HMS Unicorn (1776)
Unicorn depicted in three positions, by Francis Swaine | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Great Britain | |
| Name | Unicorn |
| Namesake | Unicorn |
| Ordered | 30 October 1775 |
| Builder | John Randall, Rotherhithe |
| Laid down | November 1775 |
| Launched | 23 March 1776 |
| Christened | 17 November 1775 |
| Commissioned | April 1776 |
| Captured | 4 September 1780 |
| France | |
| Name | Licorne |
| Acquired | 4 September 1780 |
| Captured | 20 April 1781 |
| Great Britain | |
| Name | Unicorn Prize |
| Acquired | 20 April 1781 |
| Commissioned | September 1782 |
| Out of service | July 1786 |
| Fate | Broken up, August 1787 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Sixth-rate Sphinx-class post ship |
| Tons burthen | 43358⁄94 (bm) |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 30 ft 2+1⁄2 in (9.2 m) |
| Depth of hold | 9 ft 10 in (3 m) |
| Propulsion | Sails |
| Crew | 140 |
| Armament | UD: 20 × 9-pounder guns |
HMS Unicorn was a 20-gun sixth-rate Sphinx-class post ship of the Royal Navy. Serving in the American Revolutionary War, she was captured by the French in 1781 and renamed Licorne, but was recaptured by the British a year later. Returned to Royal Navy service as Unicorn Prize, she was decommissioned in 1786 and broken up in the following year.