Battle of Sadras

Battle of Sadras
Part of the American Revolutionary War

Model of Suffren's flagship Héros
Date17 February 1782
Location
Off Kalpakkam, Bay of Bengal
12°31′24.23″N 80°10′36.66″E / 12.5233972°N 80.1768500°E / 12.5233972; 80.1768500
ResultInconclusive[1][2][3]
Belligerents
Great BritainFrance
Commanders and leaders
Edward HughesPierre André de Suffren
Strength
9 ships of the line11 ships of the line
Casualties and losses
32 killed
83 wounded		30 killed
100 wounded
Map

The Battle of Sadras was the first of five largely indecisive naval battles fought between a British fleet (under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes) and a French fleet (under Admiral Pierre Suffren) off the east coast of India during the Anglo-French War. Fought on 17 February 1782 near present-day Kalpakkam, the battle was tactically indecisive, but the British fleet suffered the most damage. Under Suffren's protection, French troop transports were able to land at Porto Novo, present-day Parangipettai.

Background

France had entered the American Revolutionary War in 1778, and Britain had declared war on the Dutch Republic in late 1780 after the Dutch refused to stop trading with the French and the Americans. The British had rapidly gained control over most French and Dutch outposts in India when news of these events reached India, spawning the Second Anglo-Mysore War in the process.

The French admiral Bailli de Suffren was dispatched for military assistance to French colonies in India, leading a fleet of five ships of the line, seven transports, and a corvette to escort transports from Brest in March 1781. Suffren was involved in a happenstance battle with a British fleet at Porto Praya in the Cape Verde Islands in April. In October, he left reinforcement troops at the Dutch-controlled Cape of Good Hope to assist with colonial defense. Suffren added some ships to his fleet and sailed on to the Île de France (present-day Mauritius), arriving at Port Louis in December.

After further additions at Port Louis, Suffren's fleet sailed for India under the command of the elderly Navy Brigadier General Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves, accompanying transports carrying nearly 3,000 men under the command of the Comte du Chemin. D'Orves died in February 1782, shortly before the fleet arrived off the Indian coast, and Suffren once again took command.

Suffren first sailed for Madras, hoping to surprise the British stronghold there. Encountering Hughes's fleet anchored in Madras on 15 February 1782, Suffren turned south. He intended to land troops at Porto Novo, march up the coast and recapture French and Dutch holdings on the way. Hughes raised anchor and sailed after Suffren.

Battle

Portrait of Suffren by Pompeo Batoni

Suffren was hampered with protecting his troop convoys from Hughes, whose goal he presumed was to prevent the troops from landing. Detaching one corvette to protect the convoy and detailing another to watch the British fleet, Suffren attempted to draw Hughes away. However, under cover of night Hughes managed to slip between Suffren's squadron and the convoys. The signal was raised on the morning of 17 February, and Suffren gave chase to force battle.

When the fleets closed for action around 15:30, some of Suffren's ships had not properly formed the line of battle. Only five of the French ships engaged at first. Of the remaining six, only two joined the action later, with the other four apparently violating Suffren's orders and hanging back. Suffren, leading in Héros, exchanged a broadside with Exeter before targeting Hughes's flagship Superb. The battle lasted for over three hours, with Exeter sustaining the most damage. She was nearly sunk, but two French ships were recalled (for reasons unknown) before they could inflict enough damage to cause her to sink. Superb also suffered significant damage. The battle came to end with the onset of night.

Aftermath

Suffren summoned his captains for council and chastised those who had chosen to stay out of the battle before following the troop convoy to Porto Novo. There the French army had landed, and Suffren met with the Mysorean ruler Hyder Ali to plan strategy. After making repairs, Suffren set off to find Hughes again. The French and Mysorean forces captured Cuddalore, just north of Porto Novo, on 4 April. Hughes sailed for Trincomalee, where he made repairs.

Order of battle

Captain Suffren's squadron [4]
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander CasualtiesNotes
Killed Wounded Total
BizarreThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Chevalier de la Landelle-Roscanvec
OrientThird rate74Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Jean Baptiste Christy de La Pallière
SphinxThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Charles Louis du Chilleau de La Roche
VengeurThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Charles Gaspard Hyacinthe de Forbin La Barben
HérosThird rate74Ensign of the French Royal NavyChef d'Escadre Pierre André de Suffren
Captain Félix d'Hesmivy de Moissac
HannibalFourth rate50Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Justin Bonaventure Morard de Galles
AnnibalThird rate74Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Bernard Boudin de Tromelin
SévèreThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Chevalier de Villeneuve-Cillart
ArtésienThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain François-Joseph-Hippolyte Bidé de Maurville
AjaxThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain René Joseph Bouvet de Précourt
BrillantThird rate64Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Armand de Saint-Félix
FlamandFourth rate50Ensign of the French Royal NavyCaptain Louis-Hyacinte de Cavelier de Cuverville
British squadron
Ship Rate Guns Navy Commander CasualtiesNotes
Killed Wounded Total
HMS EagleFourth rate64Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain Ambrose Reddall
HMS MonmouthFourth rate64Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain James Alms
HMS WorcesterFourth rate64Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain George Talbot
HMS BurfordFourth rate64Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain Peter Rainier
HMS SuperbThird rate74Ensign of the British Royal NavyVice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes
Captain William Stevens
HMS HeroThird rate74Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain Charles Wood
HMS IsisFourth rate50Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain Thomas Charles Lumley
HMS MonarcaThird rate68Ensign of the British Royal NavyCaptain John Gell
HMS ExeterFourth rate64Ensign of the British Royal NavyCommodore Richard King
Captain Henry Reynolds

Notes

Citations

  1. ^ Malleson, p. 24
  2. ^ de Meuron (1982), p. 53
  3. ^ Castex (2004), pp. 340–44
  4. ^ Cunat (1852), p. 111.

References

  • Castex, Jean-Claude (2004). Dictionnaire des batailles navales franco-anglaises. Presses Université Laval. ISBN 978-2-7637-8061-0.
  • Cunat, Charles (1852). Histoire du Bailli de Suffren. Rennes: A. Marteville et Lefas. p. 447.
  • de Meuron, Guy (1982). Le Régiment Meuron, 1781–1816. Editions d'En bas. ISBN 978-2-8290-0028-7.
  • Killion, Howard R (1972), The Suffren Expedition: French Operations in India during the War of American Independence [Duke U. Ph.D. dissertation]
  • Malleson, George Bruce (1884). Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas. W.H. Allen.
  • A photo blog on Sadras
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Sadras&oldid=1325818264"