When the Royalist French surrendered Toulon to Lord Hood in 1793, they found Iris dismantled and being used as a powder hulk. As the republicans advanced on the town, the Anglo-Spanish forces evacuated, destroying the arsenal and as many ships as they could of those that they could not sail out of the port. Captain Sidney Smith took charge of a small squadron of three English and three Spanish gunboats and went into the inner harbour to scuttle the ships. Against orders, instead of sinking one of the frigates, the Spanish crew of one gunboat set the frigate alight. The vessel, possibly Iris, was being used to store one thousand barrels of gunpowder. The resulting explosion blew the British gun boat Terrible, commanded by Lieutenant Patey, to pieces; however, the men were picked up alive.Gardner p.104 Another British gunboat, Union, which was nearest to Iris, too was blown to pieces; her commander, Mr Young, was killed, together with three of his men.von Pivka p.38 At least one other powder hulk, French frigate Montréal,Henry G. Bohn, "Battles of the British Navy", Joseph Allen, ESQ. R.N., Volume 1, 1853, pp. 369–370 was also destroyed in the evacuation, and Iris was recorded as being one of those burnt in the retreat.
