[1] She served under Captain Cunningham in the frigate Clyde, who was senior officer between Le Havre and the Île de Batz.

When the British could find the enemy neither in Isigny nor within La Hogue, Cunningham surmised that they might have returned to Cherbourg and sailed there, where he found a number of French vessels and a convoy.

Her crew was under the command of ensign de vaisseau Lewis Sautoin, and comprised seven sailors, and a captain and 27 soldiers of the 36th Regiment of the Line.

[9][a] The next day, Basilisk was in company with Immortalite and Orestes when they found three praams, seven brigs and 15 luggers off Cap Gris Nez.

The French convoy was sailing westward and keeping close inshore under cover of the batteries and an escort of horse artillery that followed them as they made their way to the Banc de Laine.

Immortalite closed with the praams under the high land of Cap Blanc Nez, with Orestes and Basilisk joining in the attack.

[11] When Shepheard was appointed to command the hired cutter Earl St Vincent, Lieutenant William Patey replaced him as captain of Basilisk.

On 24 April, Basilisk shared with Orestes, Fairy, and Speedy, gun-brig Tigress and bomb vessels Devastation and Lucifer in the capture of the unarmed Dutch schuyt No.

[12] On 28 April, Basilisk, Jamaica, Speedy, Orestes, Devastation, Lucifer, Tigress and Blazer captured the Sally, Williams, Master.

[13] Next, Basilisk, Orestes, Volcano, Devastation, Ariadne, Fury, Combatant and Calypso captured the American ship Enoch on 14 June 1805.

[14] Then on 3 August, Basilisk was in company with Blazer, Bold, Tigress, Piercer, Ariadne and Furious when they captured the Frederick Wilhelm.

[c] On 30 September 1808, while under the temporary command of Sub-Lieutenant Charles Balfour, Basilisk was escorting a convoy to Shetland when she captured the privateer Don Flinnke.

Then on 22 October, Basilisk and Spitfire sailed to the assistance of the sloop Cygnet, which the Dowlaw signal station, near Dunbar, reported had cut away her masts and bowsprit and thrown some of her guns overboard.

[25] Also in late April or early May, boats from Pincher and Basilisk captured a galliot laden with deals near the Watt Sand.

[26] On 20 May the gun-brigs Basilisk and Bruizer, and the sloop Briseis captured three vessels: the Courier, Junge Catharina and a Blankenese boat of unknown name.

[27] In June 1809 Lord George Stuart placed Commander William Goate of Musquito in command of a small force consisting of Musquito, the two Cherokee class brig-sloops Briseis, Robert Pettet, and Ephira, Edward Watts, five gun-brigs, including Basilisk and Centinel, one armed schuyt, and a cutter.

[28] At daylight the following morning Goate, with the commanding officers, seamen and marines of their respective vessels, landed to attack the battery.

Between 27 and 29 March there was a tremendous gale at Cadiz that damaged a number of British vessels and blew Basilisk out to sea.

[1] In May 1812, Hyacinth and Termagant, Captains Thomas Ussher and Gawen William Rowan-Hamilton, and Basilisk supported Spanish guerrillas on the coast of Grenada.