French frigate Uranie
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French frigate Uranie

renamed Tartu in honour of Jean-François Tartu


Country of Registry
France
Inception
1788
Vessel Type
ship

* This information from Wikidata is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License

The French frigate Uranie, launched in 1788, was a notable vessel of the French Navy with a distinguished service record. While specific details about her dimensions and construction are not provided in the source, her operational history highlights her significance during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Uranie gained fame during the naval conflicts of the French Revolutionary Wars, most notably in 1793, during a frigate action where she engaged the British HMS Thames. Under the command of Captain Jean-François Tartu, Uranie managed to reduce HMS Thames to a hulk before disengaging. Tragically, Captain Tartu was killed in this engagement and was celebrated as a hero, leading to the frigate's renaming in his honor as Tartu. In 1797, Uranie was captured by the British Royal Navy during the action of 24 October and was subsequently commissioned into British service as HMS Uranie. During her time with the Royal Navy, she continued active operations, including a successful capture on 28 July 1800 of the French privateer schooner Revanche. The Revanche was armed with fourteen 6-pounder guns and carried a crew of 80 men; she had been out of Vigo for 19 days, during which she captured other vessels including the Portuguese brig Marcus and a Spanish brig. Uranie's service also involved rescue operations; on 1 September 1804, she foundered at sea, but she was able to save her crew and part of her cargo. Her later career included an engagement in 1807 against the French frigate Manche, which she failed to capture. This failure led to a court martial of her captain due to accusations of not doing his utmost to bring the enemy to action, reflecting the challenges and pressures of naval warfare during this period. Overall, Uranie's history reflects her role as an active and resilient vessel during the tumultuous years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, participating in significant naval actions and demonstrating the fluidity of naval assets between the French and British navies.

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

Ships

4 ship citations (0 free) in 3 resources

Tartu, ex-Uranie (1788) Subscribe to view
Uranie (1788) Subscribe to view
Uranie (1797) Subscribe to view
Uranie, 1797-1807, 5th Rate 18pdr ex-French prize Subscribe to view