Battle of Providien facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Providien |
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| Part of the Anglo-French War (1778–1783) | |||||||
 Plan of the battle of Providien |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 France |
 Great Britain |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Pierre Suffren |
 Edward Hughes |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 12 ships of the line | 11 ships of the line | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 225 killed and wounded | 567 killed and wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Providien was an important naval battle. It happened on April 12, 1782, near Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka). This battle was part of a bigger war between Britain and France. The British fleet was led by Admiral Sir Edward Hughes. The French fleet was led by Admiral Pierre Suffren. This was the second time their fleets fought each other near India.
Contents
Why the Battle Happened
In 1778, France joined the American Revolutionary War. This meant France was fighting against Britain. Then, in 1780, Britain also declared war on the Dutch Republic. This was because the Dutch kept trading military supplies with France and America.
When news of these wars reached India, Britain quickly took control of most French and Dutch areas there. This also started another war called the Second Anglo-Mysore War.
Suffren's Journey to India
In March 1781, a French admiral named Bailli de Suffren was sent to India. His job was to help the French colonies there. He sailed with five warships and seven transport ships.
On his way, he had a small battle with a British fleet near Porto Praya in April. After that, his fleet stopped at the Cape of Good Hope in October. This area was controlled by the Dutch. Suffren left some troops there to help defend the colony.
His fleet then got more ships. An older admiral, Thomas d'Estienne d'Orves, took command. The French fleet sailed to Île de France (now Mauritius). They arrived there in December.
Changes in Command and Plans
From Mauritius, they sailed to India. They carried almost 3,000 soldiers. Admiral d'Orves died in February 1782, just before they reached India. So, Suffren took command of the fleet again.
Suffren first tried to surprise the British at Madras. But he found Admiral Sir Edward Hughes's fleet already there. So, Suffren changed his plan. He sailed south to Porto Novo. He wanted to land his troops there. His goal was to march along the coast and take back French and Dutch areas.
Admiral Hughes then sailed after Suffren. They had a battle called the Battle of Sadras. Both fleets were damaged, but no ships were lost. The French successfully landed their troops at Porto Novo. These troops helped the Mysoreans, who were allies of France.
After the battle, Suffren repaired his ships at Pondicherry. On February 23, he sailed out to find Hughes again. Hughes had gone to Trincomalee for his own repairs.
Leading Up to Providien
On April 8, Hughes's fleet was seen heading towards Trincomalee. Suffren chased them for three days. On April 12, Hughes had to change his course to keep going to Trincomalee. This change gave Suffren an advantage because of the wind direction.
The Battle
The battle started around 12:30 PM. At first, some of Suffren's captains were slow to join the fight. This had also happened in the previous battle. But eventually, ten of his twelve ships fought against the eleven British ships.
The British ship HMS Monmouth was the first to leave the fight. Its masts were broken. The HMS Superb also got a lot of damage early on. Admiral Hughes then made a smart move. He ordered his fleet to turn their ships around quickly. This helped the British gain an advantage.
Around 6:00 PM, a storm began. The ships were close to the shore, which was dangerous in a storm. So, both sides stopped fighting to deal with the storm. The darkness from the storm and then nightfall meant the battle could not continue that day.
What Happened After
The fleets anchored close to each other. Suffren prepared for another battle. But Hughes had a group of supply ships to protect. So, he sailed to Trincomalee.
Suffren sailed south and anchored at Batticaloa. This place was still controlled by the Dutch. He stayed there for six weeks to repair his ships and get more supplies. While he was there, he received orders to go to Île de France. He was supposed to escort another group of troop ships.
However, Suffren decided not to follow this order. He felt that Hughes was too big a threat to French operations in India. He needed all his ships to stay and fight. He also didn't fully trust some of his captains. The captains of the Vengeur and Artésien were reported for not joining the battle properly. His second-in-command was also trying to turn other captains against him.
Images for kids
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Plan of the battle of Providien
