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 G ...

, 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 (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

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

Garde-Marine Gardes de la Marine is a junior officer rank, usually used in American navies, as well as a former rank used in France. France In France, under the Ancien Régime, the (Guards of the Navy), or were young gentlemen undergoing training to be nav ...

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 Marines 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 ...

, 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 Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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 the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, 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 Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes) and a French fleet (under Admiral Pierre Suffren) off the east coast of India during the Anglo-F ...

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. 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 November 1759. ...

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

Île de Ré Île de Ré (; variously spelled Rhé or Rhéa; Poitevin dialect, Poitevin: ''ile de Rét''; , ) 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 high ...

, 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 1743 births 1784 deaths French Navy officers