French corvette Sardine (1771)

Sardine was a corvette of the French Navy, launched in 1771. The Royal Navy captured her at the Siege of Toulon but the French retook her when the Anglo-Spanish force retreated. The Royal Navy captured her again in 1796. She then served as HMS "Sardine" until the Royal Navy sold her in 1806.
French career.
"Sardine" was built to a design by Joseph-Marie-Blaise Coulomb. She was pierced for 18 guns but carried 16.
She served in the Mediterranean during the Ancien Régime. In 1792 she was under the command of "Lieutenant de vaiseau" the chevalier de Bellon de Sainte-Marguerite and served as an escort in the Levant. She was at Smyrna in March, and then cruised the Aegean Sea. Next, she escorted a convoy from Smyrna to Cape Matapan, and then protected French trade between Tripoli (Syria) and Alexandria. Lastly, she escorted a convoy from Cyprus to Marseilles in October.
In August 1793 an Anglo-Spanish force captured Toulon and Royalist forces turned over to them the French naval vessels in the port. When the Anglo-Spanish force had to leave in December, they took with them the best vessels and tried to burn the remainder. Although some reports have the Anglo-Spanish forces capturing her and then leaving her behind, she does not appear on an English list of vessels captured, burnt, or otherwise disposed of.
On 9 December 1795, "Sardine" was part of Gantaume's squadron. She, the frigate "Sensible", and the corvette "Rossignol" captured the 28-gun , which had grounded and after refloating had anchored out of range of the fort in the neutral port of Smyrna. The French warships entered the harbour in disregard of its neutrality and called on "Nemesis" to surrender, which she did when the French refused to honour the port's neutrality and fired on "Nemesis". Three men from "Nemesis", a sailor and two Royal Marines, defected to the French and joined "Sardine".
Capture.
On 9 March 1796, "Nemesis" was anchored in the neutral harbour of Tunis, together with "Postillon", and "Sardine", under the command of "Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu" Icard (acting). The British sent a squadron under the command of Vice-Admiral William Waldegrave to recapture "Nemesis". Boats from , , and ] attacked the French ships and captured all three. The squadron also included , , and the cutter . The British took the three men who had defected from "Nemesis" to "Sardine" and hanged them.
Admiral Jervis sent "Nemesis", "Sardine", and "Postillon" to Ajaccio. ("Lloyd's List" reported that "Barfleur" escorted "Nemesis" and "Sardine" to San Fiorenzo. Jervis had "Postillon" repaired and painted before selling her to Sir Gilbert Elliot the British viceroy of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom, for onward transfer to the Dey of the Regency of Algiers. "Nemesis" returned to British service and "Sardine" was brought into the Royal Navy.
British service.
"Sardine" was brought into British service as the sloop-of-war HMS "Sardine" and commissioned under Commander W. Wilkinson. By July Jervis had appointed Commander Edward Killwick, of , to command her. In July 1796, Admiral Lord Nelson took "Sardine" with him to blockade Leghorn but remarked:The Sardine cannot move in light airs, she is so very foul; and to say the truth, she has not the men to manage her, although I am sure that Captain Killwick does all in his power.
On 15 September 1796 "Sardine" captured the Spanish brig "St. Juan Baptise". On 20 September "Sardine" attempted to enter the port at Genoa but was driven away by gunfire. "Sardine" was part of a squadron under Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, in , and also containing the cutter , at Bastia before the British evacuated it in October.
In early 1797 and "Sardine" escorted a convoy of 13 merchantmen from Elba to Gibraltar. In March Commander A. Kempe took command of "Sardine". Then Commander Edward Killwick replaced Kempe in May. "Sardine" was formally named and registered on 27 June 1798.
In May 1798 Killwick was appointed to command the Southwark Sea Fencibles. "Sardine" then essentially disappears from view. As Nelson had already remarked that she was foul, it is highly likely that Killwick had sailed her to Britain where she was paid off, registered, and ignored.
Fate.
From 1805, she was at Portsmouth in ordinary. She was offered for sale in September 1806, and was sold later that year and broken up.