HMS Kangaroo was British Royal Navy 18-gun brig-sloop of the Diligence class, launched in 1795 at Deptford, England.

[4] On the evening of 9 April, Kangaroo captured the French privateer cutter Sophie, some two leagues (9.7 km) south east of The Lizard.

Sophie, of fourteen 4-pounder guns (eight of which she had thrown overboard during the chase), and 40 men, was two days into her maiden cruise from Brest and had made no captures.

On 3 July Kangaroo captured some 17 leagues (82 km) off Cadiz the lugger Purissima Concepcione, which had on board an officer and nine men, and which was searching for a brig from Havana to deliver some despatches to her.

Then on the 22nd, Kangaroo captured the French privateer lugger Surprise, of 48 tons (bm), eight guns, and 47 men.

[9] On 28 September, Kangaroo, Cerberus, and Diana recaptured Graaf Bernstorff and captured San Norberto.

San Norberta was a Spanish privateer armed with four carriage guns plus some swivels, and had a crew of 42 men.

[12] Early in October, Kangaroo brought dispatches that led Captain Sir John Borlase Warren in Canada to take a squadron to search for and intercept a French force sailing to Ireland.

On 18 October, Loire had the misfortune to encounter the rasée frigate (ex ship-of-the-line) Anson, in company with Kangaroo.

[17][c] Two days later Kangaroo recaptured the ship Chance,[17] of London, which had been sailing from Martinique when the French privateer Bellegrande had captured her.

French prisoners on Telegraph later reported that the privateer that escaped was Grand Decide, of eighteen 12-pounder guns and 150 men.

[e] When Kangaroo recaptured Chance, she freed two British army officers who then helped in the action with the privateer.

[24] Brace received promotion to post captain on 2 April 1800,[25] with the result that Commander George Charles Pulling replaced him.

[26] Because Kangaroo served in the navy's Egyptian campaign (8 March to 8 September 1801), her officers and crew qualified for the clasp "Egypt" to the Naval General Service Medal, which the Admiralty issued in 1847 to all surviving claimants.

[28] Then Kangaroo was patrolling off Barcelona when she met up with the brig Speedy, under Commander Lord Cochrane on 1 June.

They encountered a privateer from Menorca that informed them that she had sighted a Spanish convoy of 12 vessels and five escorts three days earlier.

The next day Kangaroo and Speedy sailed for Menorca with their prizes; Pulling stated that they had expended all their ammunition, otherwise they would have reduced the tower as well.