HMS Artois (1794)

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HMS Artois (1794) was a fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy and the lead ship of the Artois class. She was ordered in March 1793, laid down the same month, launched on 3 January 1794, and commissioned in December 1793. Built at Rotherhithe by Wells & Co, she was about 146 feet long on the gun deck, 39 feet wide, and carried about 1,000 tons burthen. Her main armament consisted of 28 x 18-pounder guns on the gun deck, with 2 x 9-pounders and 12 x 32-pounder carronades on the quarterdeck, and 2 x 9-pounders and 2 x 32-pounder carronades on the forecastle. Her crew was around 270–284 men.

Design and role
Artois and her sisters were larger, faster frigates built to improve on earlier designs and to serve on blockade duties off France. They were known for their speed and weatherliness, though they could pitch in rough seas. The class earned a reputation as strong, capable frigates for patrolling and fighting French ships.

Service highlights
- She spent most of her career in the English Channel and off the French coast, serving under captains including Edmund Nagle and Lord John Borlase Warren.
- 21 October 1794: Artois led the pursuit and helped force the French 44-gun frigate La Révolutionnaire to surrender to Pellew’s squadron.
- 23 June 1795: Took part in the Battle of Groix, helping in the action that led to the capture of three French ships-of-the-line (Alexander, Formidable, and Tigre).
- She and her squadron captured many smaller prize ships and carried out blockade and reconnaissance missions along the French coast.
- Throughout 1796–1797, Artois continued to seize French, Spanish, and other enemy vessels, often in coordination with nearby frigates.

Fate
On 31 July 1797, Artois was wrecked on a sandbank near the Ballieu rocks off Île de Ré while attempting to reconnoitre the harbour of La Rochelle. The entire crew was saved by the ship Sylph, but the pilot and master were later condemned for negligence in causing the wreck.