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

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo language, Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. The Fortification, walled city on the English Channel coast had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth ...

– 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 ...

) 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 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, 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 Plan of the battle (British units - black, French - white) The Battle of Trincomalee was fought between a British fleet under Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Hughes and a French fleet under the Bailli de Suffren off the coast of Trincomalee, then Cey ...

from 25 August to 3 September 1782.

Biography

Christy de La Pallière started sailing with the

French East India Company Compagnie des Indes () may refer to several French chartered companies involved in long-distance trading: * First French East Indies Company, in existence from 1604 to 1614 * French West India Company, active in the Western Hemisphere from 1664 t ...

in 1732, under his cousin Mahé de La Bourdonnais. During the

War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...

, 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 unin ...

. He took part in the first French expedition to

Cochinchina Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; ; ; ; ) is a historical exonym and endonym, exonym for part of Vietnam, depending on the contexts, usually for Southern Vietnam. Sometimes it referred to the whole of Vietnam, but it was commonly used to refer t ...

. By 1756, he had risen to the rank of Commander. In 1778, at the outbreak of the Anglo-French War, 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 approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

, 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 (, ; or , ) is the capital and most populous city of Mauritius, mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's financial and political centre. It is ad ...

on 9 August 1779, after a

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

-plagued voyage. After Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves 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 (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...

, 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 pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

and had left his son, Ensign Jean Anne Christy de La Pallière, 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 Counter admiral is a military rank used for high-ranking officers in several navies around the world, though the rank is not used in the English-speaking world, where its equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French . Dependi ...

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References

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