French frigate Comète (1752)

Comète was laid down by Joseph-Louis Ollivier[3] at Brest, France, in January 1752 and launched on 20 December 1752. She was commissioned in August 1753.[1]

In 1755, Comète was under the command of Captain de Ruis when she was assigned to Dubois de La Motte's squadron, responsible for transporting important reinforcements to Canada.[4] Comète accomplished her mission without incident, as the reinforcements arrived without being intercepted by the British Royal Navy forces of Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, who sought to prevent the French from arriving in Canada as war resumed between France and the United Kingdom.

In 1757, Comète became part of the division of Joseph-François de Noble du Revest, which left Toulon, France, to defend Louisbourg in Nova Scotia. Arriving safely, she was part of the important naval concentration under the orders of Dubois de La Motte which forced the British to aboart a landing attempt.[5][6] On her return, she was, like the other ships of the squadron, struck by a typhus epidemic which seriously affected their crews and spread to the population of Brest after the ships arrived there.[6]

In the spring of 1758, Comète was part of Louis-Joseph Beaussier de l' Isle's fleet, which was sent to Louisbourg for the defense of the city. By order of Louis Charles du Chaffault de Besné, she sailed for Quebec. On 8 June 1758, she left Canada for France to bring the news of the British landing at La Cormorandière near Louisbourg.[7]