French corvette Décius (1795)

Décius was appointed to the Saint Martin station in 1796, under Lieutenant Louis-André Senez. On 27 November, she took part in the French invasion of Anguilla, along with the gun-brig Vaillante, and three schooners.^[2] In the raid, the French captured 21 ships and took 900 prisoners. Returning to Guadeloupe, the French flotilla encountered the frigate HMS Lapwing, under Captain R. Barton. Décius engaged Lapwing in order to cover the retreat of the weaker ships, and fought for two hours before striking her colours.^[2]

Lapwing then destroyed Vaillante, and took possession of Décius. Barton found that she had suffered about 80 men killed and 40 wounded. He took 170 prisoners. The next day two French frigates, Thétis and Pensée,^[3] chased Lapwing. Barton took the prisoners aboard Lapwing and set fire to Décius. Lapwing then returned to St Kitts.^[4]

• Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.
• Quintin, Danielle; Quintin, Bernard (2003). Dictionnaire des capitaines de Vaisseau de Napoléon (in French). S.P.M. ISBN 2-901952-42-9.
• Troude, Onésime-Joachim (1867). Batailles navales de la France (in French). Vol. 3. Challamel ainé.
• Winfield, Rif; Roberts, Stephen S. (2015). French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786–1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84832-204-2.