The Proserpine was a 38-gun Hébé-class frigate of the French Navy launched in 1785. She was captured by HMS Dryad on 13 June 1796, after a 45 minute action 12 leagues off Cape Clear Island. The match was even, but the Proserpine made the fatal error of attempting escape, and she was finally forced to surrender with serious losses. She was commissioned by the British Admiralty into the Royal Navy, becoming the fifth rate “HMS Amelia”.