Suffren's Victory at La Praya
On 16 April 1781, Captain Suffren attacked the British squadron at anchor in the Portuguese harbour of Porto Praya, saving the Cape Colony
On 16 April 1781, Captain Pierre-André de Suffren attacked the British squadron of Commodore George Johnstone at anchor in the Portuguese harbour of Porto Praya, in the Cape Verde Islands. Through his determined action, he saved the Dutch colony of the Cape of Good Hope.
- Date: 16 April 1781
- Location: Porto Praya, Cape Verde Islands
- French commander: Captain Pierre-André de Suffren
- French forces: 5 ships of the line, 1 corvette, 8 transports
- Opponent: Commodore George Johnstone (5 ships of the line, 3 frigates)
- French losses: 107 killed, 242 wounded
Following Great Britain’s declaration of war against the United Provinces (20 December 1780), the British Admiralty entrusted Commodore George Johnstone with command of a small squadron (ships of the line HMS Hero, 74 guns, Monmouth, Isis, Jupiter and Romney, 50 guns, and three 32-gun frigates), tasked with escorting a troop convoy intended to seize the Dutch colony of the Cape of Good Hope. In early April, these vessels called at the Portuguese harbour of Porto Praya, in the Cape Verde Islands, to take on water and provisions.
At the same time, Captain Pierre-André de Suffren was taking command of a naval division (ships of the line le Héros and l’Annibal, 74 guns, le Vengeur, l’Artésien and le Sphinx, 64 guns, corvette la Fortune, 16 guns), tasked with convoying a thousand reinforcement troops embarked on 8 transports to the French and Dutch East Indies. Having sailed from Brest on 22 March 1781 at the same time as the comte de Grasse’s squadron, this small naval force arrived on 16 April within sight of the Cape Verde Islands. L’Artésien, short of water, headed for the roadstead of La Praya where she discovered the British at anchor.
The battle
Suffren immediately ordered his ships to form line of battle and prepare for action. Followed by l’Annibal and l’Artésien (le Vengeur and le Sphinx being some distance astern), he entered the bay firing broadsides on both sides at the warships and British transports. Captain de Trémigon of l’Annibal (who would be killed during the engagement) had not fully understood his commander’s intentions and was not immediately ready to engage, which did not prevent him from courageously anchoring ahead of le Héros, which had itself dropped anchor abeam of the Monmouth. L’Artésien lost her captain, de Cardaillac, but boarded two East India Company vessels and inflicted severe damage before being driven to seaward. As for le Vengeur and le Sphinx, they passed through the entire enemy formation firing and exited the bay without anchoring.
Exposed for an hour and a half to the concentrated fire of the British ships and the Portuguese shore batteries, Suffren ordered at noon to cut the anchor cables and withdraw, but during the manoeuvre l’Artésien lost all three masts. Fortunately, le Sphinx came to take her in tow, while the French transports were ordered to continue on their way under full sail. Three hours later, after restoring order to his convoy—several ships of which had drifted from their anchorage or even struck their colours—Johnstone weighed anchor, but seeing the French squadron proudly formed in line of battle awaiting him offshore, he gave up the pursuit and returned to the roadstead.
Consequences
The French squadron suffered 107 killed and 242 wounded, but Suffren arrived first at the Cape on 20 June and landed his troops. On 22 July, Johnstone, having taken time to repair his damage, reached Saldanha Bay but, convinced that the Dutch colony was now impregnable, turned back with a few prizes. Upon his return to England, he would face a court martial and be acquitted, but his naval career was over.
As for the commandeur de Suffren (he would not become a bailli until 1783), he received the congratulations of the marquis de Castries, Secretary of State for the Navy, for having saved through his determined action the Cape Colony, a vital port of call on the route to India. He would receive his promotion to the rank of chef d’escadre early the following year.
References
- Battle of Porto Praya, Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Porto_Praya