despite attempts to lighten her, "Subtle" was soon on her side. She had run onto a reef west-northwest of Somerset Island, Bermuda. A current had  driven her some from where Dowers had believed her to be. The wreck occurred at approximately . The crew used "Subtle"s boats to save themselves and no lives were lost. Notes, citations and references. Notes Citations References