French schooner Impériale (1805)


The French schooner Impériale was a 3-gun mercantile schooner-aviso of the French Navy commissioned at Guadeloupe on 23 September 1805. The Royal Navy captured her on 24 May 1806 and named her HMS Vigilant. The Navy renamed her HMS Subtle on 20 November 1806. She wrecked at Bermuda on 20 October 1807.

Capture

On 23 May 1806, Impériale left Saintes to capture some merchant vessels at Roseau. The former British cutter, which mutineers had taken four days earlier and delivered to the French at Basse-Terre, joined her., which had been with the convoy in Roseau roads, and had sailed out in pursuit of the two French vessels, had taken on board Lieutenant Wallis and 40 soldiers from the 46th Regiment of Foot.

Loss

The Royal Navy took Impériale into service as HMS Vigilant, and commissioned her under the command of Lieutenant William Dowers. However, there was already a schooner in service, so on 20 November the Navy renamed the ex-Impériale HMS Subtle.
Subtle was sailing from the Delaware Capes to Barbados when Lieutenant Dowers decided to make for Bermuda as she was short of fresh water and had developed an annoying leak in her breadroom. On 25 October 1807, as Subtle sailed through the St George's Channel, sounding her way continuously, she nevertheless grounded. Despite attempts to lighten her, Subtle was soon on her side. She had run onto a reef west-northwest of Somerset Island, Bermuda. A current had driven her some from where Dowers had believed her to be. The wreck occurred at approximately. The crew used Subtles boats to save themselves and no lives were lost.