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	Participated in: Battle of Dogger Bank
Great Britain
Name	Belle Poule
Acquired	16 July 1780
Commissioned	February 1781
Out of service	1798
Fate	Broken up in 1801
General characteristics
Class and type	Dédaigneuse-class frigate
Displacement	650 tons (French; empty) 1150 tons (French; full load)
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	26 × 12-pounder 4 × 6-pounder guns

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.