French ship Experiment (1779)

Experiment was a 50-gun ship of the line of the British Royal Navy. Captured by Sagittaire during the War of American Independence, she was recommissioned in the French Navy, where she served into the 1800s.

British service
Sometime in January/February, 1778 she rescued the crew of the armed Brigantine Rawleigh as the ship sank. On 6 January, 1778 her tender "Hawk" captured sloop Lee in Delaware Bay off the Maurice River with credit for the prize going to Experiment. On 8 January, 1778, under the command of Captain Sir James Wallace, she captured merchant sloop Morning Star approximately 475 miles off Cape Henlopen. On 11 January she captured Danish flagged schooner Willing Maid 294 miles off Cape Henlopen sailing to North Carolina from Curacao. On 13 January, 1778 she captured brigantine Sally approximately 160 miles off Cape Henlopen. On 14 January, 1778 she captured Dutch ship Vrouw Margaretta 130 miles off Cape Henlopen. On 6 February she captured Rhode Island privateer sloop Montgomery 200 miles off Sandy Hook (39°N, -72°W). On 11 February she captured sloop Dolphin 218 miles off Sandy Hook, Dolphin sent to New York but was wrecked on Long Island in a snow storm between March 1 and 7. Sometime in February she captured schooner Newport. On 11 May 1778, still Captained by Sir James Wallace, she captured New Hampshire Privateer "Portsmouth" off Chedabucto Head, Nova Scotia. On 28 May 1778 she captured the 16 gun Massachusetts privateer brig "Wexford" near Cape Sable Island ((43.16667°N, -65°W)). She captured 3 prizes off Cape Henry in January, 1779. When the French attempted to invade Jersey in 1779, Admiral Mariot Arbuthnot, who had left Spithead with a squadron escorting a convoy en route to North America, sent the convoy in to Torbay and proceeded to the relief of Jersey with his ships. However, when he arrived he found that Captain Ford of HMS Unicorn (1776) had the situation well in hand. The French flotilla retreated to Saint-Malo, but then anchored at Coutances. A British squadron under Wallace in Experiment attacked the French in the action of 13 May 1779 in Cancale Bay. The British managed to set Valeur (6 guns), FRENCH SHIP Écluse (8), and Guêpe (6) on fire, though the French were able to salvage Ecluse and Guêpe after the British withdrew. The British also captured the 32-gun frigate Danae along with a brig, and a sloop.

French service
On 23 September, Sagittaire captured the 50-gun HMS Experiment, which carried 118,819 piastres. Experiment was coppered and had excellent nautical qualities. In late 1779, she returned to Toulon, along with Sagittaire.

In 1780, Experiment was captained by Martelly Chautard. On 1 May 1780, she departed Marseille, escorting 33 merchantmen to Saint-Pierre de la Martinique. She arrived on 16 June and joined a squadron under Bouillé. She then took part in the Invasion of Tobago in June 1781.

In early September 1781, she was part of a division stationed off James River and York River to secure communications channels between Grasse's squadron and Saint-Simon's expeditionary corps, along with Glorieux, Triton and Vaillant, and the frigates Andromaque and Diligente.

In early 1782, command of Experiment went to Charles de Médine. In March 1782, Médine transferred to Réfléchi and Experiment was under Fleuriot de Langle, with La Monneraye as first officer.

In March, Experiment departed France to join the French squadron off Rhode Island, along with Sagittaire, under Montluc de la Bourdonnaye. In April 1782, De Grasse sent them to escort a convoy and put them out of danger from Hood's squadron.

In 1786, Experiment cruised off Africa with Pandour, Boulonnaise and Rossignol.

In 1794, Experiment was razéed into a frigate. In September 1794, under Lieutenant Arnaud, she was part of a division also comprising Vigilance, FRENCH FRIGATE Félicité, Épervier, and FRENCH SHIP Mutine, cruising the West African coast, destroying British factories and shipping. Among many other vessels they captured two Sierra Leone Company vessels, Harpy and Thornton, Sayford, master. They retained Harpy but destroyed Thornton. In August or December, Experiment captured a ship, possibly Princess Royal.

Fate
Experiment was used as a horse transport from December 1797, and hulked in Rochefort on 23 August 1802.