During the period of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, there were two or three vessels known as His Majesty's hired armed cutter Active that served the British Royal Navy.
[2] Active's next noteworthy appearance occurred when she signalled the approach of the Dutch fleet to Admiral Adam Duncan before his victory at Camperdown on 11 October 1797.
Her commander, Master John Hamilton, was on the deck of Venerable when Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter surrendered his sword.
[3] As a member of the fleet, even though she did not participate in the combat, she was entitled to share in the £120,000 in prize money for the sale of the Dutch ships captured then.
[4] In 1847 the Admiralty awarded the Naval General service Medal with clasp "Camperdown" to any surviving claimants from the action.
[5] Active participated in the disastrous Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland against the Batavian Republic under Vice-admiral Andrew Mitchell and Lieutenant General Ralph Abercromby.
On 28 August 1799, she and the hired armed cutter Swan participated in the capture of the Dutch hulks Drotchterland and Broederschap, and the ships Helder, Venus, Minerva, and Hector, in the New Diep, in Holland.
On 9 October 1800, while Active was on the River Ems and still under Hamilton's command, a French privateer, together with some Dutch gunboats, captured her.
The hired armed brig Lady Ann, of 16 guns and under the command of Lieutenant John Lake, recaptured Active off Flamborough Head on 16 May 1801, after a running fight and chase of 17 hours.
[19] On 20 February 1804, while under the commanded of Lieutenant John Williams, and with a crew of about 30 men and boys, Active was off Gravelines when she sighted 16 sail of French gun-boats and transports running from Ostend towards Boulogne.
The delay occasioned in taking possession of the horse transport Jeune Isabelle enabled the other vessels to get under the protection of shore batteries before Active could resume the pursuit.
[28] On 13 January 1808, Pandora, Commander Henry Hume Spence, captured the French privateer Entreprenant, of 16 guns and 58 men.
[29] The chase took an hour and forty minutes and finished two miles from the French coast under the batteries near Cap Gris Nez.
On 8 December 1812, she arrived at Harwich, having brought his Excellency Prince Kollosky, Envoy Extraordinary from Russia to Sardinia, from Gothenburg.
[36] The next day Active arrived at Deal from the Scheldt having detained and brought in a brig from St Ubes, Portugal.
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