French frigate Surveillante (1778)

Battle between the French frigate Surveillante and the British frigate Quebec, 6 October 1779, by Auguste-Louis Rossel de Cercy (detail)
History
French Navy EnsignFrance
NameSurveillante
NamesakeFrench for "monitor, supervisor"
BuilderLorient
Laid downAugust 1777
Launched26 March 1778
CommissionedMay 1778
DecommissionedJanuary 1797
FateScuttled 1796
General characteristics
Class and typeIphigénie-class frigate
Displacement620 tons (French)
Length44.2 m (145 ft 0 in)
Beam11.2 m (36 ft 9 in)
Draught4.9 m (16 ft 1 in)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Armament

Surveillante [syʁ.vɛ.jɑ̃t] was an Iphigénie-class 32-gun frigate of the French Navy. She took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, where she became famous for her battle with HMS Quebec; in 1783, she brought the news that the war was over to America. She later took part in the French Revolutionary Wars, and was eventually scuttled during the Expédition d'Irlande after sustaining severe damage in a storm. The wreck was found in 1979 and is now a memorial.
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