Dutch career Waakzaamheid was a 24-gun
corvette ordered by
Admiralty of the Noorderkwartier of the
Dutch States Navy. It was built by J. Hand and launched at
Enkhuizen in 1786.
French career The
French Navy captured
Waakzaamheid on 23 May 1794 during the
War of the First Coalition, renaming her
Vigilance. She was subsequently assigned to a French
squadron consisting of the frigates and , the brig-sloops
Épervier and
Mutine along with
Vigilance. The squadron cruised the
West African coast in September 1794, attacking British
factories and merchant shipping. Among the many British merchantmen they captured were the
Sierra Leone Company vessels and and the slave ship . In 1795, France
overran the
Dutch Republic and reorganised it into the client
Batavian Republic.
Vigilance was sold to the newly formed
Batavian Navy, who renamed her after the ship's original name.
Batavian career In the
action of 24 October 1798, the British frigate
Sirius captured
Waakzaamheid along with the Batavian frigate
Furie near
the Texel as the two ships were transporting supplies and French troops to support
a rebellion against
British rule in Ireland. Van Neirop put up no struggle to
Sirius. The sloop shared in the capture.
British career Waakzaamheid arrived at
Sheerness on 17 November 1798. She was commissioned into the
Royal Navy as HMS
Waaksamheid and was fitted out there between July 1799 and May 1800. In August 1800, she was part of a British fleet under Vice-Admiral
Archibald Dickson which accompanied a diplomatic mission to
Copenhagen headed by
Lord Whitworth. The fleet did not go beyond
Skagen Odde, and returned to
Great Yarmouth on 14 September. Captain Robert Hall was promoted to
post captain on 18 November 1799. After his return to England on 31 August 1800 as captain of , he took command of
Waaksamheid on the North Sea Fleet. In 1800
Waaksaamheid participated in cruises off the Dutch coast in Dickson's squadron, and escorted convoys in the North Sea between the Baltic and Leith. On 11 October 1801 she was at Sheerness, waiting to be paid off following the signing of the
Treaty of Amiens. ==Fate==