French frigate Belle Poule (1766)
Fight of Arethusa and the Belle Poule | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| France | |
| Name | Belle Poule |
| Builder | Bordeaux shipyard |
| Laid down | March 1765 |
| Launched | 18 November 1766 |
| Commissioned | Early 1767 |
| Captured | 16 July 1780 by the Royal Navy |
| Notes |
|
| Great Britain | |
| Name | Belle Poule |
| Acquired | 16 July 1780 |
| Commissioned | February 1781 |
| Out of service | 1798 |
| Fate | Broken up in 1801 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Dédaigneuse-class frigate |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 43 m (141 ft) |
| Beam | 11.2 m (37 ft) |
| Draught | 4.9 m (16 ft) |
| Sail plan | Full-rigged ship |
| Complement | 8 officers + 260 men |
| Armament |
|
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Belle Poule was a French frigate of the Dédaigneuse class, designed by Léon-Michel Guignace. She is most famous for her duel with the British frigate HMS Arethusa on 17 June 1778, which began the French involvement in the American War of Independence.