HMS Arethusa (1759)
In April, under Captain Jean Vauquelin, she departed from Brest with the ships Echo and Bizarre (sailing En flûte) for the French Fortress of Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, then being besieged by the British.[2] Vauquelin and his ship played a significant role in defending the fortress by bombarding the positions of the besieging British troops, slowing their advance.In 1777, a Scotsman James Aitken, widely known as John the Painter, was hanged from her mizzenmast for burning the Rope House at Portsmouth Royal Dockyard on 7 December 1776, to aid the cause of American independence .Belle Poule was on a reconnaissance mission, along with the 26-gun Licorne, the corvette Hirondelle and the smaller Coureur when she encountered a large British squadron that included Arethusa at a point 23 miles (37 km) south of The Lizard.On 18 March 1779, under captain Charles Holmes Everitt, Arethusa engaged the French Aigrette, under Lieutenant Mortemart, sustaining considerable damage in the fight.