'L'Hébé' Frigate 1782 (With Plans)

[Ned Loe]

'L'Hébé'

 

Hébé was an 38-gun of the French Navy, lead ship of the Hébé-class frigate.

 

Career

Soon after her commissioning under Captain de Vigny, Hébé was tasked to escort a convoy from Saint Malo to Brest and protect shipping from the depredations of the British Royal Navy in the context of the Anglo-French War.

 

On 3 September 1782, she was chased by the frigate HMS Rainbow, whose 32-pounder chase guns shot away her wheel, allowing the British to catch on and leading to the Action of 4 September 1782. In the ensuing battle, Rainbow devastated Hébé at close range with her newly-introduced carronades. Sustaining severe damage and losses among his crew, Vigny, mistaking Rainbow for a disguised ship of the line and his collapsed foremast preventing him from maneuvering effectively, struck his colors.

 

Hébé was taken in British served first as HMS Hebe, and later renamed HMS Blonde. She was eventually broken up in 1811.

 

Armament:

26 x long 18-pounders

8 x long 8-pounders

 

Hebe Frigate, Very close match.

[Malachi]

That´s L'Hébé herself

 

After her refit by the british, of course.

[akd]

http://threedecks.org/index.php?display_type=show_ship&id=11211

[Malachi]

She was the first of a class of six ships, launched 1782 at St.Malo, captured the same year by the Royal Navy.

La Prosérpine/HMS Amelia, the one Freddy is working on, was one of these six, but with a markedly worse performance (9 knots close-hauled and 11 ^1/2 knots large are the highest speeds recorded)

 

L'Hébé had the standard Sané 18-pounder frigate dimensions (in pied de roi)

 

142' 6''

 36' 8''

 19'

 

Very good all-round frigate, 13 knots sailing large, 10 ^1/2  knots close-hauled, weatherly, stiff under sail and an easy seaboat. The british Leda-class was based on her lines (but the only thing they have in common is the shape of the underwater hull). In the french navy the Hébé-class was followed by Sané´s Virginie-, Horténse- and ultimately Pallas-class, with a couple of inches added to the dimensions and a slightly reduced tumblehome.

[Ned Loe]

She was the first of a class of six ships, launched 1782 at St.Malo, captured the same year by the Royal Navy. Proserpine (HMS Amelia), the one Freddy is working on, was one of them.

 

She had the standard Sané 18-pounder frigate dimensions (in pied de roi)

 

142' 6''

 36' 8''

 19'

 

Very good all-round frigate, 13 knots sailing large, 10 ^1/2  knots close-hauled, weatherly, stiff under sail and an easy seaboat. The british Leda-class was based on her lines (but the only thing they have in common is the shape of the underwater hull). In the french navy the Hébé-class was followed by Sané´s Virginie-, Horténse- and ultimately Pallas-class, with a couple of inches added to the dimensions and a slightly reduced tumblehome.

Did she carry any stern/ bow chasers? She reminds me of Belle Poule, but with much heavier gun deck. Beautiful ship and could be a nice addition to NA fleet. 

[Malachi]

No bow chasers on the upper gun deck for most of the Sané 18-pounders, but not a few had an 15th gun port that allowed firing one gun from a lee - or windward position to the ship being chased, which was by far the most common chase situation. The 8-pounders on the forecastle could fire directly forward if needed. The most aftermost guns on the upper gun deck could be used as stern-chasers, firing through the 2nd and 4th window of the great cabin.

 

Beautiful ship and could be a nice addition to NA fleet.

 

 

Well, Freddy is doing an awesome job on La Prosérpine, so we might get one ingame rather soonish

[akd]

The circumstances of her capture are interesting: taken by a very old (1745) 44-gun frigate rearmed entirely with carronades. The French captain either genuinely mistook the smaller two-deck frigate for an SoL or used that as a convenient excuse to strike after firing a single broadside.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_of_4_September_1782

[Malachi]

I wouldn´t call Rainbow a frigate, it was 44-gun ship the 1745 Establishment, a miniature ship of the line.

[Ned Loe]

I wouldn´t call Rainbow a frigate, it was 44-gun ship the 1745 Establishment, a miniature ship of the line.

2 decker

 

1747 HMS Rainbow, 44 guns

 

20 × 18lbs

20 × 9lbs

4 × 6lbs

[akd]

They were referred to as frigates, but regardless, unarguably a 5th rate, and 200 less tons burthen than L'Hébé.

 

At the time of her meeting with L'Hébé, HMS Rainbow carried:

 

20x 68pdr carronade

22x 42pdr carronade

6x 32pdr carronade

[maturin]

They were frigates in terms of role. Cruisers and escorts.

[Ned Loe]

They were referred to as frigates, but regardless, unarguably a 5th rate, and 200 less tons burthen than L'Hébé.

 

At the time of her meeting with L'Hébé, HMS Rainbow carried:

 

20x 68pdr carronade

22x 42pdr carronade

6x 32pdr carronade

Jesus. That is insane. I bet it felt like Reason from early potbs with maxed out damage. It hit so hard it could 1 shot a frigate through the stern. 

[Alex Connor]

I wouldn´t call Rainbow a frigate, it was 44-gun ship the 1745 Establishment, a miniature ship of the line.

Indeed, and while the french captain initially (and correctly) identified the Rainbow as a small 44 or 50 gun ship, this was before carronades were known to the french and a 2 decker with 32lb guns would ordinarily be a 74.

 

Hard to tell scale at sea.