HMS Jason was a 38-gun Artois-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy, built during the early 1790s. Laid down at John Dudman's yard in Deptford in April 1793, she was launched on 3 April 1794 and completed by 25 July 1794. The vessel's construction cost £16,632, which increased to a total of £22,567 once fitting for service was included. Designed as a frigate for active service, HMS Jason was commissioned in May 1794 under her first commander, Captain James Douglas, and later served under Captain Charles Stirling. Her initial deployment was in the English Channel, where she became notable for her aggressive engagements against French shipping. During her service, she captured several French vessels, including privateers and naval ships. Notably, HMS Jason participated in the Quiberon expedition in October 1795 as part of John Borlase Warren’s squadron and was instrumental in thwarting French privateering efforts, capturing vessels such as the 14-gun privateer Marie, the 24-gun privateer Coureur, and the 12-gun Bonne Citoyenne. Her successes extended into 1798, with captures of the 6-gun privateer Arrogante off Brest and, in cooperation with HMS Pique, the 38-gun frigate Seine in the Breton Passage on 30 June 1798. Some of her captured vessels, including Marie, Arrogante, and Seine, were taken into Royal Navy service under new names, such as HMS Halifax, HMS Insolent, and HMS Seine, respectively. HMS Jason’s career was cut short when she struck an uncharted rock off Brest on 13 October 1798 and sank. Her loss marked one of the few frigates to be wrecked during the perilous blockade of Brest, alongside other ships of her class and HMS Ethalion, which was lost the following year. Her brief but active service exemplifies the intense naval conflict of the French Revolutionary Wars and the perilous nature of blockade duty during this period.

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