René Joseph Bouvet de Précourt ( —

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

, 6 October 1782) was a French Navy officer. He was captain of the 64-gun ''Ajax'' in Suffren's squadron in 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 ...

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 ...

, and fought 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.

Biography

Bouvet-Précourt was a French officer. He served in 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 ...

, making 12 journeys in 18 years and 2 months. He was the father of François Joseph Bouvet de Précourt. He served in the French Royal Navy under Admiral d'Aché in 1758 and 1759, rising to Captain. On 16 February 1780, Bouvet departed Lorient at the command of the 64-gun ''Ajax'', along with ''Protée'', ''Éléphant'' and ''Charmante'', escorting a convoy bound for India. In late February, off Spain, the convoy met Rodney's fleet; ''Protée'' sacrificed herself to hold the British back and was captured on 24, while ''Charmante'' returned to Lorient, arriving on 3 March, and the convoy escaped under the protection of ''Ajax''. At the

, on 17 February 1782, Suffren ordered ''Ajax'' and ''Flamand'', under Cuverville, to attack the British line to leeward. They both maneuvered to this effect, but then Tromelin, on ''Annibal'', countermanded the order by signaling ''Ajax'' and ''Flamand'' to return to their post in the

line of battle The line of battle is a tactic in naval warfare in which a fleet of ships forms a line end to end. The first example of its use as a tactic is disputed—it has been variously claimed for dates ranging from 1502 to 1652. Line-of-battle tacti ...

. While ''Ajax'' obeyed the order, ''Flamand'' sailed on and Saint-Félix, of ''Brillant'', requested permission to replace ''Ajax''. After the battle, Suffren apologised to Bouvet for the confusion in his orders that had frustrated him from a prime role in the battle, promising to make up for it at the next occasion. However, Bouvet's age and failing health limited his ability to fight. In the following months, his health deteriorated further. In the run-up to the Battle of Negapatam on 6 July 1782, Bouvet requested authorisation to retreat to harbour to effect repairs because the rigging of ''Ajax'' had been damaged by a gale the night before. When Suffren refused, ''Ajax'' remained with her squadron but without taking part in the action. Suffren was furious. Later in July, Suffren appointed Lieutenant de

Beaumont le Maître Beaumont le Maître was a French Navy officer. He fought in the Indian Ocean under Suffren during the War of American Independence, notably captaining the 64-gun ''Ajax'' at the Battle of Trincomalee from 25 August to 3 September 1782 and ''Sai ...

to replace Bouvet. Suffren described Bouvet as "very ill" and "senile". Bouvet went to found passage from Cuddalore to Trincomalee, where he hoped to find a ship to Isle de France (Mauritius), but he died in Trincomalee from

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 ...

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bouvet de Précourt, René Joseph French Navy officers 1715 births 1782 deaths