Athenian/L'Atheniene HMS

HMS Athenienne was a 64-gun third-rate ship of the line of the Royal Navy. She was the former Maltese ship San Giovanni, which the French captured on the stocks in 1798 and launched and commissioned as Athénien. The Royal Navy captured her at or prior to the surrender of Valletta, on 4 September 1800, and took her into service as Athenienne. She was wrecked near Sicily, with great loss of life, in 1806.
In December 1800, Sir Thomas Livingstone assumed command of Athenienne. He then accompanied Rear Admiral Sir John Borlase Warren to the coast of Egypt in search of a French squadron under Admiral Ganteaume, which was east of Sardinia. The French squadron escaped.
Athenienne then joined the squadron under Lord Keith off Alexandria until she sprang a leak and returned to Malta for repairs. In 1850 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Egypt" to claimants from the crews of the vessels that had served in the navy's Egyptian campaign between 8 March 1801 and 2 September, including Athenian.[4]
Thereafter she was sent to cruise the island of Elba until the Peace of Amiens led to her to being recalled.
Athenian left Gibraltar on 25 August 1802, arrived in Portsmouth on 11 September, and was placed in quarantine.[5] On 24 September she sailed into Portsmouth to be paid off.[6] Her officers and crew were paid off at Portsmouth in October 1802.
Athenienne underwent fitting at Portsmouth between January and March 1804. Captain Francis Fayerman commissioned her there.