HMS Arab was originally the French corvette Jean Bart, launched in 1793. Designed by Pierre Duhamel, Jean Bart was armed with either 18 or 20 guns and carried a crew of approximately 110 to 120 men. She was built for cruising in the Channel, North Sea, and Atlantic waters, including as far as New York. In her early service, under Lieutenant de vaisseau Néel, she captured the West Indiaman Active in March 1795, sinking her after taking aboard her crew. Later that month, Jean Bart encountered British Royal Navy ships HMS Cerberus and Santa Margarita in the Channel. She was captured on 29 March 1795 while sailing to Brest with dispatches from the French minister in the United States. At the time of her capture, she had a crew of about 118, including one American, and was carrying dispatches, which she attempted to discard by throwing them overboard. The British prize crew retrieved the packets, and the vessel was taken into the Royal Navy. Renamed HMS Arab, she was registered on 6 October 1795 and underwent fitting at Portsmouth for £515. She was commissioned later that year under Commander Stephen Seymour and assigned to the Channel squadron under Sir John Borlase Warren. Her service was brief; on 9 June 1796, while pursuing a cutter and a brig, she struck a rock near the Glénan Islands. Despite efforts to pull free, water flooded her vessel, and she was forced to be abandoned. The sinking resulted in the loss of Commander Seymour, the ship’s surgeon, and 20 crew members. The survivors, numbering around 80, were captured by the French. Only seven officers were exchanged and returned to Britain on the cartel Displai in July 1796. HMS Arab’s short service history highlights her role in the naval conflicts of the period and her ultimate loss illustrates the hazards faced by ships operating in treacherous waters.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.