HMS Grenada was the French schooner Harmonie, launched in 1800 and armed at Cayenne in 1803 as a privateer. Boats of a squadron of the British Royal Navy cut her out from the harbour of Le Marin, Martinique, on 16 November 1803. The citizens of Grenada purchased her and donated her to the Royal Navy, which commissioned her in 1804 as HMS Grenada. She was later converted to a brig. She captured nine small French privateers before being sold for breaking up in 1810.
Capture
Around November, recaptured the brig Earl St. Vincent, which had been sailing from Dublin to Barbados, and a Swedish schooner. The French privateer Harmonie, of Martinique, had captured the brig and the schooner three days earlier. Saint Lucia was unable to capture the privateer, which escaped by throwing her guns overboard and sawing down her gunwales.
On 14 November Harmonie entered the harbour at Le Marin, together with a prize that she had taken. Captain Thomas Graves, in the 74-gun Third Rate , determined to cut her out. He beat around Diamond Rock but was not able to get into position until the 16th. He then decided to put 60 seamen in four boats, and 60 marines into another four. The seamen were to go into the harbour to cut out Harmonie, while the marines were to attack a battery of nine guns at Fort Dunkirk on the starboard side of the bay to block French reinforcements from massing there. arrived on the scene and Graves had Captain William Ferris lead the seamen in the attack, together with 16 men from her. Drake towed the cutting out party, whilst the hired armed cutter Swift towed the marines. The two parties set out at 11p.m., and at 3a.m. the two attacks succeeded. The marines captured the fort, which was only guarded by 15 men, whom they took prisoner. They spiked six 24-pounder guns and three 18-pounders, and blew up the magazine. The cutting out party met with resistance from Harmonie and suffered the only British casualties. Hermione, of eight guns, had had a crew of 66 men under the command of Citizen Noyer at the start of the British attack. Some 12 escaped overboard and some may have drowned. Two were killed and 14 wounded. Blenheim had one man killed and two wounded, and Drake had three wounded, one dangerously so.
Lloyd's Patriotic Fund awarded Ferris an honour sword worth £100. It also awarded four swords of £50 to two Royal Marine lieutenants and two naval lieutenants. One of the marines had died before the award and his family requested the value of the sword instead.
HMS Grenada
The inhabitants of Grenada purchased Harmonie and donated her to the Royal Navy on 27 January 1804. Lieutenant John Barker was appointed to command HMS Grenada on 23 April for the Leeward Islands station.
The Navy converted Grenada to a brig and registered her on 13 October.
Still, on 29 December 1804, captured the French privateer schooner Deux Amis. She was pierced for eight guns but only had two on board at the time of her capture, having thrown the others overboard as she tried to escape her pursuers. She had a crew of 39 men, under the command of Francis Dutrique. She was ten days out of Guadeloupe and had captured nothing. Captain R.W. Cribb of King's Fisher credited His Majesty's schooner Grenada with having chased Deux Amis into his hands. Furthermore, when Grenadas commander saw that King's Fisher would capture Deux Amis, he chased and recaptured the sloop Hero, which was sailing in ballast.
On 22 February 1805, Grenada captured Pegamy.
On 16 March, Grenada was some six miles off Union Island when she sighted a suspicious vessel. After a chase of two hours, she caught up with and captured the French privateer schooner Intrepid (or Intrepide). Intrepid was armed with four 6-pounder guns and had a crew of 66 men under the command of Citizen Jean Durand. She had been fitted out at Cayenne and had been at sea for 12 days but without taking any prizes. Intrepid did not resist and there were no casualties.
On 24 July Grenada captured the French privateer schooner Petite Aricere, of four guns and 35 men.