French corvette Blonde (1781)

Blonde was a Coquette-class corvette of the French Navy, launched in 1781. The British Royal Navy captured her in 1793 and sold her in 1794, without apparently ever actually having taken her into service. Mercantile interests purchased her and initially named her Prince, but then renamed her Princess. She became a whaler until a French privateer captured her in 1796 during Princess's first whaling voyage.

For other ships with the same name, see HMS Blonde and French ship Blonde.
Blonde
History
France
NameBlonde
Ordered20 April 1780
BuilderToulon Dockyard
Laid downMay 1780
Launched6 January 1781, or 5 January
CompletedFebruary 1781
Captured27 November 1793
Great Britain
NameBlond
AcquiredNovember 1793 by capture
FateSold in 1794
Great Britain
NamePrince
Acquired1794 by purchase
RenamedPrincess (1795)
Captured1796
General characteristics
Class and typeCoquette
Displacement480 (unladen); 850 (laden) tons (French)
Tons burthen
  • Prince: 640 (bm)
  • Princess: 531, or 650, or 680
Length
  • Overall:38.65 m (126.8 ft)
  • Keel:34.45 m (113.0 ft)
Beam9.90 m (32.5 ft)
Draught4.9 m (16 ft)
Depth of hold5.03 m (16.5 ft)
Sail planFull-rigged ship
Complement
  • Blonde: 210 (at capture)
  • Princess: 35
Armament
  • Blonde: **Originally:18-20 × 20 × 8-pounder guns
    • Later:20 × 8-pounder guns + 6 × 6-pounder guns (spar deck)
  • Princess: 12 x 6-pounder guns
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