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Suffren Saint-Tropes

PIERRE ANDRE DE, a French naval hero; born a younger son of a good Provence family, July 17, 1726. At 14 he entered the navy, and first saw fire in the indecisive action with the English off Toulon in 1744. He took part in the unsuccessful attempt to recapture Cape Breton (1746) was captured by Hawke in the Bay of Biscay the next year; but soon exchanged; and after the peace went to Malta and served for six years among ice, he took part in the action the Knights Hospitalers. Again in the French service , off Minorca (May, 1756), was again captured in Boscawen's destruction of the Toulon fleet (1759). He took part in the bombardment of Sallee in 1765. Commander in 1767, he served four years. in the service of Malta, and returned to SUFFREN France with the rank of captain in 1772.

Early in 1777 he sailed to America, and his ship began the indecisive battle of Grenada on July 6, 1779. He next served with the allied fleet blockading Gibraltar, and early in 1781 was placed in command of a squadron of five ships for service in the East Indies. After an action at the Cape Verde Islands, he outsailed Commodore Johnstone to the Cape, and so saved the colony for the time. Sailing to Madras, he fought a hard but indecisive battle off Madras, and soon after, in a bloody two days' battle off Providien on the coast of Ceylon, proved himself a consummate master of naval tactics. Having captured Trincomalee, he two days later stood out of the harbor with 15 ships against the English 12, and fought a hard but irregular battle. His last fight (June, 1783) was also indecisive. Suffren arrived in Paris early in 1784, and was received with the greatest honors, and created Vice-Admiral of France. He died in Paris Dec. 8, 1788.