#robert surcouf

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Saint-Malo France

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The Mysterious Disappearance of the Bizarre Surcouf

The giant French submarine Surcouf’s mysterious fate made her the true Flying Dutchman of World War II.

The Top Gun release (it’s brilliant fun, by the way) has had me yearning for all my old passions—no, not Tom Cruise (a fine actor though he may be)—military procurement, naval tactics, insouciant nonconformists, epic battles, heroic quests and espionage.

I never object to a bit of Kenny Loggins, either.

What I thought to myself today is that the film maybe lacks just one thing...and that’s a good mystery.  So, I went and dug up a good one for you.  Here, in all its bizarre glory, is the tale of the curious disappearance, near Colon, of Le Sous-marin Surcouf (and a short digression on Robert Surcouf for whom the submarine was named).  It has many of the elements of a movie plot and a real life puzzle to boot.  Enjoy!

[ducleto]

Le 8 juillet 1827, à Saint-Servan, s’éteint Robert Surcouf. Certainement l’un des plus célèbres corsaires français 

Statue de Surcouf sur le rempart nord de Saint-Malo. Statue de Alfred Caravanniez (1903)

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Robert Surcouf

rappel de l’enfance

[fanfanlemoko]

Surcouf : le corsaire devenu légende, entre audace et empire maritime

Dans le tumulte des guerres maritimes de la fin du XVIIIe siècle, un nom s’impose avec une force singulière : Surcouf. Né à Saint-Malo en 1773, Robert Surcouf n’est pas un officier de marine au sens classique, mais un corsaire, un homme autorisé par l’État à faire la guerre sur mer à titre privé. Ce statut particulier, à mi-chemin entre entrepreneur et combattant, exige audace, intelligence et une capacité à prendre des risques que peu acceptent.

Très tôt, Surcouf se distingue dans l’océan Indien, loin des côtes européennes. C’est là qu’il forge sa réputation, en s’attaquant aux navires marchands britanniques, cœur vital de la puissance économique de l’Empire britannique. Ses succès ne reposent pas sur la force brute, mais sur la manœuvre, la surprise et une parfaite lecture de l’adversaire. En 1800, la prise du Kent, un puissant navire anglais largement supérieur en armement, devient l’un des épisodes les plus célèbres de sa carrière. Ce n’est pas seulement une victoire : c’est une démonstration de maîtrise tactique.

Surcouf incarne une autre manière de faire la guerre. Là où les grandes flottes s’affrontent dans des batailles massives, lui privilégie la frappe rapide, ciblée, rentable. Chaque prise représente à la fois un succès militaire et un gain financier considérable. Mais cette logique ne doit pas masquer la réalité du combat. L’abordage, pratique fréquente chez les corsaires, est d’une violence extrême, où tout se joue en quelques minutes dans un chaos total.

Après des années de campagnes, Surcouf rentre à Saint-Malo avec une fortune importante et une renommée qui dépasse largement les cercles maritimes. Il devient une figure emblématique, presque mythifiée, de la guerre de course française. Pourtant, derrière la légende, demeure un homme pragmatique, calculateur, qui a su exploiter les règles d’un système pour en tirer le maximum.

Surcouf n’est pas seulement un corsaire victorieux. Il est le symbole d’une époque où la mer était un champ de bataille économique autant que militaire, et où quelques hommes, par leur audace, pouvaient peser sur l’équilibre des puissances.

[ltwilliammowett]

The Taking of the 'Kent' by Robert Surcouf in the Gulf of Bengal, 7 October 1800 by Ambroise-Louis Garneray (1783-1857)

[ltwilliammowett]

Robert Surcouf - the King of the Corsairs

One of the most successful privateers of the age of sail wasn't British, he was french and was called Robert Surcouf (1773-1827), a man dubbed the King of the Corsairs. Surcouf was born in the privateering port of St. Malo in Brittany, and at the age of 15 he became Sailor, serving on board a slve ship bound for the Indian Ocean. He spent five years as a slaver, before returning to St. Malo in 1792, the year the French Revolutionary war began.

Robert Surcouf after 1804, by unknown (x)

He returned to sea, and was in the Ile de France (now Mauritius) in the Indian Ocean early the following year, when Britian declared war on France. Surcouf helped drive off two British blockading warships, making him a local hero, a success he repeated in the summer of 1794 when he captured another British warship. By this time he had command of his own ship, but he was still denied a letter of marque by the local governor. Therefore he returned to France, determined to acquire his privateering licence.

Statue of Robert Surcouf by Alfred Caravaniez and the Fort National in Saint-Malo, Brittany, France (x)

He became a properly authorized privateer, and in August 1798 he made his first independent cruise, in the Clarisse, 18-guns, of Nantes. He captured ten ships in the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean before returning to the Ile de France as a successful privateer.

In May 1800 he took command of a new ship, the Confiance also with 18-guns, and sailed the Indian Ocean in search of prey. He captured ten British ships off India, and on 17 October he captured the East Indianman Kent, 38-guns, in the Bengal, one of the richest privateering prizes of the war. It also made Surcouf o national hero. He evaded British patrols and returned to France in April 1801. The sale of his plunder made him an extremely wealthy man, and he retired to St. Malo, where with coming of peace in early 1802 he established himself as a shipowner and businessman.

Capture of the Kent by Confiance, by Ambroise Louis Garneray 1836 (x) 

During his career, Robert Surcouf was known for his humane treatment of prisoners and for the discipline of his men. He was also a gifted tactican. For instance, he used deception and speed to bring his small ship alongside a larger enemy before the latter's guns could inflict much damage. He then relied on specially trained marines and large numbers of boarders to overwhelm the enemy.

Robert Surcouf successfully boarding the 'Kent', an Indianmen of the East India Company, illustration from an exercise book, late 19th century (x)

During the Napoleonic Wars, especially in the time between 1805-1815, Surcouf sent 14 privateers to the Indian Ocean, but they met with mixed success, and several were captured.

A Letter to Marion Pleudihen,(translated): “I need for my ship ‘The African’ ten logs of wood to burn. The ship is anchored in Saint-Malo. Please send the lumber and be careful it is the right weight, as I will not weigh it again on board, as it comes from you. Robert Surcouf (x)

In 1807 he returned to sea in his own purpose built privateer La Revenant, which captured 20 British ships during a year long cruise. After his ship was commandeered by the governor of the Ile de France. He was subsequently ennobled as a baron by Napoleon in 1810. Surcouf ended his days as a wealthy shipowner, in his native St. Malo.

[secretumpoeta]

HMS Kent battling the Confiance, 1800.