French frigate Gentille (1778)
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Gentille was an Iphigénie-class 32-gun frigate of the French Navy.
| History | |
|---|---|
   France | |
| Name | Gentille |
| Namesake | "nice" |
| Ordered | 17 August 1779 |
| Builder | Saint-Malo[1] |
| Laid down | July 1777 |
| Launched | 18 June 1778 |
| In service | August 1778 |
| Captured | 11 April 1795 |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class & type | Iphigénie-class frigate |
| Displacement | 1,150 tonneaux |
| Tons burthen | 620 port tonneaux |
| Length | 44.2 metres |
| Beam | 11.2 metres |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Armament | 32 guns |
French service
In 1779, Gentille was under Mengaud de la Haye. On 17 August 1779, she and Junon, under Bernard de Marigny, captured the 64-gun HMS Ardent.[1]
On 26 April 1780, Gentille and Iphigénie captured HMS Fortune off Barbuda.[3] The frigates belonged to Guichen’s squadron.
On 19 February 1781, in Chesapeake Bay, Gentille along with the 64-gun Eveillé, the frigate Surveillante, and the cutter Guêpe.[1][4] captured the 44-gun HMS Romulus, In September, she ferried troops from Annapolis to the James River to support the Siege of Yorktown.[1]
During the War of the First Coalition, Gentille cruised the Atlantic under Lieutenant Canon. She was captured by the 74-gun HMS Hannibal and Robust in the action of 10 April 1795.[1]
Fate
Gentille was broken up in 1802.[2]