HMS Diligent (1806)
"Diligent" was the sixth of the six-vessel class of "Vigilant"-class brigs, and initially (October 1799), was designated "No. 6". Although "Diligent" was launched in 1800, completion took until September 1801. "Diligent" was under the command of "lieutenant de vaisseau" Vincent Thevenard and part of a small squadron under Commodore Jean-Marthe-Adrien l'Hermite, in "Régulus", that departed from Lorient on 22 October 1805. "Diligent" ran into difficulties and had to return to port that same day. The squadron went on to engage in commerce raiding off the coast of Africa and then the Caribbean.
"Diligent" set out again a few days later with Thevenard searching for l'Hermite and his squadron at cayenne and the Antilles, but without success. After stopping at Guadeloupe to make several essential repairs, Thevenard decided to cruise the Leeward Isles. In the morning of 25 May 1806 "Diligent" sighted two strange vessels in the channel northwest of Puerto Rico. They followed "Diligent", but by 27 May there was only one, which Thevenard thought might be the British frigate , which was known to be in the area. Thevenard wanted to maneuver to deliver a broadside but at a council of war with his officers that day, they advised staying away. Next morning, the crew of "Diligent" were exhausted from having been at the sweeps for 30 hours; "Diligent", being closer to the coast had suffered from inconsistent wind conditions, while the British vessel, being further from shore, had benefited from more stable conditions. With a crew unwilling to man the guns, Thevenard eventually struck to "Renard", a brig, without a shot being fired. The court martial board unanimously acquitted Thevenard for the loss of his vessel. However, it found that he had not done everything necessary to prevent his crew from becoming discouraged and unwilling to fight. It particularly reprimanded him for having mistaken a brig for a frigate for too long. On 28 May "Renard", under Commander Jeremiah Coghlan, captured "Diligent" after a 64-hour-long chase. She was seven days out of Pointe a Petre, Guadeloupe, with dispatches for France, which she succeeded in throwing overboard while "Renard" was chasing her. French records report that the capture took place in the Puerto Rico channel. She had sailed from Concarneau to Cayenne, and was cruising in the Antilles prior to her capture by the English sloop "Fox". "Diligente" arrived at Jamaica on 3 June. Thévenard had surrendered his ship without a shot being fired by either side. When taken on board "Renard", her smallness surprised him and he requested that he might be returned to his ship to continue the fight. Coghlan laughed at this request. Thévenard then seriously asked Coghlan for a certificate stating that he had not acted in a cowardly manner. Coghlan replied "No, I cannot do that; but I will give you one that shall specify you have acted 'prudently'!"
In his discussion of the action, the author William James, in his naval history, made much of what he termed Thevenard's cowardice. He further opined that as Thevenard had continued in the French navy until 1817, he must have misrepresented what had occurred. James did not draw attention to "Renard" having a broadside twice the weight of "Diligent"s broadside and argued that Thevenard should have attempted to capture "Renard" by boarding. Vice-Admiral Dacres had "Diligent" purchased and commissioned in May as HMS "Diligent" (or "Diligente"), under Commander William Sumner Hall. On 2 October 1806, "Diligente" was seven leagues south of Cape Engana when she saw a sail. After a chase of some 20 hours, the winds were so calm that Hall sent his boats after the strange vessel. After another two hours the boats captured the French schooner "Napoleon". "Napoleon" was armed with one long 9-pounder gun and had on board 14 crew and passengers. She was on the way from Samana to Santo Domingo to secure a letter of marque and a larger crew. In October "Diligent" was renamed "Prudente". It apparently took some time for news of the name change to diffuse fully. "Lloyd's List" reported that the brig "Diligente" detained the American schooner "Polly", which was sailing from Havana to New Orleans, and sent her into Jamaica. In September 1807 "Prudent" was renamed HMS "Wolf". In March 1808 Lieutenant Edmund Waller replaced Hall. On 1 May 1808, "Wolf" was escorting a convoy sailing from Jamaica to London when the convoy commander, Captain Sir Charles Brisbane, in , sent Waller to round up the slowest vessels. As Waller was doing so, he sighted a strange sail to the south-east, and immediately gave chase. After a chase of two hours, "Wolf" was able to capture the Spanish privateer schooner "Braganza", Joseph Caudanio, captain, of one gun and 54 men. She was 22 days out of Carthagena and had captured the "Anne", one of the vessels in the convoy. After another chase, this of four hours, "Wolf" succeeded in recapturing the "Anne". "Wolf" sent the recaptured "Ann", Braugh, master, into the fleet. Lieutenant Waller's promotion to Commander was confirmed on 20 July 1808. "Wolf" arrived at Plymouth on 21 July. She was paid off there and laid up. She was sold in June 1811.
French service and capture
HMS "Diligent" was the French naval brig "Diligent", launched in 1800, that captured in 1806.