battle of Sadras

{{Short description|Naval battle between a British fleet and a French fleet during the Anglo-French War}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = Battle of Sadras

| partof = the American Revolutionary War

| image = Heros-32.146-IMG 5063-white.jpg

| caption = Model of Suffren's flagship Héros

| date = 17 February 1782

| place = Off Kalpakkam, Bay of Bengal

| coordinates = {{coord|12|31|24.23|N|80|10|36.66|E|type:country_scale:10000000|display=inline,title}}

| result = InconclusiveMalleson, p. 24de Meuron (1982), p. 53Castex (2004), pp. 340–44

| combatant1 = Great Britain

| combatant2 = France

| commander1 = Edward Hughes

| commander2 = Pierre André de Suffren

| strength1 = 9 ships of the line

| strength2 = 11 ships of the line

| casualties1 = 32 killed
83 wounded

| casualties2 = 30 killed
100 wounded

| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Anglo-French War (1778–83)}}

}}

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

File:BailliDeSuffrenByBatoni.jpg

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

class="wikitable" border="1" style="width:100%;"

style="vertical-align:top;"

!colspan="11" bgcolor="white"|Captain Suffren's squadron {{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=111}}

valign="top"

style="vertical-align:top;"

! width=12%; align= center rowspan=2 | Ship

! width=15%; align= center rowspan=2 | Rate

! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | Guns

! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | Navy

! width=22%; align= center rowspan=2 | Commander

! width=15%; align= center colspan=3 | Casualties

! width=25%; align= center rowspan=2 | Notes

style="vertical-align:top;"

! width=5%; align= center | Killed

! width=5%; align= center | Wounded

! width=5%; align= center | Total

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Bizarre

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Chevalier de la Landelle-Roscanvec

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Orient

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 74

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Jean Baptiste Christy de La Pallière

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Sphinx

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Charles Louis du Chilleau de La Roche

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Vengeur

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Charles Gaspard Hyacinthe de Forbin La Barben

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Héros

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 74

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Chef d'Escadre Pierre André de Suffren
Captain Félix d'Hesmivy de Moissac

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Hannibal

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 50

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Justin Bonaventure Morard de Galles

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Annibal

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 74

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Bernard Boudin de Tromelin

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Sévère

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Chevalier de Villeneuve-Cillart

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Artésien

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain François-Joseph-Hippolyte Bidé de Maurville

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Ajax

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain René Joseph Bouvet de Précourt

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Brillant

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Armand de Saint-Félix

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | Flamand

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 50

| align= center | File:Flag of the Kingdom of France (1814-1830).svg

| align= left | Captain Louis-Hyacinte de Cavelier de Cuverville

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

class="wikitable" border="1" style="width:100%;"

style="vertical-align:top;"

!colspan="11" bgcolor="white"|British squadron

valign="top"

style="vertical-align:top;"

! width=12%; align= center rowspan=2 | Ship

! width=15%; align= center rowspan=2 | Rate

! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | Guns

! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | Navy

! width=22%; align= center rowspan=2 | Commander

! width=15%; align= center colspan=3 | Casualties

! width=25%; align= center rowspan=2 | Notes

style="vertical-align:top;"

! width=5%; align= center | Killed

! width=5%; align= center | Wounded

! width=5%; align= center | Total

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Eagle|1774|6}}

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain Ambrose Reddall

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Monmouth|1772|6}}

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain James Alms

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Worcester|1769|6}}

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain George Talbot

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Burford|1757|6}}

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain Peter Rainier

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Superb|1760|6}}

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 74

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes
Captain William Stevens

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Hero|1759|6}}

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 74

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain Charles Wood

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Isis|1774|6}}

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 50

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain Thomas Charles Lumley

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Monarca|1780|6}}

| align= center | Third rate

| align= center | 68

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Captain John Gell

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

| align= left | {{HMS|Exeter|1763|6}}

| align= center | Fourth rate

| align= center | 64

| align= center | File:Naval Ensign of the United Kingdom.svg

| align= left | Commodore Richard King
Captain Henry Reynolds

| align= right |

| align= left |

style="vertical-align:top;"

Notes

Citations

References

{{cite book|title=Dictionnaire des batailles navales franco-anglaises|first=Jean-Claude|last=Castex|publisher=Presses Université Laval|year=2004|isbn=978-2-7637-8061-0|ref=Castex}}
{{cite book |last1=Cunat |first1=Charles |author-link1=Charles Cunat|title=Histoire du Bailli de Suffren |date=1852 |publisher=A. Marteville et Lefas |location=Rennes |pages=447 |url=https://archive.org/details/histoiredubaill00torpgoog}}
{{cite book|title=Le Régiment Meuron, 1781–1816|first=Guy|last=de Meuron|publisher=Editions d'En bas|year=1982|ref=de Meuron|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]
{{cite book|title=Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas|first=George Bruce|last=Malleson|publisher=W.H. Allen|year=1884|ref=Malleson|url=https://archive.org/details/finalfrenchstru02mallgoog}}

External links

[http://silvercascades.blogspot.in/2012/07/sadras.html A photo blog on Sadras]

Category:1782 in India

Category:Conflicts in 1782

Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving France

Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain

Category:Naval battles of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783)

Category:Naval battles of the East Indies Campaign