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Robert Surcouf

Robert Surcouf (12 December 1773 – 8 July 1827) was a French privateer, businessman and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean from 1789 to 1808 during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Capturing over 40 prizes, he later amassed a large fortune from a variety of commercial activities, such as ship-owning, privateering, slave trading and owning land.[1][2][3]

Robert Surcouf
Surcouf c. 1820
Born(1773-12-12)12 December 1773
Saint-Malo, Brittany
Died8 July 1827(1827-07-08) (aged 53)
Saint-Servan, Brittany
Allegiance French Empire
Bourbon Restoration
Service/branch French Navy(briefly)
Years of service1798–1809
RankPrivateer
Commands heldÉmilie

Clarisse
Confiance

Revenant
AwardsSabre of honour
Legion of Honour
Spouse(s)Marie Blaize
RelationsBrother to Nicolas Surcouf
Cousin to Joseph Potier
Other workship-owner of privateer and merchantmen
Signature

Surcouf started his maritime career as an officer on the ships Aurore, Courrier d'Afrique and Navigateur. Having risen to the rank of captain, he illegally engaged in slave trading onboard the slave ship Créole. Surcouf then captained the merchantman Émilie, on which he engaged in commerce raiding despite lacking a letter of marque. He preyed on British shipping, capturing several merchantmen including the East Indiaman Triton, before returning to the Isle de France where his prizes were confiscated. Surcouf then returned to France, where he obtained prize money from the government. Returning to the Indian Ocean, Surcouf captained the privateers Clarisse and Confiance, raiding British, American, and Portuguese shipping. He captured the East Indiaman Kent on 7 October 1800. Returning to France, Surcouf was awarded the Legion of Honour and settled down as a businessman.

He briefly returned to the Indian Ocean in 1807 on the corvette Revenant before returning to France. There, Surcouf sponsored privateers and merchantmen, including slave ships. His privateers led campaigns against British trade in the Indian Ocean and the English Channel. The cutter Renard, a ship of his, achieved fame in her victory over HMS Alphea on 9 September 1812, with Alphea exploding after repulsing French attempts at boarding her. After the Bourbon Restoration in France, Surcouf organised fishing expeditions to Newfoundland and amassed a considerable fortune. He died in 1827 and was buried in Saint-Malo.

Career

Youth

Robert Surcouf was born 12 December 1773 in Saint-Malo to a family of ship-owners.[4] His father, Charles-Ange Surcouf de Boisgris, was the grandson of Robert Surcouf de Maisonneuve,[5] who had captained the privateer Aimable during the reign of Louis XIV.[6] On his mother's side, Robert was a distant relative of René Duguay-Trouin.[7] When his parents sent him to Dinan college to become a priest, he fled at age thirteen to enlist on the merchantman Héron, which shuttled between Saint-Malo and Cadiz.[8]

On 3 March 1789, he enlisted as a volunteer on the 700-ton Aurore,[6] a slave ship[3] bound for India under Captain Tardivet.[4] Aurore sailed to Pondicherry and ferried troops[8] bound for Isle de France.[6] On her next journey, seeking to purchase slaves on the Horn of Africa, Aurore was wrecked in the Mozambique Channel, drowning 400 enslaved Africans chained in the orlop.[8] Tardivet chartered the Portuguese San Antoine in October 1790 to return to Port-Louis, but had to divert to Sumatra because of the weather, and only returned to Port-Louis in late 1790, on a French ship via the French colony of Pondicherry.[8] Promoted to officer, Surcouf enlisted on the Courrier d'Afrique, another slave ship,[3] bound for Mozambique under Captain Garnier.[6] Captain Tardivet then brought him over as Lieutenant on his new ship, Revanche.[9] On Revanche, Surcouf made several expeditions off Madagascar.[6][9]

Surcouf enlisted as a helmsman on the French Royal Navy's 20-gun fluyt Bienvenue, under Lieutenant Haumont,[10] bound for France.[11] Bienvenue arrived at Lorient on 2 January 1792, where Surcouf discovered the political changes France had undergone in the wake of the French Revolution.[11]

After six months, Surcouf enlisted as a lieutenant on the slave ship Navigateur,[3] under Captain Lejoliff.[11][N 1] She departed on 27 August 1792 for Mozambique before sailing to Isle de France, where Surcouf was informed on his arrival of the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars.[11]

Rising to the rank of captain, Surcouf took command of the brig Créole,[11] a four-gun slave ship.[3][9] He departed Isle de France on 3 June 1794 [9] for a journey off Africa and Madagascar,[11] and engaged again in slave trading, even though it had been prohibited by the National Convention and the Assembly of Île Bourbon.[12] Upon his return to Isle de France, agents of the Committee of Public Safety inspected Créole for evidence of slave trading, but left empty-handed as Surcouf had already sold his enslaved cargo.[12] When British naval forces arrived to blockade the Isle de France, he served as an auxiliary ensign on the 40-gun frigate Cybèle and participated in the inconclusive Action of 22 October 1794.[8]

Cruise of Émilie and capture of Triton

 
Cruise of Émilie: from Port-Louis (Mauritius) to the Seychelles via La Réunion, on to Sumatra, the Gulf of Bengal, and return to Port-Louis.

In the spring in 1795,[9] Surcouf took command of the 180-ton,[11] privateer schooner Modeste,[9] renamed Émilie, with a 32-man crew and four 6-pounder guns,[11] armed by Malroux and Levaillant.[13] Governor Malartic refused to provide a lettre de marque and ordered Émilie to go to the Seychelles to purchase tortoises as food for Isle de France.[9][12][13]

Émilie departed on 3 September 1795 with a congé de navigation authorising her to defend herself, but not to take prizes as a privateer. The next day, she made a port call at Saint-Denis before cruising to Mahé.[13] At Sainte Anne Island, two large British ships chased him, but he was able to evade them by sailing through the reefs,[9] at night.[13]

Surcouf then decided to sail to the Mergui Archipelago to load a rice cargo.[14] On 8 December 1795,[12] while in transit, cruising off the Ganges Delta,[15] Surcouf captured his first prize, the ship Penguin, loaded with lumber, on which he detached a prize crew under Lieutenant Péru before sending her to Isle de France.[14]

On 19 January 1796,[14] Surcouf met the pilot ship[15] Cartier[9][14] leading two merchantmen, the Russel and Sambolasse, through the Ganges delta.[14][N 2] He attacked and captured them, finding the merchantmen to be carrying rice.[14] After detaching prize crews, Surcouf transferred his command, along with his remaining 22 crew members and Émilie's four guns, to Cartier, which (according to Ambroise Louis Garneray) he renamed Hasard.[15] Surcouf then sent Émilie, under Lieutenant Croizet, together with his prizes, to Isle de France.[17]

On the night of 28 January, Surcouf captured the 12-gun Diana,[17] loaded with 6000 bags of rice.[18] The next day, Cartier met a 26-gun Indiaman,[18] Triton,[9] armed with 12-pounders and a 150-man crew;[9] having decided to attack, and recognising only too late the overwhelming superiority of his opponent,[9] Surcouf, feeling threatened and unable to flee, decided to board her with his 26 men.[18][N 3] After haranguing his men, he approached under a British flag,[20] before hoisting French colours at the very last moment and launching a violent assault.[19] In the ensuing 45-minute battle,[9] Triton suffered 5 wounded and 10 killed,[21] including her captain, Captain Burnycat, and the first officer, Picket;[19] The prisoners were transferred to Diana, which Surcouf released against a 30,000 rupee ransom.[22]

Surcouf returned to Ile de France with his prizes,[15] where he arrived on 10 March 1796,[19] although Hasard was captured by HMS Victorious on the journey back.[23] As Émilie had been armed as a merchant rather than a privateer, the Prize court seized her prizes and sold them for the benefit of the State,[15] although their capture was declared to be legal.[21] Surcouf returned to France to claim his prize money, and on 3 September 1797,[21] the government finally granted him 660,000 francs,[9] of which he only received 80,000.[21][N 4]

Cruise of Clarisse

 
First cruise with Clarisse and battle of Susoh.

In early 1798,[24] after 14 months in Paris,[9] Surcouf took command of Clarisse, a 14-gun privateer brig[9] armed with four 12-pounders, ten 8-pounders, and manned by a 120-strong complement.[24] He departed from Paimboeuf,[9] Nantes, in February 1798,[25] this time with a proper lettre de marque.[22] During the journey to Isle de France, Clarisse chased a British slave ship,[25] which escaped after one of her shots cut off Clarisse's foremast tops.[24][26] Surcouf captured a British brig[22] South of Cape of Good Hope, which surrendered after a warning shot was fired,[22] on which he sent a prize crew under Captain Dujardin,[25] and arrived La Réunion on 5 December.[24]

In early 1799, Surcouf sailed to the city of Susoh[24][27][28] in Aceh, on Sumatra, where he found two 20-gun merchantmen anchored in the harbour, in the process of loading pepper; Clarisse dropped anchor close by and opened fire, after which Surcouf sent his older brother Nicolas to head a 20-man board party on Clarisse's boats and board the largest of the ships, while he boarded her with Clarisse from the opposite side; assaulted from two sides, she surrendered after a 30-minute battle.[29] The other ship cut her anchor and attempted to flee, but the boats of Clarisse overhauled and captured her without resistance, most of her crew being ashore.[29] Surcouf returned to Île de France with his prizes in June.[24]

 
Second cruise with Clarisse

On 16 August, Clarisse departed Isle de France for another cruise; she sailed to La Réunion carrying despatches of Malartic to the governor. She then cruised to Java to procure water,[30] where she arrived on 27 September.[31] On 1 October, Surcouf captured a Danish[26] merchantman, which he sent away under Lieutenant Fonroc;[31] on 4 November,[32] the Portuguese[26] merchantman Nostra Signora de la Conception carrying 116 000 piastres;[30][32] on 6, a British ship laden with a salt;[32] and on 11 November, the 20-gun Auspicious, with a cargo worth 1,032,580 francs.[30][32]

Surcouf sailed to Mergui[30] to purchase food and free his prisoners, and put to sail on 10 December.[30] En route, he met the fellow French privateer Malartic, under Jean Dutertre;[30] soon after, the privateers met a British frigate,[30] 38-gun frigate HMS Sybille, which gave chase and which Surcouf managed to outsail by throwing eight guns overboard, along with various other implements.[30]

On 1 January 1800, Clarisse captured a large rice-laden merchantman,[30] the British James.[32] On 3 January, she detected two American 16-carronade ships forming a line of battle; although Clarisse lacked the eight guns sacrificed to escape Sybille and 60 of her men detached on her various prizes, Surcouf engaged.[33] Clarisse raked the rear-most ship, the Louisa,[26] and boarded her, while simultaneously firing a broadside on the other ship, Mercury,[31] which attempted to rescue her mate. Nicolas Surcouf led a 30-man boarding party to seize Louisa, while Mercury escaped.[33] Clarisse could not give chase, her bowsprit having been destroyed in the collision with Louisa.[34] Nicolas Surcouf took a prize crew and sailed Louisa back to Port Louis.[31][33][35]

Clarisse continued her patrol, capturing the ships Catherine, Haderbux, Anna Maria, Nostra Signora de la Cruz, Louis, Janna, Notre Dame de Bon Succès and Albion,[32] before sailing back to Isle de France with her prizes.[33] She arrived in early February 1800.[31]

Cruise of Confiance and capture of Kent

 
Cruise of Confiance

In May 1800, Surcouf took command of Confiance, a fast 18-gun brig[26] from Bordeaux, with a 150-man complement; the competition with Dutertre for the captainship of Confiance almost degenerated into a duel, and Governor Malartic had to intervene to prevent it, stating that such a confrontation would be "an English victory".[36] The sailor and painter Ambroise Louis Garneray, future biographer of Surcouf, enlisted at this time.[36]

In late April 1800, Confiance cruised off Sunda Strait, where she captured an American ship; she then left the strait to avoid the frigate USS Essex,[37] which was known to cruise in these waters, and sailed to the Seychelles. There, he escaped a British ship of the line and a frigate, and sailed on to cruise the Bay of Bengal.[38]

On 19 September, Confiance captured Prize, from Calcutta, which had stored eight of her ten guns in her hold to improve her stability. Prize was sent off to Mauritius on the next day with an 85-man prize crew.[39] Surcouf then steered for Ganjam, where he captured three smaller ships.[40]

On 7 October 1800, off Sand Heads, near Calcutta, Confiance met the 40-gun East Indiaman Kent, of 824 tons burthen,[41][42][N 5] under Captain Robert Rivington. Kent had rescued the crew of another ship, Queen,[43][45][N 6] destroyed by fire,[41] and therefore had an exceptionally large complement[44] of 437 men, including her passengers; 300 of them were soldiers and sailors;[38][N 7] Surcouf managed to board his larger opponent and, after over an hour and a half[47] of battle across the decks of the ship,[48] seize control of the Kent.[49]

The British had suffered fourteen killed, including the captain,[44] and forty-four wounded, while the French suffered five killed and ten wounded.[44] The privateers were then granted one hour of free pillaging on Kent before Surcouf restored order;[43][49][50] however, the female passengers were strictly protected and sentries were placed in front of their apartments.[51] Amongst the prisoners were General Frederick St. John and his wife,[44] Arabella Craven.[52]

The first officer of Confiance, Joachim Drieux, was sent on Kent with a 60-man prize crew, while her passengers were released on a merchantman that Surcouf stopped a few days later.[53] Confiance and Kent arrived at the Rade des Pavillons in Port-Louis in November.[43] The capture of Kent became a sensation, and the British Admiralty issued a reward for the capture of Surcouf.[53]

After her return to Ile de France, Confiance was armed as a merchantman en aventurier[N 8] with an 89-man crew[43] and loaded with colonial goods for her return to France. On the journey, Surcouf still managed to capture a number of ships, notably the Portuguese Ebre,[43] with eighteen 12-pounder carronades and a 60-man crew; he released her against a ransom of 10,000 piastres and after exchanging her greatmast with that of Confiance.[53]

Upon her return, Confiance ran into the British blockade and was chased by a frigate; Surcouf managed to evade her by throwing overboard all but one of her guns, his boats, anchors, chains and even components of his masts. He eventually arrived at La Rochelle[26][54][55][N 9] on 13 April 1801.[53][54]

In France, Navy Minister Truguet attempted to enrol Surcouf in the Navy as an auxiliary officer, which he declined.[53] Hennequin states that Bonaparte himself offered him the rank of Captain and the command of two frigates, which Surcouf declined for fear of losing his freedom of action, and awarded him a Sabre of honour.[55] Surcouf was awarded the Legion of Honour at the founding of the Order, on 19 May 1802.[26]

On 28 May, in Saint-Malo, he married Marie Blaize, who had been his fiancée for two years;[54] over the course of their marriage, they had five children together.[3] Around 1805, Surcouf started to arm privateers in Saint-Malo in partnership with his father-in-law Louis Blaize de Maisonneuve,[56] notably Caroline which captured four ships in the Indian Ocean under Nicolas Surcouf;[57] Marsouin; and Confiance, which took two prizes under Joseph Potier.[58]

Cruise of Revenant

 
Cruise of Revenant.

After a five-year retirement,[26] in early 1807, Surcouf ordered the 18-gun[54] Revenant, a privateer which he had built on his own specifications.[26] On 2 March, he departed Saint-Malo with a 192-man crew[54] to cruise off Bengal. On 9 March 1807,[59] while en route, off Madeira, Revenant captured the British slave ship Aun,[59] of sixteen 12-pounders, recently departed from Liverpool,[60] which Surcouf let go for a ransom, after throwing her guns overboard, wetting her gunpowder and destroying some of her sails.[54]

Surcouf arrived at Île de France in June, slipping past the British blockade and capturing several ships on the journey. During the subsequent campaign, which was to be his last, Surcouf captured 16 British merchantmen, partly because they tended to strike their colours as soon as they realised their opponent was Surcouf.[60][61]

The arrival of Surcouf at Isle de France did not go unnoticed: the authorities and the population reacted with enthusiasm, while British insurance companies on Calcutta doubled the reward for his capture,[54] which amounted to one lakh of rupees, or 250,000 francs.[62] On 3 September 1807, Revenant departed to cruise off Bengal. On 25 September, she captured the British 12-gun Trafalgar carrying 10,000 bags of rice,[59] and the 14-gun Mangles, carrying 11,000;[59] on the 27th, the 12-gun Admiral Applin, with 9,500 bags of rice;[59] on 1 October, the 1-gun Suzannah, with 5,500 bags of rice; on the 19th, the wood-laden Success, which was burnt;[59] on the 30th, the 12-gun Fortune, which carried no cargo and was sunk;[59] on 15 November, the Indian Macauly;[59] on 18 December, the British 10-gun Sir William Burroughs;[59] on the 30th, the Portuguese Oriente;[59] and on 6 January 1808, the Arab Jem lab Dim.[59] Surcouf sent these with prize crews to Isle de France, and then returned himself on 31 January 1808.[54]

When a British captive officer taunted Surcouf with the words "You French fight for money while we fight for honour", Surcouf replied "Each of us fights for what he lacks most".[63][64]

Surcouf then gave command of Revenant to his first officer, Joseph Potier. After a short cruise, Potier returned with a 34-gun[N 10] prize of the Portuguese East India Company,[67] the Conceçáo de Santo Antonio,[67] captured after a one-hour fight.[68]

On 4 July 1808, General Charles Decaen, governor of Isle de France, requisitioned Revenant.[69] She was renamed Iéna, and commissioned under Lieutenant Morice, with Lieutenant de vaisseau Albin Roussin as second officer. Surcouf had an altercation with Decaen but had to renounce his ship. He eventually purchased Sémillante, which he renamed Charles. Returning with this vessel to Saint-Malo, he arrived on 4 February 1809.[26][68]

Later life

 
Portrait of Surcouf by Antoine Maurin

From 1809, Surcouf went into business as ship-owner,[26] and over the years, he equipped a number of privateers:[68] Auguste, under Pelletier;[68][70] Dorade;[68] Biscayenne;[68] Édouard;[68] Espadon;[68] Ville-de-Caen;[68] Adolphe[68] and his last, Renard,[57][68] under Leroux.[70] The British captured all the privateers sent into the Channel, with the exception of Renard.[3] Surcouf also built the brig Fantôme at St. Malo in 1809. Surcouf dispatched Fantôme to Isle de France (Mauritius) in the Indian Ocean on her first voyage where the brig took three prizes but was captured by the British in 1810 and commissioned into British service as HMS Fantome.[71]

In January 1814, Surcouf was made a colonel in the National Guard of Saint-Malo.[26] During the Hundred Days, he served as a chief of Legion and maintained order.[26] He resigned after the Battle of Waterloo and became a merchant,[26] arming 19 merchantmen[72] and establishing business with Newfoundland.

Between 1814 and 1827, Surcouf organised over 116 commercial expeditions.[73] In 1815, Surcouf engaged in the slave trade, commissioning the ship Africain to transport enslaved Africans from Gabon.[1] Africain conducted another slave trading journey in 1819.[74] Four other expeditions are also suspected of having been slaving runs: that of Marie-Anne in 1819, Adolphe in 1820, and in 1821 Victor and Adolphe,[74] under René Decaen and with Désiré Surcouf as first officer, which sailed under the pretence of sailing to Isle Bourbon (now Réunion), but actually to ferry slaves to Cuba and Philadelphia.[75][73]

Surcouf died on 8 July 1827, and was buried in Saint-Malo graveyard with military honours.[76] His tomb features a globe showing the Indian Ocean and an anchor,[77] with the epitaph:

A famous sailor has finished his career

He is in the tomb forever asleep
Seamen are deprived of their father

The unfortunates have lost a friend[77][N 11]

Legacy

Five ships of the French Navy were named after Surcouf, the first three being a steam aviso (sloop), an armoured cruiser, and a submarine cruiser, which at the time of her launch was the largest submarine in the world. The submarine joined the Free French Naval Forces during the Second World War and disappeared mysteriously after liberating Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. The fourth Surcouf was a large fleet escort destroyer, which was severely damaged in a collision with a Soviet ship, and the fifth is a modern stealth frigate, one of the first stealth combat ships.[78]

A number of legends have grown around Surcouf, he is often stated to have been made a Baron of the Empire, which is untrue.[3][N 12] Another legend states that Surcouf had thrown overboard gold seized on Kent but Kent did not carry gold.[3][N 13]

There is a tale that in 1816, Surcouf challenged twelve Prussian officers to a duel and defeated all of them except for the last, which he let go "to tell in his country how a former soldier of Napoleon fights"; this story is a fabrication.[81][N 14]

Notes

  1. ^ Granier gives the captain's name as "captain de Joliff" instead of "Lejoliff".[8]
  2. ^ Russell was a pilot boat of 111 tons (bm), launched in 1770.[16]
  3. ^ Levot gives a figure of 17 men; Cunat, of 19.[9][19]
  4. ^ Some sources state that the allowance was of 1,700,000 francs, of which Surcouf left two thirds to the Treasury.[22]
  5. ^ A number of French accounts gild the lily of Surcouf's stunning victory by exaggerating by 60% Kent's size and guns. Rouvier states 38 guns and 1200 tons; Cunat specifies that Kent carried twenty-six 18-pounder on her battery and 12 9-pounder on her castles; Hennequin gives an approximate 40 guns, but confirms the figure of 1200 tons.[38][43][44]
  6. ^ Cunat actually names her as Reine, translating her name into French.[43]
  7. ^ The Gazette de France reported that Kent carried 150 soldiers of line infantry.[46]
  8. ^ Cunat says that Confiance was armed "à l'aventure", entailing that she was nominally a merchantman, but was capable of attacking targets of opportunity.[43]
  9. ^ Rouvier says Rochefort instead of La Rochelle.[53]
  10. ^ Cunat gives a figure of 64 guns for Conceçáo and implies she was a naval ship; while she had indeed been built as a 64-gun ship of the line and still belonged to the government, she sailed for private ship-owners and was armed with 36 guns, of which only 28 were usable (report of Captain Potier, quoted in Lepelley pp. 143–144).[65][66]
  11. ^ Un célèbre marin a fini sa carrière
    Il est dans le tombeau à jamais endormi
    Les matelots sont privés de leur père
    Les malheureux ont perdu un ami
  12. ^ Granier, for instance, states that Surcouf was made Baron.[79]
  13. ^ For instance the tale is told without reservation by Granier.[80]
  14. ^ For instance the tale is told without reservation by Granier.[82]

References

  1. ^ a b Roman (2001), p. 272.
  2. ^ Roman (2018), p. 130.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Alain Roman; summary on Robert Surcouf 23 April 2003 at the Wayback Machine, www.netmarine.net
  4. ^ a b Levot, p. 493
  5. ^ Cunat, p.145
  6. ^ a b c d e Cunat, p. 390
  7. ^ Hennequin, p. 378
  8. ^ a b c d e f Granier, p. 216
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Levot, p. 494
  10. ^ Roche, p. 74
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h Cunat, p. 391
  12. ^ a b c d Granier, p. 217.
  13. ^ a b c d Cunat, p.392
  14. ^ a b c d e f Cunat, p. 393
  15. ^ a b c d e Rouvier, p. 254
  16. ^ Phipps (1840), p. 131.
  17. ^ a b Cunat, p. 394
  18. ^ a b c Rouvier, p. 252
  19. ^ a b c d Cunat, p. 395
  20. ^ Rouvier, p. 253
  21. ^ a b c d Hennequin, p. 380
  22. ^ a b c d e Granier, p. 218
  23. ^ Demerliac, p. 309, no 2915
  24. ^ a b c d e f Rouvier, p. 447
  25. ^ a b c Cunat, p. 396
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Levot, p. 495
  27. ^ Granier, p.223
  28. ^ Hennequin, p. 381
  29. ^ a b Hennequin, p. 382
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i Rouvier, p. 448
  31. ^ a b c d e Cunat, p. 397
  32. ^ a b c d e f Granier, p. 224
  33. ^ a b c d Rouvier, p. 449
  34. ^ Hennequin, p. 383
  35. ^ Austen (1935), pp. 93–94.
  36. ^ a b Granier, p. 219
  37. ^ Robert Surcouf, ageofsail.wordpress.com
  38. ^ a b c Rouvier, p. 526
  39. ^ Asiatic Annual Register, Volume 3, p. 39
  40. ^ Asiatic Annual Register, Volume 3, p. 40
  41. ^ a b Norman p. 353
  42. ^ Biden p. 212
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h Cunat, p. 398
  44. ^ a b c d e Hennequin, p. 384
  45. ^ Laughton, p. 439
  46. ^ Gallois, Napoléon (1847). Les Corsaires français sous la République et l'Empire (in French). Vol. 2. Julien, Lanier et compagnie. p. 374. OCLC 6977453.
  47. ^ Laughton, p. 438
  48. ^ Laughton, p. 440
  49. ^ a b Laughton, p. 441
  50. ^ Hennequin (p. 385) states that the effects of the prisoners were returned to them when he had them transferred on Confiance.
  51. ^ Laughton, p. 442
  52. ^ St. John, Hon. Frederick (1765–1844), of Chailey, Sussex., The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790–1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
  53. ^ a b c d e f Rouvier, p. 527
  54. ^ a b c d e f g h Cunat, p. 399
  55. ^ a b Hennequin, p. 385
  56. ^ Granier, p. 221
  57. ^ a b Gallois, vol. 2, p. 302
  58. ^ Gallois, vol.2, pp. 302–303
  59. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Granier, p. 225
  60. ^ a b Hennequin, p. 386
  61. ^ Fonds Marine, p. 362
  62. ^ Hennequin, p. 387
  63. ^ Stephen Taylor, "Storm and Conquest: The Battle for the Indian Ocean, 1808–10"
  64. ^ Isabelle Tombs,Robert Tombs, "That Sweet Enemy: The British and the French from the Sun King to the Present", p. 262
  65. ^ Cunat, Charles (1857). Saint-Malo illustré par ses marins (in French). Imprimerie de F. Péalat. p. 400. OCLC 793555867.
  66. ^ Lepelley, Roger (2000). La Fin d'un empire : les derniers jours de l'Isle de France et de l'Isle Bonaparte : 1809–1810. Economica. pp. 143–144. ISBN 2717841482. OCLC 45463166.
  67. ^ a b Lepelley, p. 7
  68. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cunant, p. 400
  69. ^ Fonds Marine, p. 377
  70. ^ a b Gallois, vol. 2, p. 306
  71. ^ Young, G.F.W. "HMS Fantome and the British Raid on Washington August 1814". Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal. 10: 135.
  72. ^ Cunat, p. 401
  73. ^ a b Roman (2018), p. 122.
  74. ^ a b Roman (2018), p. 124.
  75. ^ Roman (2007), p. 298.
  76. ^ Cunat, p. 402
  77. ^ a b Granier, p. 228
  78. ^ Les bâtiments ayant porté le nom de Surcouf 14 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine, netmarine
  79. ^ Granier, Hubert (1998). Histoire des Marins français 1789–1815. illustrations by Alain Coz. Marines éditions. p. 226. ISBN 2909675416. OCLC 468167565.
  80. ^ Granier, Hubert (1998). Histoire des Marins français 1789–1815. illustrations by Alain Coz. Marines éditions. p. 220. ISBN 2909675416. OCLC 468167565.
  81. ^ M. Corbes, Conference of 16 August 1954, Société d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'arrondissement de Saint-Malo.
  82. ^ Granier, Hubert (1998). Histoire des Marins français 1789–1815. illustrations by Alain Coz. Marines éditions. p. 227. ISBN 2909675416. OCLC 468167565.

Bibliography

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robert, surcouf, december, 1773, july, 1827, french, privateer, businessman, slave, trader, operated, indian, ocean, from, 1789, 1808, during, french, revolutionary, napoleonic, wars, capturing, over, prizes, later, amassed, large, fortune, from, variety, comm. Robert Surcouf 12 December 1773 8 July 1827 was a French privateer businessman and slave trader who operated in the Indian Ocean from 1789 to 1808 during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars Capturing over 40 prizes he later amassed a large fortune from a variety of commercial activities such as ship owning privateering slave trading and owning land 1 2 3 Robert SurcoufSurcouf c 1820Born 1773 12 12 12 December 1773Saint Malo BrittanyDied8 July 1827 1827 07 08 aged 53 Saint Servan BrittanyAllegianceFrench Empire Bourbon RestorationService wbr branchFrench Navy briefly Years of service1798 1809RankPrivateerCommands heldEmilieClarisseConfiance RevenantAwardsSabre of honourLegion of HonourSpouse s Marie BlaizeRelationsBrother to Nicolas SurcoufCousin to Joseph PotierOther workship owner of privateer and merchantmenSignatureSurcouf started his maritime career as an officer on the ships Aurore Courrier d Afrique and Navigateur Having risen to the rank of captain he illegally engaged in slave trading onboard the slave ship Creole Surcouf then captained the merchantman Emilie on which he engaged in commerce raiding despite lacking a letter of marque He preyed on British shipping capturing several merchantmen including the East Indiaman Triton before returning to the Isle de France where his prizes were confiscated Surcouf then returned to France where he obtained prize money from the government Returning to the Indian Ocean Surcouf captained the privateers Clarisse and Confiance raiding British American and Portuguese shipping He captured the East Indiaman Kent on 7 October 1800 Returning to France Surcouf was awarded the Legion of Honour and settled down as a businessman He briefly returned to the Indian Ocean in 1807 on the corvette Revenant before returning to France There Surcouf sponsored privateers and merchantmen including slave ships His privateers led campaigns against British trade in the Indian Ocean and the English Channel The cutter Renard a ship of his achieved fame in her victory over HMS Alphea on 9 September 1812 with Alphea exploding after repulsing French attempts at boarding her After the Bourbon Restoration in France Surcouf organised fishing expeditions to Newfoundland and amassed a considerable fortune He died in 1827 and was buried in Saint Malo Contents 1 Career 1 1 Youth 1 2 Cruise of Emilie and capture of Triton 1 3 Cruise of Clarisse 1 4 Cruise of Confiance and capture of Kent 1 5 Cruise of Revenant 1 6 Later life 2 Legacy 3 Notes 4 References 5 BibliographyCareer EditYouth Edit Robert Surcouf was born 12 December 1773 in Saint Malo to a family of ship owners 4 His father Charles Ange Surcouf de Boisgris was the grandson of Robert Surcouf de Maisonneuve 5 who had captained the privateer Aimable during the reign of Louis XIV 6 On his mother s side Robert was a distant relative of Rene Duguay Trouin 7 When his parents sent him to Dinan college to become a priest he fled at age thirteen to enlist on the merchantman Heron which shuttled between Saint Malo and Cadiz 8 On 3 March 1789 he enlisted as a volunteer on the 700 ton Aurore 6 a slave ship 3 bound for India under Captain Tardivet 4 Aurore sailed to Pondicherry and ferried troops 8 bound for Isle de France 6 On her next journey seeking to purchase slaves on the Horn of Africa Aurore was wrecked in the Mozambique Channel drowning 400 enslaved Africans chained in the orlop 8 Tardivet chartered the Portuguese San Antoine in October 1790 to return to Port Louis but had to divert to Sumatra because of the weather and only returned to Port Louis in late 1790 on a French ship via the French colony of Pondicherry 8 Promoted to officer Surcouf enlisted on the Courrier d Afrique another slave ship 3 bound for Mozambique under Captain Garnier 6 Captain Tardivet then brought him over as Lieutenant on his new ship Revanche 9 On Revanche Surcouf made several expeditions off Madagascar 6 9 Surcouf enlisted as a helmsman on the French Royal Navy s 20 gun fluyt Bienvenue under Lieutenant Haumont 10 bound for France 11 Bienvenue arrived at Lorient on 2 January 1792 where Surcouf discovered the political changes France had undergone in the wake of the French Revolution 11 After six months Surcouf enlisted as a lieutenant on the slave ship Navigateur 3 under Captain Lejoliff 11 N 1 She departed on 27 August 1792 for Mozambique before sailing to Isle de France where Surcouf was informed on his arrival of the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars 11 Rising to the rank of captain Surcouf took command of the brig Creole 11 a four gun slave ship 3 9 He departed Isle de France on 3 June 1794 9 for a journey off Africa and Madagascar 11 and engaged again in slave trading even though it had been prohibited by the National Convention and the Assembly of Ile Bourbon 12 Upon his return to Isle de France agents of the Committee of Public Safety inspected Creole for evidence of slave trading but left empty handed as Surcouf had already sold his enslaved cargo 12 When British naval forces arrived to blockade the Isle de France he served as an auxiliary ensign on the 40 gun frigate Cybele and participated in the inconclusive Action of 22 October 1794 8 Cruise of Emilie and capture of Triton Edit Cruise of Emilie from Port Louis Mauritius to the Seychelles via La Reunion on to Sumatra the Gulf of Bengal and return to Port Louis In the spring in 1795 9 Surcouf took command of the 180 ton 11 privateer schooner Modeste 9 renamed Emilie with a 32 man crew and four 6 pounder guns 11 armed by Malroux and Levaillant 13 Governor Malartic refused to provide a lettre de marque and ordered Emilie to go to the Seychelles to purchase tortoises as food for Isle de France 9 12 13 Emilie departed on 3 September 1795 with a conge de navigation authorising her to defend herself but not to take prizes as a privateer The next day she made a port call at Saint Denis before cruising to Mahe 13 At Sainte Anne Island two large British ships chased him but he was able to evade them by sailing through the reefs 9 at night 13 Surcouf then decided to sail to the Mergui Archipelago to load a rice cargo 14 On 8 December 1795 12 while in transit cruising off the Ganges Delta 15 Surcouf captured his first prize the ship Penguin loaded with lumber on which he detached a prize crew under Lieutenant Peru before sending her to Isle de France 14 On 19 January 1796 14 Surcouf met the pilot ship 15 Cartier 9 14 leading two merchantmen the Russel and Sambolasse through the Ganges delta 14 N 2 He attacked and captured them finding the merchantmen to be carrying rice 14 After detaching prize crews Surcouf transferred his command along with his remaining 22 crew members and Emilie s four guns to Cartier which according to Ambroise Louis Garneray he renamed Hasard 15 Surcouf then sent Emilie under Lieutenant Croizet together with his prizes to Isle de France 17 On the night of 28 January Surcouf captured the 12 gun Diana 17 loaded with 6000 bags of rice 18 The next day Cartier met a 26 gun Indiaman 18 Triton 9 armed with 12 pounders and a 150 man crew 9 having decided to attack and recognising only too late the overwhelming superiority of his opponent 9 Surcouf feeling threatened and unable to flee decided to board her with his 26 men 18 N 3 After haranguing his men he approached under a British flag 20 before hoisting French colours at the very last moment and launching a violent assault 19 In the ensuing 45 minute battle 9 Triton suffered 5 wounded and 10 killed 21 including her captain Captain Burnycat and the first officer Picket 19 The prisoners were transferred to Diana which Surcouf released against a 30 000 rupee ransom 22 Surcouf returned to Ile de France with his prizes 15 where he arrived on 10 March 1796 19 although Hasard was captured by HMS Victorious on the journey back 23 As Emilie had been armed as a merchant rather than a privateer the Prize court seized her prizes and sold them for the benefit of the State 15 although their capture was declared to be legal 21 Surcouf returned to France to claim his prize money and on 3 September 1797 21 the government finally granted him 660 000 francs 9 of which he only received 80 000 21 N 4 Boarding of Triton by the French corsair Hasard Engraving by Ambroise Louis Garneray Boarding of Triton by the French corsair Hasard under Robert Surcouf Painting by Leon Tremisot Cruise of Clarisse Edit First cruise with Clarisse and battle of Susoh In early 1798 24 after 14 months in Paris 9 Surcouf took command of Clarisse a 14 gun privateer brig 9 armed with four 12 pounders ten 8 pounders and manned by a 120 strong complement 24 He departed from Paimboeuf 9 Nantes in February 1798 25 this time with a proper lettre de marque 22 During the journey to Isle de France Clarisse chased a British slave ship 25 which escaped after one of her shots cut off Clarisse s foremast tops 24 26 Surcouf captured a British brig 22 South of Cape of Good Hope which surrendered after a warning shot was fired 22 on which he sent a prize crew under Captain Dujardin 25 and arrived La Reunion on 5 December 24 In early 1799 Surcouf sailed to the city of Susoh 24 27 28 in Aceh on Sumatra where he found two 20 gun merchantmen anchored in the harbour in the process of loading pepper Clarisse dropped anchor close by and opened fire after which Surcouf sent his older brother Nicolas to head a 20 man board party on Clarisse s boats and board the largest of the ships while he boarded her with Clarisse from the opposite side assaulted from two sides she surrendered after a 30 minute battle 29 The other ship cut her anchor and attempted to flee but the boats of Clarisse overhauled and captured her without resistance most of her crew being ashore 29 Surcouf returned to Ile de France with his prizes in June 24 Second cruise with Clarisse On 16 August Clarisse departed Isle de France for another cruise she sailed to La Reunion carrying despatches of Malartic to the governor She then cruised to Java to procure water 30 where she arrived on 27 September 31 On 1 October Surcouf captured a Danish 26 merchantman which he sent away under Lieutenant Fonroc 31 on 4 November 32 the Portuguese 26 merchantman Nostra Signora de la Conception carrying 116 000 piastres 30 32 on 6 a British ship laden with a salt 32 and on 11 November the 20 gun Auspicious with a cargo worth 1 032 580 francs 30 32 Surcouf sailed to Mergui 30 to purchase food and free his prisoners and put to sail on 10 December 30 En route he met the fellow French privateer Malartic under Jean Dutertre 30 soon after the privateers met a British frigate 30 38 gun frigate HMS Sybille which gave chase and which Surcouf managed to outsail by throwing eight guns overboard along with various other implements 30 On 1 January 1800 Clarisse captured a large rice laden merchantman 30 the British James 32 On 3 January she detected two American 16 carronade ships forming a line of battle although Clarisse lacked the eight guns sacrificed to escape Sybille and 60 of her men detached on her various prizes Surcouf engaged 33 Clarisse raked the rear most ship the Louisa 26 and boarded her while simultaneously firing a broadside on the other ship Mercury 31 which attempted to rescue her mate Nicolas Surcouf led a 30 man boarding party to seize Louisa while Mercury escaped 33 Clarisse could not give chase her bowsprit having been destroyed in the collision with Louisa 34 Nicolas Surcouf took a prize crew and sailed Louisa back to Port Louis 31 33 35 Clarisse continued her patrol capturing the ships Catherine Haderbux Anna Maria Nostra Signora de la Cruz Louis Janna Notre Dame de Bon Succes and Albion 32 before sailing back to Isle de France with her prizes 33 She arrived in early February 1800 31 Depictions of Clarisse Surcouf returning to Port Louis with his prizes probably on Clarisse Drawing by Morel Fatio depicting the battle between Clarisse and the American Liousia and Mercury Morel Fatio depicts Clarisse as a three masted ship Cruise of Confiance and capture of Kent Edit Cruise of Confiance In May 1800 Surcouf took command of Confiance a fast 18 gun brig 26 from Bordeaux with a 150 man complement the competition with Dutertre for the captainship of Confiance almost degenerated into a duel and Governor Malartic had to intervene to prevent it stating that such a confrontation would be an English victory 36 The sailor and painter Ambroise Louis Garneray future biographer of Surcouf enlisted at this time 36 In late April 1800 Confiance cruised off Sunda Strait where she captured an American ship she then left the strait to avoid the frigate USS Essex 37 which was known to cruise in these waters and sailed to the Seychelles There he escaped a British ship of the line and a frigate and sailed on to cruise the Bay of Bengal 38 On 19 September Confiance captured Prize from Calcutta which had stored eight of her ten guns in her hold to improve her stability Prize was sent off to Mauritius on the next day with an 85 man prize crew 39 Surcouf then steered for Ganjam where he captured three smaller ships 40 On 7 October 1800 off Sand Heads near Calcutta Confiance met the 40 gun East Indiaman Kent of 824 tons burthen 41 42 N 5 under Captain Robert Rivington Kent had rescued the crew of another ship Queen 43 45 N 6 destroyed by fire 41 and therefore had an exceptionally large complement 44 of 437 men including her passengers 300 of them were soldiers and sailors 38 N 7 Surcouf managed to board his larger opponent and after over an hour and a half 47 of battle across the decks of the ship 48 seize control of the Kent 49 The British had suffered fourteen killed including the captain 44 and forty four wounded while the French suffered five killed and ten wounded 44 The privateers were then granted one hour of free pillaging on Kent before Surcouf restored order 43 49 50 however the female passengers were strictly protected and sentries were placed in front of their apartments 51 Amongst the prisoners were General Frederick St John and his wife 44 Arabella Craven 52 Battle between Confiance and Kent Confiance raking Kent which just missed her maneuver and preparing to come alongside Engraving by Leon Morel Fatio Capture of Kent by Confiance Painting by Ambroise Louis Garneray Account of the capture of Kent in The Gentleman s Magazine October 1800 The first officer of Confiance Joachim Drieux was sent on Kent with a 60 man prize crew while her passengers were released on a merchantman that Surcouf stopped a few days later 53 Confiance and Kent arrived at the Rade des Pavillons in Port Louis in November 43 The capture of Kent became a sensation and the British Admiralty issued a reward for the capture of Surcouf 53 After her return to Ile de France Confiance was armed as a merchantman en aventurier N 8 with an 89 man crew 43 and loaded with colonial goods for her return to France On the journey Surcouf still managed to capture a number of ships notably the Portuguese Ebre 43 with eighteen 12 pounder carronades and a 60 man crew he released her against a ransom of 10 000 piastres and after exchanging her greatmast with that of Confiance 53 Upon her return Confiance ran into the British blockade and was chased by a frigate Surcouf managed to evade her by throwing overboard all but one of her guns his boats anchors chains and even components of his masts He eventually arrived at La Rochelle 26 54 55 N 9 on 13 April 1801 53 54 In France Navy Minister Truguet attempted to enrol Surcouf in the Navy as an auxiliary officer which he declined 53 Hennequin states that Bonaparte himself offered him the rank of Captain and the command of two frigates which Surcouf declined for fear of losing his freedom of action and awarded him a Sabre of honour 55 Surcouf was awarded the Legion of Honour at the founding of the Order on 19 May 1802 26 Documents on Surcouf s Legion of Honour Document forwarding Surcouf s request to be admitted in the Legion of Honour Document on the background verification process Official letter to Surcouf The Emperor during a Great Council has made you a member of the Legion of Honour On 28 May in Saint Malo he married Marie Blaize who had been his fiancee for two years 54 over the course of their marriage they had five children together 3 Around 1805 Surcouf started to arm privateers in Saint Malo in partnership with his father in law Louis Blaize de Maisonneuve 56 notably Caroline which captured four ships in the Indian Ocean under Nicolas Surcouf 57 Marsouin and Confiance which took two prizes under Joseph Potier 58 Cruise of Revenant Edit Cruise of Revenant After a five year retirement 26 in early 1807 Surcouf ordered the 18 gun 54 Revenant a privateer which he had built on his own specifications 26 On 2 March he departed Saint Malo with a 192 man crew 54 to cruise off Bengal On 9 March 1807 59 while en route off Madeira Revenant captured the British slave ship Aun 59 of sixteen 12 pounders recently departed from Liverpool 60 which Surcouf let go for a ransom after throwing her guns overboard wetting her gunpowder and destroying some of her sails 54 Surcouf arrived at Ile de France in June slipping past the British blockade and capturing several ships on the journey During the subsequent campaign which was to be his last Surcouf captured 16 British merchantmen partly because they tended to strike their colours as soon as they realised their opponent was Surcouf 60 61 The arrival of Surcouf at Isle de France did not go unnoticed the authorities and the population reacted with enthusiasm while British insurance companies on Calcutta doubled the reward for his capture 54 which amounted to one lakh of rupees or 250 000 francs 62 On 3 September 1807 Revenant departed to cruise off Bengal On 25 September she captured the British 12 gun Trafalgar carrying 10 000 bags of rice 59 and the 14 gun Mangles carrying 11 000 59 on the 27th the 12 gun Admiral Applin with 9 500 bags of rice 59 on 1 October the 1 gun Suzannah with 5 500 bags of rice on the 19th the wood laden Success which was burnt 59 on the 30th the 12 gun Fortune which carried no cargo and was sunk 59 on 15 November the Indian Macauly 59 on 18 December the British 10 gun Sir William Burroughs 59 on the 30th the Portuguese Oriente 59 and on 6 January 1808 the Arab Jem lab Dim 59 Surcouf sent these with prize crews to Isle de France and then returned himself on 31 January 1808 54 When a British captive officer taunted Surcouf with the words You French fight for money while we fight for honour Surcouf replied Each of us fights for what he lacks most 63 64 Surcouf then gave command of Revenant to his first officer Joseph Potier After a short cruise Potier returned with a 34 gun N 10 prize of the Portuguese East India Company 67 the Concecao de Santo Antonio 67 captured after a one hour fight 68 On 4 July 1808 General Charles Decaen governor of Isle de France requisitioned Revenant 69 She was renamed Iena and commissioned under Lieutenant Morice with Lieutenant de vaisseau Albin Roussin as second officer Surcouf had an altercation with Decaen but had to renounce his ship He eventually purchased Semillante which he renamed Charles Returning with this vessel to Saint Malo he arrived on 4 February 1809 26 68 Later life Edit Portrait of Surcouf by Antoine Maurin From 1809 Surcouf went into business as ship owner 26 and over the years he equipped a number of privateers 68 Auguste under Pelletier 68 70 Dorade 68 Biscayenne 68 Edouard 68 Espadon 68 Ville de Caen 68 Adolphe 68 and his last Renard 57 68 under Leroux 70 The British captured all the privateers sent into the Channel with the exception of Renard 3 Surcouf also built the brig Fantome at St Malo in 1809 Surcouf dispatched Fantome to Isle de France Mauritius in the Indian Ocean on her first voyage where the brig took three prizes but was captured by the British in 1810 and commissioned into British service as HMS Fantome 71 In January 1814 Surcouf was made a colonel in the National Guard of Saint Malo 26 During the Hundred Days he served as a chief of Legion and maintained order 26 He resigned after the Battle of Waterloo and became a merchant 26 arming 19 merchantmen 72 and establishing business with Newfoundland Between 1814 and 1827 Surcouf organised over 116 commercial expeditions 73 In 1815 Surcouf engaged in the slave trade commissioning the ship Africain to transport enslaved Africans from Gabon 1 Africain conducted another slave trading journey in 1819 74 Four other expeditions are also suspected of having been slaving runs that of Marie Anne in 1819 Adolphe in 1820 and in 1821 Victor and Adolphe 74 under Rene Decaen and with Desire Surcouf as first officer which sailed under the pretence of sailing to Isle Bourbon now Reunion but actually to ferry slaves to Cuba and Philadelphia 75 73 Surcouf died on 8 July 1827 and was buried in Saint Malo graveyard with military honours 76 His tomb features a globe showing the Indian Ocean and an anchor 77 with the epitaph A famous sailor has finished his careerHe is in the tomb forever asleep Seamen are deprived of their fatherThe unfortunates have lost a friend 77 N 11 Legacy EditFive ships of the French Navy were named after Surcouf the first three being a steam aviso sloop an armoured cruiser and a submarine cruiser which at the time of her launch was the largest submarine in the world The submarine joined the Free French Naval Forces during the Second World War and disappeared mysteriously after liberating Saint Pierre and Miquelon The fourth Surcouf was a large fleet escort destroyer which was severely damaged in a collision with a Soviet ship and the fifth is a modern stealth frigate one of the first stealth combat ships 78 Ships of the French Navy named Surcouf Statue of Surcouf in Saint Malo by Alfred Caravaniez inaugurated on 6 July 1903 The aviso Surcouf 1858 The submarine cruiser Surcouf N N 3 1929 1942 The fleet escort destroyer Surcouf 1953 1972 The stealth frigate Surcouf 1997 present day A number of legends have grown around Surcouf he is often stated to have been made a Baron of the Empire which is untrue 3 N 12 Another legend states that Surcouf had thrown overboard gold seized on Kent but Kent did not carry gold 3 N 13 There is a tale that in 1816 Surcouf challenged twelve Prussian officers to a duel and defeated all of them except for the last which he let go to tell in his country how a former soldier of Napoleon fights this story is a fabrication 81 N 14 Notes Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Robert Surcouf Granier gives the captain s name as captain de Joliff instead of Lejoliff 8 Russell was a pilot boat of 111 tons bm launched in 1770 16 Levot gives a figure of 17 men Cunat of 19 9 19 Some sources state that the allowance was of 1 700 000 francs of which Surcouf left two thirds to the Treasury 22 A number of French accounts gild the lily of Surcouf s stunning victory by exaggerating by 60 Kent s size and guns Rouvier states 38 guns and 1200 tons Cunat specifies that Kent carried twenty six 18 pounder on her battery and 12 9 pounder on her castles Hennequin gives an approximate 40 guns but confirms the figure of 1200 tons 38 43 44 Cunat actually names her as Reine translating her name into French 43 The Gazette de France reported that Kent carried 150 soldiers of line infantry 46 Cunat says that Confiance was armed a l aventure entailing that she was nominally a merchantman but was capable of attacking targets of opportunity 43 Rouvier says Rochefort instead of La Rochelle 53 Cunat gives a figure of 64 guns for Concecao and implies she was a naval ship while she had indeed been built as a 64 gun ship of the line and still belonged to the government she sailed for private ship owners and was armed with 36 guns of which only 28 were usable report of Captain Potier quoted in Lepelley pp 143 144 65 66 Un celebre marin a fini sa carriereIl est dans le tombeau a jamais endormiLes matelots sont prives de leur pereLes malheureux ont perdu un ami Granier for instance states that Surcouf was made Baron 79 For instance the tale is told without reservation by Granier 80 For instance the tale is told without reservation by Granier 82 References Edit a b Roman 2001 p 272 Roman 2018 p 130 a b c d e f g h i Alain Roman summary on Robert Surcouf Archived 23 April 2003 at the Wayback Machine www netmarine net a b Levot p 493 Cunat p 145 a b c d e Cunat p 390 Hennequin p 378 a b c d e f Granier p 216 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Levot p 494 Roche p 74 a b c d e f g h Cunat p 391 a b c d Granier p 217 a b c d Cunat p 392 a b c d e f Cunat p 393 a b c d e Rouvier p 254 Phipps 1840 p 131 a b Cunat p 394 a b c Rouvier p 252 a b c d Cunat p 395 Rouvier p 253 a b c d Hennequin p 380 a b c d e Granier p 218 Demerliac p 309 no 2915 a b c d e f Rouvier p 447 a b c Cunat p 396 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Levot p 495 Granier p 223 Hennequin p 381 a b Hennequin p 382 a b c d e f g h i Rouvier p 448 a b c d e Cunat p 397 a b c d e f Granier p 224 a b c d Rouvier p 449 Hennequin p 383 Austen 1935 pp 93 94 a b Granier p 219 Robert Surcouf ageofsail wordpress com a b c Rouvier p 526 Asiatic Annual Register Volume 3 p 39 Asiatic Annual Register Volume 3 p 40 a b Norman p 353 Biden p 212 a b c d e f g h Cunat p 398 a b c d e Hennequin p 384 Laughton p 439 Gallois Napoleon 1847 Les Corsaires francais sous la Republique et l Empire in French Vol 2 Julien Lanier et compagnie p 374 OCLC 6977453 Laughton p 438 Laughton p 440 a b Laughton p 441 Hennequin p 385 states that the effects of the prisoners were returned to them when he had them transferred on Confiance Laughton p 442 St John Hon Frederick 1765 1844 of Chailey Sussex The History of Parliament the House of Commons 1790 1820 ed R Thorne 1986 a b c d e f Rouvier p 527 a b c d e f g h Cunat p 399 a b Hennequin p 385 Granier p 221 a b Gallois vol 2 p 302 Gallois vol 2 pp 302 303 a b c d e f g h i j k Granier p 225 a b Hennequin p 386 Fonds Marine p 362 Hennequin p 387 Stephen Taylor Storm and Conquest The Battle for the Indian Ocean 1808 10 Isabelle Tombs Robert Tombs That Sweet Enemy The British and the French from the Sun King to the Present p 262 Cunat Charles 1857 Saint Malo illustre par ses marins in French Imprimerie de F Pealat p 400 OCLC 793555867 Lepelley Roger 2000 La Fin d un empire les derniers jours de l Isle de France et de l Isle Bonaparte 1809 1810 Economica pp 143 144 ISBN 2717841482 OCLC 45463166 a b Lepelley p 7 a b c d e f g h i j k Cunant p 400 Fonds Marine p 377 a b Gallois vol 2 p 306 Young G F W HMS Fantome and the British Raid on Washington August 1814 Royal Nova Scotia Historical Society Journal 10 135 Cunat p 401 a b Roman 2018 p 122 a b Roman 2018 p 124 Roman 2007 p 298 Cunat p 402 a b Granier p 228 Les batiments ayant porte le nom de Surcouf Archived 14 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine netmarine Granier Hubert 1998 Histoire des Marins francais 1789 1815 illustrations by Alain Coz Marines editions p 226 ISBN 2909675416 OCLC 468167565 Granier Hubert 1998 Histoire des Marins francais 1789 1815 illustrations by Alain Coz Marines editions p 220 ISBN 2909675416 OCLC 468167565 M Corbes Conference of 16 August 1954 Societe d histoire et d archeologie de l arrondissement de Saint Malo Granier Hubert 1998 Histoire des Marins francais 1789 1815 illustrations by Alain Coz Marines editions p 227 ISBN 2909675416 OCLC 468167565 Bibliography EditAusten Harold Chomley Mansfield 1935 Sea Fights and Corsairs of the Indian Ocean Being the Naval History of Mauritius from 1715 to 1810 Port Louis Mauritius R W Brooks Biden Christopher 1830 Naval Discipline Subordination Contrasted With Insubordination Or A View Of The Necessity For Passing A Law Establishing An Efficient Naval General Books Publishing ISBN 0217730671 OCLC 558000880 Cunat Charles 1857 Saint Malo illustre par ses marins Saint Malo illustrated by her sailors in French Imprimerie de F Pealat OCLC 793555867 Gallois Napoleon 1847 Les Corsaires francais sous la Republique et l Empire The French privateers during the Republic and Empire in French Vol 2 Julien Lanier et compagnie OCLC 6977453 Granier Hubert 1998 Histoire des Marins francais 1789 1815 History of French sailors 1789 1815 illustrations by Alain Coz Marines editions ISBN 2909675416 OCLC 468167565 Hennequin Joseph Francois Gabriel 1835 Biographie maritime ou notices historiques sur la vie et les campagnes des marins celebres francais et etrangers Maritime Biography of historical notes on the lives and campaigns of famous French and foreign sailors in French Vol 1 Paris Regnault editeur OCLC 457813464 Lepelley Roger 2000 La Fin d un empire les derniers jours de l Isle de France et de l Isle Bonaparte 1809 1810 The End of an Empire the last days of Isle de France and Isle Bonaparte 1809 1810 Economica ISBN 2717841482 OCLC 45463166 Laughton John Knox 1887 Studies in Naval History Longmans Green and co OCLC 4717238 Levot Prosper 1866 Les gloires maritimes de la France notices biographiques sur les plus celebres marins The maritime Glories of France biographical notes on the most famous sailors in French Bertrand OCLC 562314991 Nichols John 1801 The Gentleman s Magazine Vol 89 E Cave OCLC 42741132 Norman Charles Boswell 2004 The Corsairs of France Kessinger Publishing ISBN 1163357405 OCLC 1349067 Phipps John 1840 A Collection of Papers Relative to Ship Building in India Also a Register Comprehending All the Ships Built in India to the Present Time Scott Roche Jean Michel 2005 Dictionnaire des batiments de la flotte de guerre francaise de Colbert a nos jours Dictionary of the ships of the French naval Fleet from Colbert to today Vol 1 Group Retozel Maury Millau ISBN 978 2952591706 OCLC 165892922 Roman Alain 2001 Saint Malo au temps des negriers Preface by Jean Delumeau Karthala ISBN 978 2845861404 OCLC 421820477 Roman Alain 2007 Robert Surcouf et ses freres Robert Surcouf and his brothers in French Preface by Olivier Roellinger Editions Cristel ISBN 978 2844210500 OCLC 159954380 Roman Alain 2018 Robert Surcouf corsaire et armateur Cristel editions ISBN 978 2844211491 OCLC 1041768621 Rouvier Charles 1868 Histoire des marins francais sous la Republique de 1789 a 1803 History of the French sailors during the Republic from 1789 to 1803 in French Arthus Bertrand OCLC 6804406 Asiatic Annual Register Vol 3 1800 OCLC 723046516 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Robert Surcouf amp oldid 1162358134, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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