where Suffren's Héros, Illustre, Ajax and Brillant were at anchor. Wolseley had no information that French vessels were in the area and so allowed the current to take him towards the vessels, the wind being weak. As Coventry arrived, Suffren, on Héros, was sending a boat over to Illustre, but the boat master was drunk and instead mistakenly came aboard Coventry. The boat's crew was promptly taken prisoners and taken to the orlop deck. At this moment, the French division noticed Coventry, and Illustre, Ajax and Brillant opened fire. Interrogating his prisoners, Wolseley learnt that the ships firing on him were part of Suffren's squadron, at which point his men rushed below. Alone on his quarterdeck, Wolseley had no choice but to surrender. French career The French brought Coventry in service under the same name, under Le Carlier d'Herlye. The same day, Coventry captured the East Indiaman Bland-Fort, which had escaped Fine a few days before. On 20 June 1783, she took part in the Battle of Cuddalore, where she was part of Suffren's frigate screen. Fate The French sailed Coventry to Brest, where they decommissioned her in January 1785. She was broken up in 1786. Notes References Bibliography Anon. (1801) The field of Mars. (Printed for J. Macgowan). Barras, Paul vicomte de (1895) Memoirs of Barras, member of the directorate. (Harper & brothers). Demerliac, Alain (1996) La Marine De Louis XVI: Nomenclature Des Navires Français De 1774 À 1792. (Nice: Éditions OMEGA). Kippis, Andrew (1784) The New annual register, or, General repository of history, politics, and literature for the year ... (Printed for G.G.J. and J. Robinson). Lyon, David (1993) The Sailing Navy List. (London: Conway Maritime Press). . Winfield, Rif & Stephen S Roberts (2015) French Warships in the Age of Sail 1786 – 1861: Design Construction, Careers and Fates. (Seaforth Publishing). External links 1757 ships Sixth-rate frigates of the Royal Navy Captured ships Maritime incidents in 1783 Frigates of the French Navy Ships built on the Beaulieu River