She captured a number of East Indiamen before she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and turned her into a merchant vessel.

In the ensuing combat, which lasted some two hours, Sémillante lost 20 men killed and 40 wounded, Gaillard being among the dead.

When Venus lost her main top mast, Sémillante was able to extricate herself and escape to Brest, where she arrived on 2 June.

[6] He later received promotion to capitaine de vaisseau, and sailed Sémillante on a cruise in the Atlantic in May 1796, before returning to Lorient.

[12] In November–December 1800, Montalan was still captain of Sémillante when she carried Citizen Pichon, France's commissionaire general for commercial relations, to the United States.

Sémillante and the frigate Atalante were sailing in a squadron under the command of Contre-Admiral Charles-Alexandre Durand Linois with the 74-gun third rate ship of the line Marengo.

Linois attacked the British East India Company's China Fleet, a large convoy of well-armed merchant ships carrying cargo worth £8 million.

Although the entire British fleet consisted of merchantmen, escorted by the East India Company's tiny gun-brig Ganges, Linois failed to press the attack.

On the 18th, near Desnoeufs Island they encountered and captured two British merchant men, Charlotte and Upton Castle.

During the battle the three French ships engaged the sole British warship, the 50-gun HMS Centurion.

The French squadron caused a second East Indiaman, Barnaby, to panic and run aground.

[20] Sémillante put a prize crew on Fame but also left her fourth officer and many lascars on board.

The lascars overpowered the prize crew on 22 October, and forced the French to sail Experiment to Ganjam, where she arrived on 4 November.

In the meantime, Sémillante had landed on the coast of India a number of captains and officers of vessels she had captured, and these men had made their way back to Calcutta.

To reduce risk, the crew flooded the magazine, leaving her without usable powder, Sémillante had no choice but to break off the action with Terpsichore and return to port.

In September Robert Surcouf purchased Sémillante, after his own ship, the Revenant, had been requisitioned for the defence of the island.

He renamed Sémillante Charles after his late brother and sailed her to Saint Malo, laden with the spoils of his campaign.

A gale on 22 October cost Hope the rigging, sails, and the like that Charles had provided, as well as her bowsprit, foremast, and maintopmast.