French frigate Volontaire (1796)

Volontaire was a 40-gun Virginie-class frigate frigate of the French Navy.

On 20 November 1798, along with Insurgente, Volontaire, under Captain Laurent, captured the 14-gun corvette USS Retaliation (1798).

She took part in the Atlantic campaign of 1806 and was captured by HMS Diadem (1782) on 4 March 1806. She sailed into Table Bay, unaware that the British had captured Cape Town. Diadem, flying a Dutch flag, came alongside. When Diadem ran up the British flag, Volontaire surrendered.

The Royal Navy took her into service as HMS Volontaire. Captain Josceline Percy commissioned her and sailed her to St Helena. There he took charge of a convoy for England.

The transports Anacreon and Charlotte sailed from the Cape of Good Hope on 11 March 1806 bound for France as cartels carrying Volontaire's crew.

On 21 March, Volontaire sailed as escort to 17 transports in a convoy to Great Britain carrying invalids and Dutch prisoners.

In 1809, she took part in the Battle of Maguelone.

Fate
Volontaire was broken up in February 1826.