One of the notorious Cherokee class, dubbed 'coffin brigs' because of the large numbers that were wrecked or foundered, she was sunk in action in August 1828 but prior to that played an active part in the Napoleonic Wars.

At the Battle of the Basque Roads in 1809, she and HMS Lyra guided the fireships into position, during the initial attack, then later engaged French ships, stranded in the Charente River.

In September, she took part in the Walcheren expedition; an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to destroy the dockyards and arsenals at Antwerp, Terneuse and Flushing, and to capture the French fleet stationed in the river Scheldt.

Redpole was serving in the English Channel Fleet when, on 3 September 1811, she and another Cherokee-class brig, HMS Rinaldo, attacked the Boulogne flotilla, despite being outnumbered.

[3] The Admiralty ordered Redpole on 31 December 1807 and work began in the May following, when her keel was laid down at the yard of Robert Guillaume in Northam on the banks of the Itchen.

At around 15:30 on 14 April, the brigs and the bomb vessel, HMS Aetna, bombarded the French ships that had been working their way up the river at high tide but were now aground once more.

[10] Sporadic attacks continued on the French fleet until 29 April when the last assailable enemy ship, the 74-gun Regulus got free and escaped upriver.

Comprising more than 600 vessels and nearly 40,000 troops, it left The Downs on 28 July, intent on destroying the dockyards and arsenals at Antwerp, Terneuse and Flushing, and capturing the French fleet stationed in the river Scheldt.

[14] The deliberate destruction of dykes by the French had led to widespread flooding, and with disease spreading through the British army, it was decided to abandon the expedition in early September.

On 3 September movement was detected among the Boulogne flotilla and Redpole and HMS Rinaldo took up a position to windward in order to attack should any enemy vessels stray too far from the shore.

[16] On 20 September Napoleon arrived to inspect his invasion fleet and on discovering HMS Naiad lying off the coast, ordered Rear Admiral Baste to take a division of 12-gun prames, a bomb vessel and ten 4-gun brigs, and attack her.