Caroline HMS

The French lugger Affronteur was launched in 1795 and in 1796-7 participated in the Expédition d'Irlande. In 1803, HMS Doris captured her and she subsequently served the Royal Navy either as a commissioned vessel or, more probably, as His Majesty's hired armed brig Caroline. In 1807 she was either broken up, or became a letter of marque.
Affronteur became Caroline.[6] This is something all authors agree on. All British authors also agree that she was of about 158 tons burthen (bm). There is, however, ambiguity in the accounts about whether Caroline was a lugger or a brig, and whether she was a vessel belonging to the Royal Navy or a hired vessel serving the Royal Navy under contract.
Norie agrees with Winfield that Affronteur became the hired lugger Caroline, which served the Royal Navy from 14 September 1804 to 26 October 1807.[7] She was armed with twelve 12-pounder carronades and had a burthen of 156 tons.[2][Note 1] Confusingly, Colledge, Roche, and also Winfield report that Affronteur became HMS Caroline, which Colledge and Winfield describe as a brig of 14 guns.[10][2] However, the National Maritime Museum lists Caroline as a hired brig.[11]
A newspaper account in September 1804 reports from Plymouth that "... the Caroline, a beautiful lugger of 16 guns, late Affronteur, is now fitting as a hired armed lugger, to be taken into service."[12] Winfield and the National Maritime Museum both report that Caroline was commissioned for the Irish Sea under Lieutenant J(ohn) Derby.[11][Note 2] From that point on, all mentions of Caroline refer to her as a brig, and generally a hired brig