Jean Baptiste Christy de La Pallière (6 May 1719, in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

– 8 September 1787, in

Inzinzac-Lochrist Inzinzac-Lochrist () is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Demographics Inhabitants of Inzinzac-Lochrist are called in French ''Inzinzacois'' or ''Lochristois''. Geography The town has several urban ce ...

) was a French Navy officer. He notably he captained the

74-gun The "seventy-four" was a type of two- decked sailing ship of the line, which nominally carried 74 guns. It was developed by the French navy in the 1740s, replacing earlier classes of 60- and 62-gun ships, as a larger complement to the recently-de ...

''Orient'' at 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, at 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, at the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July 1782, and at the

Battle of Trincomalee A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

from 25 August to 3 September 1782.

Biography

Christy de La Pallière started sailing with the

French East India Company The French East India Company (french: Compagnie française pour le commerce des Indes orientales) was a colonial commercial enterprise, founded on 1 September 1664 to compete with the English (later British) and Dutch trading companies in the ...

in 1732, under his cousin

Mahé de La Bourdonnais Mahe, Mahé, Mähe, or MAHE may refer to: Places China * Mahe Township (, lit. "Horse Creek Village") in Li County in Gansu Estonia * Mähe, a subdistrict of Tallinn, Estonia India * Mahé, India, a municipality in Mahé distric ...

. During the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's W ...

, he commanded a 40-gun armed East Indiaman in a squadron under

Guy François de Kersaint Guy or GUY may refer to: Personal names * Guy (given name) * Guy (surname) * That Guy (...), the New Zealand street performer Leigh Hart Places * Guy, Alberta, a Canadian hamlet * Guy, Arkansas, US, a city * Guy, Indiana, US, an unincorpo ...

. He took part in the first French expedition to

Cochinchina Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exony ...

. By 1756, he had risen to the rank of Commander. In 1778, at the outbreak of the

Anglo-French War The Anglo-French Wars were a series of conflicts between England (and after 1707, Britain) and France, including: Middle Ages High Middle Ages * Anglo-French War (1109–1113) – first conflict between the Capetian Dynasty and the House of Norma ...

, he was promoted to Captain for a mission to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...

, and appointed to the 64-gun ''Sévère''. On 27 March 1779, ''Sévère'' departed with the transports ''Hercule'' and ''Trois-Amis''. The squadron called the Cape in late June, and departed for the last leg of the journey on 13 July, arriving at

Port-Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's eco ...

on 9 August 1779, after a

scurvy Scurvy is a disease resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, feeling tired and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, decreased red blood cells, gum disease, changes to hair, and bleeding ...

-plagued voyage. After

Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves Jean-Baptiste Barthélémy Thomas, comte d’Orves (1727 — ''Orient'', off Madras,Present-day Chennai 9 February 1782Cunat, p.103 ) was a French Navy officer, who rose to have flag officer rank. Biography Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves was born ...

died, on 9 February 1782, Suffren promoted La Pallière to the command of his ship, the

''Orient''. La Pallière captained her at the

on 17 February 1782, at the

on 12 April 1782, and at the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July 1782, and at the

from 25 August to 3 September 1782. On 8 September 1782, ''Orient'' ran aground at Pointe de Sale, near

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්‍රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...

, and she became a total loss. La Pallière was incapacitated by an attack of

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

and had left his son, Ensign

Jean Anne Christy de La Pallière Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * J ...

, in charge. Ensign La Pallière was dismissed from the Navy, although he was later reinstated, retiring in July 1816 with the honorary rank of contre-amiral.

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:La Pallière, Jean Baptiste French Navy officers 1719 births 1787 deaths