{{Short description|1782 battle of the American Revolutionary War}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}} {{Infobox military conflict | conflict = Battle of Sadras | partof = the American Revolutionary War | image = La bataille de Sadras en 1782 vue par le peintre Dominique Serres.jpg | caption = 1782 painting of the battle | date = 17 February 1782 | place = Off Kalpakkam, Bay of Bengal | coordinates = {{coord|12|31|24.23|N|80|10|36.66|E|type:country_scale:10000000|display=inline,title}} | result = Inconclusive<ref>Malleson, p. 24</ref><ref name="de Meuron53">de Meuron (1982), p. 53</ref><ref name="Castex340">Castex (2004), pp. 340–44</ref> | combatant1 = Great Britain | combatant2 = France | commander1 = Edward Hughes | commander2 = Pierre André de Suffren | strength1 = 9 ships of the line | strength2 = 11 ships of the line | casualties1 = {{tree list}} * Total Losses: 115 **32 killed **83 wounded {{tree list/end}} | casualties2 = {{tree list}} * Total Losses: 130 **30 killed **100 wounded {{tree list/end}} | campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Anglo-French War (1778–83)}} | casualties3 = * Unknown Ship Losses On Both Side }}
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-French War. Fought on 17 February 1782 near present-day Kalpakkam, the battle was tactically indecisive, but the British fleet suffered the most damage. Under Suffren's protection, French troop transports were able to land at Porto Novo, present-day Parangipettai.
==Background== France had entered the American Revolutionary War in 1778, and Britain had declared war on the Dutch Republic in late 1780 after the Dutch refused to stop trading with the French and the Americans. The British had rapidly gained control over most French and Dutch outposts in India when news of these events reached India, spawning the Second Anglo-Mysore War in the process.
The French admiral Bailli de Suffren was dispatched for military assistance to French colonies in India, leading a fleet of five ships of the line, seven transports, and a corvette to escort transports from Brest in March 1781. Suffren was involved in a happenstance battle with a British fleet at Porto Praya in the Cape Verde Islands in April. In October, he left reinforcement troops at the Dutch-controlled Cape of Good Hope to assist with colonial defense. Suffren added some ships to his fleet and sailed on to the Île de France (present-day Mauritius), arriving at Port Louis in December.
After further additions at Port Louis, Suffren's fleet sailed for India under the command of the elderly Navy Brigadier General Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves, accompanying transports carrying nearly 3,000 men under the command of the Comte du Chemin. D'Orves died in February 1782, shortly before the fleet arrived off the Indian coast, and Suffren once again took command.
Suffren first sailed for Madras, hoping to surprise the British stronghold there. Encountering Hughes's fleet anchored in Madras on 15 February 1782, Suffren turned south. He intended to land troops at Porto Novo, march up the coast and recapture French and Dutch holdings on the way. Hughes raised anchor and sailed after Suffren.
==Battle== [[File:BailliDeSuffrenByBatoni (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Portrait of Suffren by Pompeo Batoni]]
Suffren was hampered with protecting his troop convoys from Hughes, whose goal he presumed was to prevent the troops from landing. Detaching one corvette to protect the convoy and detailing another to watch the British fleet, Suffren attempted to draw Hughes away. However, under cover of night Hughes managed to slip between Suffren's squadron and the convoys. The signal was raised on the morning of 17 February, and Suffren gave chase to force battle.
When the fleets closed for action around 15:30, some of Suffren's ships had not properly formed the line of battle. Only five of the French ships engaged at first. Of the remaining six, only two joined the action later, with the other four apparently violating Suffren's orders and hanging back. Suffren, leading in ''Héros'', exchanged a broadside with ''Exeter'' before targeting Hughes's flagship ''Superb''. The battle lasted for over three hours, with ''Exeter'' sustaining the most damage. She was nearly sunk, but two French ships were recalled (for reasons unknown) before they could inflict enough damage to cause her to sink. ''Superb'' also suffered significant damage. The battle came to end with the onset of night.
==Aftermath== Suffren summoned his captains for council and chastised those who had chosen to stay out of the battle before following the troop convoy to Porto Novo. There the French army had landed, and Suffren met with the Mysorean ruler Hyder Ali to plan strategy. After making repairs, Suffren set off to find Hughes again. The French and Mysorean forces captured Cuddalore, just north of Porto Novo, on 4 April. Hughes sailed for Trincomalee, where he made repairs.
== Order of battle == {| class="wikitable" border="1" style="width:100%;" |- style="vertical-align:top;" !colspan="11" bgcolor="white"|Captain Suffren's squadron {{sfnp|Cunat|1852|p=111}} |- valign="top"|- style="vertical-align:top;" ! width=12%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Ship </small> ! width=15%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Rate </small> ! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Guns </small> ! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Navy </small> ! width=22%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Commander </small> ! width=15%; align= center colspan=3 | <small>Casualties</small> ! width=25%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small>Notes</small> |- style="vertical-align:top;" ! width=5%; align= center | <small> Killed </small> ! width=5%; align= center | <small> Wounded </small> ! width=5%; align= center | <small> Total</small> |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Bizarre'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Chevalier de la Landelle-Roscanvec | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Orient'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 74 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Jean Baptiste Christy de La Pallière | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Sphinx'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Charles Louis du Chilleau de La Roche | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Vengeur'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Charles Gaspard Hyacinthe de Forbin La Barben | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Héros'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 74 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Chef d'Escadre '''Pierre André de Suffren'''<br/>Captain Félix d'Hesmivy de Moissac | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Hannibal'' | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 50 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Justin Bonaventure Morard de Galles | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Annibal'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 74 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Bernard Boudin de Tromelin | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Sévère'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Chevalier de Villeneuve-Cillart | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Artésien'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain François-Joseph-Hippolyte Bidé de Maurville | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Ajax'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain René Joseph Bouvet de Précourt | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Brillant'' | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Armand de Saint-Félix | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | ''Flamand'' | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 50 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the French Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Louis-Hyacinte de Cavelier de Cuverville | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" |}
{| class="wikitable" border="1" style="width:100%;" |- style="vertical-align:top;" !colspan="11" bgcolor="white"|British squadron |- valign="top"|- style="vertical-align:top;" ! width=12%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Ship </small> ! width=15%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Rate </small> ! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Guns </small> ! width=5%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Navy </small> ! width=22%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small> Commander </small> ! width=15%; align= center colspan=3 | <small>Casualties</small> ! width=25%; align= center rowspan=2 | <small>Notes</small> |- style="vertical-align:top;" ! width=5%; align= center | <small> Killed </small> ! width=5%; align= center | <small> Wounded </small> ! width=5%; align= center | <small> Total</small> |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Eagle|1774|6}} | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Ambrose Reddall | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Monmouth|1772|6}} | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain James Alms | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Worcester|1769|6}} | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain George Talbot | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Burford|1757|6}} | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Peter Rainier | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Superb|1760|6}} | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 74 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Vice-Admiral '''Sir Edward Hughes''' <br />Captain William Stevens | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Hero|1759|6}} | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 74 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Charles Wood | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Isis|1774|6}} | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 50 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain Thomas Charles Lumley | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Monarca|1780|6}} | align= center | Third rate | align= center | 68 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Captain John Gell | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" | align= left | {{HMS|Exeter|1763|6}} | align= center | Fourth rate | align= center | 64 | align= center | 45px|Ensign of the British Royal Navy | align= left | Commodore Richard King<br/>Captain Henry Reynolds | align= right | | align= right | | align= right | | align= left | |- style="vertical-align:top;" |}
==Notes== {{Reflist|group=Note}}
==Citations== {{Reflist|30em}}
==References== * {{cite book|title=Dictionnaire des batailles navales franco-anglaises|first=Jean-Claude|last=Castex|publisher=Presses Université Laval|year=2004|isbn=978-2-7637-8061-0|ref=Castex}} * {{cite book |last1=Cunat |first1=Charles |author-link1=Charles Cunat|title=Histoire du Bailli de Suffren |date=1852 |publisher=A. Marteville et Lefas |location=Rennes |pages=447 |url=https://archive.org/details/histoiredubaill00torpgoog}} * {{cite book|title=Le Régiment Meuron, 1781–1816|first=Guy|last=de Meuron|publisher=Editions d'En bas|year=1982|ref=de Meuron|isbn=978-2-8290-0028-7}} * Killion, Howard R (1972), The Suffren Expedition: French Operations in India during the War of American Independence [Duke U. Ph.D. dissertation] * {{cite book|title=Final French Struggles in India and on the Indian Seas|first=George Bruce|last=Malleson|publisher=W.H. Allen|year=1884|ref=Malleson|url=https://archive.org/details/finalfrenchstru02mallgoog}}
==External links== * [http://silvercascades.blogspot.in/2012/07/sadras.html A photo blog on Sadras]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadras, Battle of}} Category:1782 in India Category:Conflicts in 1782 Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving France Category:Naval battles of the American Revolutionary War involving Great Britain Category:Naval battles of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) Category:Naval battles of the East Indies Campaign