HMS Alacrity was a built by William Rowe at Newcastle and launched in 1806. She served in the Baltic and was at the capture of Copenhagen in 1807. She captured a large privateer before herself falling victim to a French man-of-war in 1811 in an action in which her captain failed to distinguish himself. She then served in the French navy until she was broken up in 1822. British service and capture Alacrity was commissioned in February 1807 under Commander William Croft for the Baltic Station. On 22 August Alacrity and Sybille captured the Danish merchant vessel Elizabeth. She was then at the siege of Copenhagen. In September, Commander Nisbit Palmer assumed command, replacing Croft, who received promotion to post-captain in October. On 23 October Alacrity and Sybille captured the Bornembaum. On 14 December Alacrity captured the French privateer Friedland in Home waters after a two-hour chase. Friedland was out of Dunkirk and armed with 14 guns. She was under the command of Francis Louis Beens who did not surrender until after he had lost one of his men killed. This was her second cruise and during the two days she had been out she had captured a Swedish galiot sailing from Stockholm to Plymouth with a cargo of iron and tar. On 10 September 1810, Alacrity captured the French privateer Trois Frères, which had a crew of 73 men. Early in May 1811 Alacrity took possession of a Greek vessel and sent her into Malta. This entailed sending a prize crew consisting of Alacritys second lieutenant (Alexander Martin) and thirteen men. On 26 May 1811, Alacrity encountered the French brig-of-war Abeille, of twenty 24-pounder carronades, off Bastia, Corsica. After an action that lasted about half an hour, during which Abeille outmaneuvered Alacrity, Alacrity struck. French accounts give her casualties as 15 killed and 20 wounded, including her captain. British accounts give her casualties as four dead and 18 wounded, including four fatally. Abeille suffered seven dead and 15 wounded. The fight might well have gone the other way. Alacrity had a broadside of 262 pounds vs. 240 pounds for Abeille. Alacrity had also suffered fewer casualties than Abeille. However, Palmer retired to his cabin with a hand wound early in the action; once Alacrity had lost all her leadership with her officers dead, wounded or absent, this was enough to demoralize most of her crew. For his role, the