Louis-Bernard Saint-Orens

Louis-Bernard Saint-Orens (Saintonge, 1733 — Isle de France (Mauritius), 9 September 1780)^[1] was a French Navy officer. He notably captained the 40-gun frigate Pourvoyeuse at the outbreak of the Anglo-French War in 1778.^[2]

Biography

Saint-Orens joined the Navy as a Garde-Marine on 6 July 1750. He was promoted to Ensign on 11 October 1755, and to Lieutenant on 1 May 1763.^[1]

In 1764, Saint-Orens was in command of the 16-gun corvette Isis. She was part of a division bound for the Caribbean, along with the 32-gun frigate Danaé, under Kearney.^[3] That same year, Admiral d'Estaing sent him to cover the Turks and Caicos Islands.^[3]

In 1777, Saint-Orens served as a Lieutenant on the 32-gun frigate Dédaigneuse. ^[4] He was promoted to Captain on 4 May 1777, ^[1] and that same year was given command of the heavy 40-gun frigate Pourvoyeuse, at Rochefort. ^[5]

In 1778, Saint-Orens was stationed at Pondicherry with Pourvoyeuse, along with the 64-gun Brillant, under Tronjoli, and three armed merchantmen: the 26-gun corvette Sartine (under du Chayla), the 24-gun Brisson (under Captain du Chézeau), and the 24-gun Lawriston.^[6] During the Siege of Pondicherry in 1778, Tronjoli had lost some of his ships and escaped to Isle de France with the survivors, arriving there in late September.^[7] He was tasked with patrolling off Cape Agulhas. ^[8]

In early October 1778, Pourvoyeuse captured the Danish merchantman Enighed, mistaking her for British. On 8 October, he sent her to Port-Louis with a prize crew under first officer Périer de Salvert.^[1]

On 21 February 1779, he captured the East Indiaman Osterley, ^[9][10][11] helped by the armed merchantman Elisabeth. ^[12]

Funds from the sale of the cargo were embezzled, leading to a heated dispute. Tronjoli demanded that Saint-Orens explain himself. On 9 September 1780, the day before he was to testify before the authorities, Saint-Orens was founded dead, officially from an aneurism, although rumour said that he had been mortally wounded in a sword duel with a M. Villeneuve, formerly a Counselor at Pondichéry.^[13]

Notes