French ship Espérance (1781)
 The Recherche and Espérance, by François Roux
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
  France | |
| Name | Espérance |
| Namesake | Hope |
| Builder | Toulon |
| Laid down | June 1780 |
| Launched | 14 August 1781 |
| Christened | Durance |
| Commissioned | 30 October 1781 |
| Out of service | 28 October 1794 |
| Reclassified | Frigate in 1791 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Rhône class |
| Type | scow |
| Displacement | c. 350 tonnes |
| Length | 37 metres |
| Beam | 8.3 m |
| Draught | 4.2 m |
| Propulsion | Sail |
| Sail plan | Full rigged ship |
| Complement | 200 |
| Armament | 6 8-pounders and two carronades |
| Armour | Timber |
The Espérance was a Rhône class scow of the French Navy, later reclassified as a frigate. She earned fame as one of the ships of Bruni d'Entrecasteaux' expedition, along with Recherche. Esperance was named after her.
Career
The ship was built as Durance and served in de Grasse's squadron as a troopship.
Along with Recherche, she departed from Brest on 29 September 1791 for an exploration mission in search of Lapérouse, sailing to New Caledonia under Captain Huon de Kermadec.
On 28 October 1793, she was captured by the Dutch at Surabaya, only to be restituted to France in February 1794. In September, she was sold to Holland, and two months later she was sold for scrap.
Sources and references
- Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire de la flotte française de 1671 à nos jours, Tome I, p. 180