Jean François Denis de Keredern de Trobriand (

Plouigneau Plouigneau (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France. On 1 January 2019 the commune of Le Ponthou was merged into Plouigneau.Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...

, 18 February 1780) was a French Navy officer. He notably served during the

American Revolutionary War 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

Trobriand was born to the family of Vincente Roulin and of Jean-Élie Denis de Keredern de Trobriand. He was half-brother to François-Marie Denis de Keredern de Trobriand (1741-1810), cousin to

Jean François Sylvestre Denis de Trobriand Jean François Sylvestre Denis de Trobriand (7 June 1765 – 16 March 1799) was a French naval officer and navigator who particularly distinguished himself during the expedition of d'Entrecasteaux to Australasia (1791–94). The Trobriand Islands ...

, and uncle to François-Marie Denis de Keredern de Trobriand (1769-1809), who all served in the Navy. Trobriand married Geneviève Poissonnier des Perrières. Trobriand joined the Navy as a

Gardes de la 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 A ...

on 1 April 1748. He was promoted to Ensign on 23 May 1754. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 15 January 1762. On 1 January 1773, he was given command of the fluyt ''Étoile'' in Lorient. Between 1773 and 1777, she sailed to China and in the Indian Ocean. In 1773, Trobriand explored

Denis Island Denis Island is the second northeasternmost island in the Seychelles. It is north of Mahé and lies at the northern edge of the Seychelles bank, along with the nearby Bird Island, which is the northernmost Seychelles island. The coral island w ...

, which was named in his honour. In 1775, ''Étoile'' was in

Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and ea ...

, where Trobriand was offered two islands for France, the largest one being Lemukutan. ''Étoile'' surveilled the South-Western coast of Borneo. During the voyage, ''Étoile'' received orders to mount a punitive expedition against Pangaram Serip, King of Koti, at the mouth of the

Mahakam River The Mahakam River ( Indonesian: ''Sungai Mahakam'') is third longest and volume discharge river in Borneo after Kapuas River and Barito River, it is located in Kalimantan, Indonesia. It flows from the district of Long Apari in the highlands o ...

, in retaliation for the massacre of the crew of the merchantman ''Épreuve''. ''Étoile'' attacked the port held by Pangaram Serip, along with the frigate ''Indiscrète'', under Boucault, and ''Badine'', under Le Veyer de Beuzidou, destroying or capturing 31 ships, and killing around 300 people. He was promoted to Captain on 4 April 1777. In 1778, Trobriand captained the 50-gun ''Amphion'', part of the White-and-blue squadron under Du Chaffault in the fleet under Orvilliers. He took part in the Battle of Ushant on 27 July 1778. Seriously damaged, ''Amphion'' returned to Brest while the fight was still raging, carrying the first news of the battle. In consequence, Trobriand was replaced at the command of ''Amphion''. In 1779 and 1780, Trobriand commanded the 64-gun ''Alexandre''. In February 1780, he transferred to ''Éveillé'', but died a few days later.

Sources and references

Notes Citations References * * * (1671-1870) * * External links * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Denis de Keredern de Trobriand, Jean François 1730 births 1780 deaths French Navy officers French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War Order of Saint Louis recipients