HMS Surprise (1796)

Contemporary plans of HMS Surprise
History
France
Name	Unité
Builder	Jean Fouache,[1] Le Havre
Laid down	August 1793
Launched	16 January 1794
Commissioned	April 1794
Captured	20 April 1796 by HMS Inconstant
Great Britain
Name	HMS Surprise
Operator	Royal Navy
Acquired	1796 by purchase of a prize
Fate	Sold at Deptford in February 1802
General characteristics [2]
Class and type	Unité-class corvette
Displacement	657 tons[1]
Tons burthen	57873⁄94 bm
Length	126 ft 0 in (38.4 m) 108 ft 6+1⁄8 in (33.1 m) keel
Beam	31 ft 8 in (9.7 m)
Draught	14 ft 0+1⁄2 in (4.3 m)
Depth of hold	10 ft 0 in (3.0 m)
Sail plan	Full-rigged ship
Complement	172 (peace) & 220 (war)
Armament	As Unité 24 × 8-pounder long guns 8 × 4-pounder long guns As HMS Surprise Upper deck: 24 × 9-pounder guns QD: 8 × 4-pounder guns + 4 × 12-pounder carronades Fc: 2 × 4-pounder chase guns + 2 × 12-pounder carronades

HMS Surprise was the name the Royal Navy gave to the French Navy's corvette Unité after Unité's capture in 1796. Unité was launched on 16 January 1794. Surprise gained fame in 1799 for the recapture of HMS Hermione. In 1802 Surprise was sold out of the service.

Historical fiction author Patrick O'Brian set many of his Aubrey–Maturin series aboard HMS Surprise, including the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.