In 1795,
Preneuse was stationed at Rochefort under Captain Larcher. She was then transferred to the Indian Ocean station, commanded by Rear-Admiral
Sercey. In 1796, she was at Mauritius under Captain Ravenel, at Port-Nord-Ouest. In March 1798, under
Lhermitte, she ferried ambassadors from
Mysore sent by
Tipu Sultan to île de France to request help against the British. Near
Tellicherry,
Preneuse found two East
Indiamen, and at Tellicherry; she attacked and captured both on 20 April, after a one-hour battle. She left the diplomatic mission at
Mangalore, and sailed to
Batavia. She was soon joined by the 22-gun corvette , which ferried Rear-Admiral
Sercey. The squadron sailed to
Surabaya, where a settlement was established. A small mutiny broke out when
Preneuses crew refused to let go of the British flags captured at Tellicherry; Lhermitte had to personally confront the mutineers with his sabre to re-establish discipline. He then had a firing squad execute five of the mutineers. After a short stay at Surabaya,
Preneuse and
Brûle-Gueule sailed for a three-month cruise, capturing 40 British merchantmen and participating in the
Macau Incident. After returning to Subaraya, Sercey set his flag on
Preneuse and the squadron sailed for île de France. They arrived in May 1799, encountering the British blockade composed of three ships of the line, one frigate and one brig. The French ships reached
Rivière Noire District, where they were joined by a number of coastal ships offering assistance.
Preneuse and
Brûle-Gueule anchored in the bay. They sent seven 18-pounders ashore and the French built an improvised fort to guard the entrance of the bay; it sustained a 3-week siege before the British retreated. In August 1799,
Preneuse departed for a patrol near
Cape of Good Hope and
Madagascar. On 4 September, she fought against five British ships. In September, she fought against a 64-gun ship of the line.
Preneuse also attempted to supply arms to the
Republic of Graaff-Reinet. On the 20th, she sailed into
Algoa Bay under Danish colours but was recognised.
Preneuse exchanged cannon fire with the 16-gun ship-sloop and the armed store ship
Camel, before retreating. On 9 October 1799, as
Preneuse neared Good Hope, the 54-gun encountered her and gave chase. After 22 hours,
Jupiter gained on
Preneuse, and the two vessels exchanged fire.
Preneuse managed to outmaneuver
Jupiter and rake her; the British then retreated to avoid being boarded, and managed to escape. On 11 December 1799, as she returned to Île de France,
Preneuse encountered the
74-gun , under Captain John Osborn, off
Port Louis.
Tremendous gave chase. As
Preneuse closed to the land, the 50-gun , under Captain
William Hotham, cut her escape route. While
Preneuse was attempting to sail under the protection of the coastal forts at
Baie-du-Tombeau, erratic winds drove her ashore. The British closed in and battered
Preneuse, which Lhermitte then deemed lost. He had the crew abandon ship, while he stayed behind with his officers,
struck the colours and scuttled the frigate. British boats attempted to recover
Preneuse, but she came under fire from the coastal batteries and they abandoned the attempt. The British took
Preneuses officers to
Adamant, where Commodore Botham treated them with courtesy. He released Lhermitte on parole the next day. ==Citations==