La Belle Poule (French for beautiful hen) is a French sailing frigate, which was laid under the keel in 1828, and which was launched in 1835. The ship was 54 meters long, 14.1 meters wide, and had a displacement of 2,500 tons. The sails were 3,265 square meters.
La Belle Poule was the third ship in the French Navy to bear that name. It was structurally very similar to the American frigates USS Constitution and USS Constellation. It was undoubtedly a vessel with a high maximum speed, excellent maneuverability for a sailing ship, and had a lot of firepower for a frigate of that period. In 1839, La Belle Poule was part of the flotilla stationed in Toulon, and a year later, in July, she went to the Isle of St. Helen to bring the body of Napoleon I Bonaparte to the country. On this occasion, the hull of the frigate was painted black. In September 1840, the ship, together with the ashes of the French Emperor, successfully arrived at home. In 1844, La Belle Poule supported French operations in Algeria, and in the years 1853-1856 it took an active part in the Crimean War, mainly as a transport unit. In 1861, she was decommissioned, and in 1888, La Belle Poule was dismantled.