Alerte's repeated capture and uncertain armament

Alerte had already been captured by the British in 1793, when she carried ten 4-pounder guns. The British subsequently burned her, and the French salvaged and rebuilt the brig for further service. Her battery at the 1799 capture is uncertain: fourteen 6-pounders is the working estimate, with a possibility that some 4-pounder armament remained. This distinction matters when comparing her with the pursuing British ships, since even the heavier proposed battery was very light. The 1799 action was another capture in a career that had already involved loss, salvage, and reconstruction.