Louis-Bernard Saint-Orens (
Saintonge
Saintonge may refer to:
*County of Saintonge, a historical province of France on the Atlantic coast
* Saintonge (region), a region of France corresponding to the historical province
* Saintonge ware, a medieval pottery type produced in Saintes reg ...
, 1733 —
Isle de France (
Mauritius
Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
), 9 September 1780) was a French Navy officer. He notably captained the 40-gun frigate
''Pourvoyeuse'' at the outbreak of the
Anglo-French War in 1778.
Biography
Saint-Orens joined the Navy as a
Garde-Marine
Gardes de la Marine is a junior officer rank, usually used in American navies, as well as a former rank used in France.
France
In France, under the Ancien Régime, the (Guards of the Navy), or were young gentlemen undergoing training to be nav ...
on 6 July 1750. He was promoted to Ensign on 11 October 1755, and to Lieutenant on 1 May 1763.
In 1764, Saint-Orens was in command of the 16-gun corvette
''Isis''. She was part of a division bound for the Caribbean, along with the 32-gun frigate
''Danaé'', under Kearney. That same year, Admiral
d'Estaing
d'Estaing is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Charles Henri Hector d'Estaing (1729–1794), French general and admiral
* Guillaume-Hugues d'Estaing (died 1455), French Roman Catholic cardinal and bishop
*
See also ...
sent him to cover the
Turks and Caicos Islands
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and no ...
.
In 1777, Saint-Orens served as a Lieutenant on the 32-gun frigate
''Dédaigneuse''. He was promoted to Captain on 4 May 1777, and that same year was given command of the heavy 40-gun frigate
''Pourvoyeuse'', at
Rochefort
Rochefort () may refer to:
Places France
* Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department
** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard
* Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department
* Rochefort-du-Gard, in the G ...
.
In 1778, Saint-Orens was stationed at
Pondicherry
Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...
with ''Pourvoyeuse'', along with the 64-gun
''Brillant'', under
Tronjoli, and three armed merchantmen: the 26-gun corvette
''Sartine'' (under du Chayla), the 24-gun
''Brisson'' (under Captain du Chézeau), and the 24-gun
''Lawriston''. During the
Siege of Pondicherry in 1778, Tronjoli had lost some of his ships and escaped to Isle de France with the survivors, arriving there in late September. He was tasked with patrolling off
Cape Agulhas
Cape Agulhas (; , "Cape of Needles") is a rocky headland in Western Cape, South Africa. It is the geographic southern tip of Africa and the beginning of the traditional dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian oceans according to the In ...
.
In early October 1778, ''Pourvoyeuse'' captured the Danish merchantman ''Enighed'', mistaking her for British. On 8 October, he sent her to
Port-Louis
Port Louis (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is ad ...
with a prize crew under
first officer Périer de Salvert.
On 21 February 1779, he captured the East Indiaman
''Osterley'',
[National Archives - Osterley (2]
- accessed 23 July 2015. helped by the armed merchantman
French ship Elisabeth (1778), ''Elisabeth''.
Funds from the sale of the cargo were embezzled, leading to a heated dispute.
Tronjoli demanded that Saint-Orens explain himself. On 9 September 1780, the day before he was to testify before the authorities, Saint-Orens was founded dead, officially from an aneurism, although rumour said that he had been mortally wounded in a sword duel with a M. Villeneuve, formerly a Counselor at Pondichéry.
Notes
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:La Pallière, Jean Baptiste
1733 births
1780 deaths
French Navy officers