Martin was a Hound-class sloop, built to a design by John Henslow and ordered from Woolwich Dockyard on 17 January 1788.

Commander William Lobb took over Martin in April 1795, during which time she served as a Royal escort for Princess Caroline of Brunswick.

[2] Returning to British waters, on 14 February 1797 Martin and HMS Espion captured the privateer Buonaparte in the North Sea.

[5][a] While Martin was in the North Sea she also transported the Duc d'Angoulême, the future Charles X of France, from Leith to Cuxhaven.

There she served to repeat signals for the starboard, or weather division under Admiral Adam Duncan, who was also the overall commander.

[7] In 1847 the Admiralty issued the Naval General Service Medal with clasp "Camperdown" to the 298 surviving claimants from the action.

She had 100 Batavian sailors aboard her, as well as 122 French soldiers, and was carrying 2,000 stands of arms as well as other ordnance stores.

[9] Renton, while dining with another naval officer in Harwich in February 1799, went to an adjoining room and committed suicide with a pistol.

Vengeur was armed with 14 guns and had a crew of 105 men under the command of Citizen Charles Louis Tack.