French Service
The French renamed Hannibal to Annibal. In November 1801 Racoon convoyed the Straits fleet to Gibraltar, arriving there on 16 November. On the way they encountered dreadful weather in the Bay of Biscay. While Racoon was near Brest, she observed Hannibal and Speedy underway. Both former Royal Navy vessels were under jury-masts and French colours. Later, on 9 February 1802, Annibal (along with Intrepide and Formidable), sailed from Cadiz for Toulon where underwent a refit between March and June.
Annibal then served in the French navy until 1821 (undergoing a further refit at Toulon during 1809). She was partly re-armed in 1806, with one pair of upper deck guns being removed, and sixteen 32-pounder carronades replacing ten of her 9-pounder guns. In May 1807, the 38-gun frigate HMS Spartan encountered Annibal, two frigates (Pomone and Incorruptible), and the corvette Victorieuse off Cabrera in the Mediterranean but escaped.
Read more about this topic: HMS Hannibal (1786)
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