HMS Speedy (1782) - French and Papal Career

French and Papal Career

Speedy was taken to Toulon with the fleet, where she became a pawn in Napoleon's efforts at diplomacy with Pope Pius VII, whose presence he wanted at his coronation as emperor. Speedy, by now named Saint Pierre and inscribed with the words "Donné par le premier consul Bonaparte au Pape Pie VII" ("Given by the First Consul Bonaparte to Pope Pius VII") in gilt letters on her poop cabin, sailed with an escort from Toulon on 12 December 1802 bound for Rome as a present to the Pope. She was taken into the Papal Navy in 1804 under the name San Pietro, and remained there until being broken up in 1807.

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