François-Joseph-Hippolyte Bidé de Maurville (

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 Ga ...

, 25 November 1743 — Rochefort, 29 January 1784) was a French Navy officer.

Biography

Maurville was born to Marie Anne de Brach and Hippolyte Bernard Bidé de Maurville, an admiral in the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

, and brother to Charles-Alexandre de Maurville de Langle. Maurville joined the Navy as a

Garde-Marine In France, under the Ancien Régime, the Gardes de la Marine (Guards of the Navy), or Gardes-Marine were young gentlemen undergoing training to be naval officers. The training program was established by Cardinal Richelieu in 1670 and lasted until Ad ...

on 25 April 1757. he served on ''Florissant'' from 1757 to 1760, on ''Intrépide'' in 1761, on ''Northumberland'' in 1762 and on ''Garonne'' from 1763 to 1764. The year after, he transferred on ''Utile'', and in June 1765 he took part in the

Larache expedition The Expedition of Larache occurred in June 1765 when French Navy troops attempted to invade the Moroccan city of Larache following a bombardment of Salé and Rabat. It is an example of the sporadic failure of Western arms against local forces in co ...

, where he was wounded. He was the sole surviving officer, and spent two years a prisoner in Morocco before returning to France in 1767. He had been promoted to Ensigh on 27 November 1765, while in captivity. In 1775, he published a ''Relation de l'Affaire de Larache'' telling his experience. From November 1767 to 1768, he served on ''Bricole''. He was promoted to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

on 15 August 1768 From April to September 1772, he was appointed to the frigate ''Terpsichore''. From December 1772 to June 1773, he served on ''Bricole''. In 1776, he was given his first command, the corvette ''Sylphide''. In 1777, he transferred to the corvette ''Subtile'', until 1778. He rose to

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

on 13 March 1779. During the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, he commanded the frigate ''Pourvoyeuse''. On 10 April 1782, he was at the Cape of Good Hope, along with the fluyts ''Éléphant'' and ''Lawriston'', to fetch food supplies. He commanded ''Artésien'' in the French squadron under Suffren, taking part in the

Battle of Sadras The Battle of Sadras was the first of five largely indecisive naval battles fought between a British fleet (under Admiral Sir Edward Hughes) and a French fleet (under Admiral Pierre Suffren) off the east coast of India during the Anglo-French ...

on 17 February 1782, the

Battle of Providien The Battle of Providien was the second in a series of naval battles fought between a British fleet, under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, and a French fleet, under the Bailli de Suffren, off the coast of India during the Anglo-French War. The ...

on 12 April 1782. On 5 June 1782, he failed to press his chase of the British 18-gun ''Raikes'', against orders from Suffren. Bidé de Maurville commanded ''Artésien'' at the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July 1782. On 7 July 1782, following the Battle of Negapatam, Suffren dismissed him from ''Artésien'', replacing him with

Armand de Saint-Félix Armand de Saint-Félix (20 September 1737 – 13 August 1819) was a French Navy officer and admiral. Biography Saint-Félix joined the Navy in 1755. he served on the 16-gun ''Calypso'', where he took part in the Battle of Quiberon Bay on 20 No ...

, and sent him back to France. Maurville was imprisoned at

Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; en, Isle of Ré, ) is an island off the Atlantic coast of France near La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait. Its highe ...

, and freed but expelled from the Navy on 25 July 1783.

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * Works * External links * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bidé de Maurville, François-Joseph-Hippolyte French Navy officers