Triton was an experimental ship and the only one built to that design; she was constructed out of fir due to wartime supply shortages of more traditional materials and had some unusual features such as no tumblehome.

Triton also played a prominent role in several small-scale battles, including the action of 16 October 1799 where she assisted in the capture of two powerful Spanish frigates and earned her captain one of the largest sums of prize money of the war.

Her unique design was ultimately flawed, limiting her sailing abilities, and Triton only served at sea for seven years before being converted into a hulk in 1803.

[1] These uniquely squared off elements of the ship came about because of the difficulties the Royal Navy had in obtaining naturally curved pieces of wood and as an experiment for improving sailing qualities.

[Note 4][1] The experimental vertical sides and the very limited sheer meant that Triton was not a weatherly ship, while her peculiar bow caused her to slam heavily into waves.

[5] In March 1797 Triton was slightly adapted; her fore mast was moved forward by 4 feet 6 inches (1.4 m) and her rudder was narrowed, greatly improving the responsiveness of the ship.

[12] Despite these benefits provided by Gambier's design, the timbers of the ship were put under considerable wear by Triton's abnormal sailing qualities, directly impacting her length of active service.

[19][20] Triton began active service in early 1797 by joining the blockading squadron of Sir John Warren in the English Channel.

[1] On 10 February she captured the French 14-gun privateer cutter Recovery, which was recently out of Le Havre and with a crew of forty-six had already taken a British smuggler and the American trader Atlantic which was retaken the same day.

[27] St Fiorenzo and Nymphe quickly engaged the ships, despite the French Brest fleet being just over the horizon, first attacking Résistance which soon surrendered, followed around ten minutes later by Constance.

[Note 8][28] Triton was more successful in reaching action after this, capturing the trader La Zoes on 12 June while sailing with a number of Warren's ships, and Boston on 25 July, now with a different part of the squadron.

[34] The mouth of the river was protected by a fort which the convoy hoped would deter the squadron; however, Commander John Chambers White of Sylph volunteered to go in and attack the anchored ships, and was followed by Pomone and Jason half an hour later.

[34] The squadron chased the convoy overnight; Triton and Jason were the fastest of the British and were able to capture five of the ships, which were likely Trois Soeurs, Egalité, St. Peter, St. Ann, and Dauphin.

[41] After these convoy actions Triton continued to patrol the Channel as a part of Warren's squadron, which for a brief period of time from March 1798 was commanded by Commodore John Willett Payne.

[43] On 14 October 1797 while in company with the brig-sloop HMS Childers, she took the 4-gun privateer Le Furet near Île de Batz which was twenty-three days out of Tréguier and had fifty-three men on board.

[1][47] On 24 April 1798 the French 40-gun frigate Seine sailed from Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius, with 280 garrison troops onboard after being recalled from the Indian Ocean.

[49][48][50] The squadron was called in by signal gun by Jason, as a force of French ships including two large frigates and a brig were leaving Rochelle with the intent of attacking the captors of Seine.

[59] A prize crew from Triton was assigned to take Victoire to Plymouth, but she foundered at her moorings off St Nicholas Island with her cargo of wine, brandy, and cordage still on board.

[61] On 25 April Triton was dispatched to Admiral Lord St Vincent in the Mediterranean Sea with news that the French fleet at Brest had escaped the blockade.

[64] On 18 June the fleet encountered a squadron of French frigates under the command of Rear-Admiral Jean-Baptiste Perrée attempting to return to Toulon from Syria.

Triton was the closest of the three British ships in pursuit, and took a similar course to Santa Brigida, however at 5 a.m. she grounded while going at a rate of seven knots, causing damage to her hull.

The treasure on board the two frigates exceeded £600,000 and included around 877 boxes of Spanish dollars, two bales of indigo, twenty-six of cochineal, twenty-three of cocoa, and sixteen of sugar.

[55] Eighteen other members of Triton's crew were wounded in the accident, and a large section of the deck was ripped up as well as the captain's cabin being damaged.

Fowey was damaged in a gale and left the station off Brittany, leaving Triton and Joseph to attempt to burn the remains of the ship-of-the-line HMS Repulse which had been lost on rocks off the coast on 10 March.

[85] On 15 April the trader San Sebastian arrived at Plymouth having been taken by Triton and fellow frigate HMS Stag while attempting a voyage from Santander.

[55] By July Triton was the lead frigate of the inshore squadron, reporting the movements of the combined fleet in Brest to Lord St Vincent.