Complete name : Comte Jean-Baptiste de Turpin de Jouhé du Breuil-Malmaud (SAR Ancestor) coat of arms : "three gold besants on azure background" Jean-Baptiste Turpin du Breuil Saint-Martin-de Juillers (into his seigneurial family house "Le Breuil-Malmaud"), 21 September 1734— Les Saintes, 18 April 1783) was a French Navy officer. He served in 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 ...

Biography

Turpin had started sailing at the age of 14 on the FIDELE vessel, commanded by his uncle Admiral Jean-Baptiste Mac Némara, (who had married a young lady Turpin de Jouhé), from a large Irish family. Turpin 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 11 February 1751. In 1753, he commanded the 20-gun xebec ''Caméléon'', sailing from Rochefort to Saint-Domingue and Louisiana. He returned in 1754. Turpin was promoted to Lieutenant on 1 October 1764. In 1773, he commanded the 12-gun corvette ''Écureuil'', and sailed from Brest to Martinique. He then continued to the

Windward Islands french: Îles du Vent , image_name = , image_caption = ''Political'' Windward Islands. Clockwise: Dominica, Martinique, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. , image_alt = , locator_map = , location = Caribbean SeaNorth ...

. Turpin married Marie Elisabeth GERMAIN DU PATY at Saint-Pierre, Martinique. Turpin was promoted to Captain on 4 April 1777. The year after, he captained the 60-gun ''Fier'', part of the First Division of the Blue squadron in the fleet under Orvilliers. He took an incidental part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778, although ''Fier'' was so underpowered compared to the other ships of the line that she remained outside the line of battle, with the frigates. Turpin captained ''Fier'' at the

Capture of Grenada The Capture of Grenada was an amphibious expedition in July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War. Charles Hector, comte D'Estaing led French forces against the British-held West Indies island of Grenada. The French forces landed on 2 J ...

on 3 July 1779. On 16 August 1779, ''Fier'' was damaged in a gale, losing her mainmast, her mizzen and her fore-topmast, and had to anchor at Martinique to effect repairs. In 1781, he captained the 74-gun ''Hercule'' in the Blue squadron of the fleet under De Grasse. He took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake on 5 September 1781, and in the subsequent

Siege of Yorktown The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender at Yorktown, or the German battle (from the presence of Germans in all three armies), beginning on September 28, 1781, and ending on October 19, 1781, at Yorktown, Virgi ...

. On 25 August 1782, he commanded the Gardes-Marine in Rochefort, putting him in charge of the training of student officers there.

Sources and references

Notes Citations References * * * External links * {{DEFAULTSORT:Turpin du Breuil, Jean-Baptiste French Navy officers French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War