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D’Oisy to Minister, Brest, November 15, 1762; A.N., Marine B4 104, fol. 228–32v; microfilm,Archives nationales. D’Oisy describes the events surrounding the wreck and loss of the frigateOpale off the island of Mogane (Mayaguana) in July 1762.1 Translated from the original Frenchby Donald E. Pusch, August 2007.

[fol. 228:]

[Marginal note:]2

Campaign JournalsLoss of the frigateOpale42

1. Copy of the letter from Monsieur d’Oisy3

2. commanding the Calypso4

3. Brest, November 15, 1762

4. Monseigneur,

5. I got under way from the roadstead of the Cap5 July 15 with6. the Diadème6 and the Brillant7 in consequence of the order7. that I received from Monsieur de Blénac.8 This sortie had8. as its objective the departure of some merchant9. ships, which we escorted. The 21st, at 4 o’clock10. in the evening, we were near Grand Caique.9 I was11. in the lead seeking to discover [the enemy], and I was alerted to12. 16 sails, which I signaled. And, at the same time,13. I reported this to Monsieur, the Chevalier Fouquet.10 [With] the two14. fleets heading to meet each other, the enemy [ships]15. found themselves well within range of us to be16. recognized. Their usual confidence put them in no condition17. to escape once they had realized their error. The frigate18. that was escorting them had a superior speed and, with the19. help of darkness, escaped us. I was ordered to head20. after the fleet, and I captured two ships loaded with21. troops. During the night, I rallied with the Diadème22. with my two prizes, which we finished manning23. the following morning, the 22nd. When this action was24. accomplished, we deployed sail and continued our25. route up until sunset. At that time, Monsieur de26. Fouquet signaled the fleet, which was in27. good sailing order, to continue its route, and we came28. about in order to regain Grand Caique and to reenter the channel29. at dawn.11 We were, according to our estimate, 1530. leagues to the north northeast of the island of Mogane.12 We31. reckoned the route to be south and south by southeast, and we32. planned to pass at least five or six leagues windward33. of this island.13 We coursed under reduced sail, fair34. weather, very little wind, and pleasant seas. We made at most35. ten leagues from that time up until 3 o’clock in the morning,36. when I was awakened by a violent jolt. At the37. time that the Diadème, which had just sighted38. land, was making the signal to come about, I was39. windward of her a half league and on the port40. quarter, which had been designated for me by Monsieur the Chevalier41. Fouquet. The land could not be seen from42. the position I was in, the reef extending

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[fol. 228v:]

1. to more than a league seaward in this area from the northeast2. of the island, where the land is very low and, this3. night, very dark. In an instant, I got out of my4. quarters and onto the deck. I had cannon shots5. fired in order to warn the warships of the danger that6. I was in, and I signaled them of it. Immediately,7. the pumps were rigged, and a moment later8. the master caulker came to report that the Opale9. was breached, that water was rising visibly in10. the hold, and a half hour later she was11. full up to the hatchways. When I saw the peril,12. with no remedy, I set about, with the means I13. could employ, to save the men, and I14. was quite happy to inspire confidence during15. the first moments. I avoided, by that, the disorder and confusion16. that are usually the disastrous consequences of17. such an event. I put all the boats18. to sea and I put an officer in each one with orders19. to press toward the open sea, to not let anyone20. embark on them, and to return aboard only when I21. would recall them. This precaution inspired22. confidence, and everyone went to work23. and without complaint. I was so well supported by24. the officers, and even by the English, that in less than an25. hour the cannons and the masts were jettisoned into the sea26. without injuring anyone. The ship, lightened by this,27. took a better position. The jolts became28. less frequent and less violent. There remained29. only the rudder, which had cut into two or three30. beams and which we succeeded in jettisoning into the sea.31. And we found ourselves, though the ship had32. already settled, at least more calm and in condition33. to await, without danger, the help that the warships—34. which, at dawn, took action to put about—were able35. to send to us. I had, in the first minutes, occupied36. the English in collecting up bread from the store room, and a stockpile37. was made of it in the main cabin. But the38. greater part was wet and fell39. into the sea through the gun ports when the frigate settled.40. We found ourselves, at that moment, without water,41. without wine, and nearly without bread. The warships42. approached, and the Diadème’s large canot14

[fol. 229:]

1. arrived towards 9 o’clock. When the warships2. were close enough, I dispatched the Diadème’s3. canot, my chaloupe,15 and my canot, loaded with4. people. I might have had, at that moment,5. 600 men on board the Opale, as many English6. as French. I saw the difficulty that the7. warships would have in approaching her. The following day,8. the winds and the currents causing [them] to fall off leeward,9. I wanted to take advantage of this first moment in order to save10. as many of my people as I could. And in order

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11. to bring that about, I forbade that anyone think12. of saving anything except the clothes they13. wore. I arranged them one-by-one in all the14. boats, and I placed there as many of them as they [the boats] could15. carry without risk. One of the prizes, in which16. Monsieur de Charité embarked, came very close to17. us, and the people were disembarked onto her. This gave18. us the means to make two trips.19. In the evening, she moved away and was to rejoin the20. warships. I had Monsieur Fouquet told of the condition21. I was in and he sent to me, the following day, by22. his canot, some provisions, which reached us just at the23. right time. But that day we were only able to rescue24. very few people, the warships having25. fallen off a long way leeward, and only26. one trip could be made. I had on board the two27. captains of the prizes that I had taken, and one of them [the prizes]28. found itself grounded near us and had29. remained upright. The captain proposed to me to go30. there to find any kind of provisions. He carried back to us some31. casks of water, some biscuit, and some taffia.16 These unexpected32. provisions revived the crew, which was dying33. of hunger and which saw, although perhaps34. less than I did, the distress that we were facing35. because of the remoteness of the warships,36. although Monsieur Fouquet did everything humanly37. possible in order to give us assistance. But38. the currents and the winds did not permit him39. to do any better. I owe him my salvation40. and was even more touched by the form he41. employed than by the substance. Humanity dictates

[fol. 229v:]

1. the one, but all men do not know how to2. apply as well the other.

3. In the minutes immediately following the wreck, I had4. a raft made from the spare topmasts and all the5. yards that I had on board. I put on this raft the few6. provisions that remained to me of the flour, my sheep,7. two bullocks, and generally whatever could be used8. to survive on. I had placed on it about sixty of the9. best men left to me, who were the10. maîtres,17 the petty officers (officiers mariniers), and a few English.11. And I wanted to have this raft go ashore after12. having sent back the Diadème’s canot and having asked13. Monsieur Fouquet to send [a party] to look for me on the lee side14. of the island, where the small boats could safely15. anchor. And I alerted him that I was going to take16. ashore about 180 men who were still with me.17. But I had the displeasure to see my raft run aground18. on the bar that was between the land and me19. and to see all the provisions that I had placed in it20. sink to the bottom. Fortunately, I was able to bring the raft21. back aboard and no one perished on it. This22. accident distressed me a lot but did not discourage

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23. me. I still had my chaloupe and my small24. canot. The two English captains, who had sailed25. a great deal to the coast of Guinée [and were] accustomed to passing26. by canot over bars where the sea breaks more27. than on this one, proposed to me, if I would28. entrust my small canot to them, to go to look for a29. passage [through the bar] for my chaloupe. I accepted their offers.30. They succeeded and arrived on shore. The 25th,31. in the morning, the third day of my wreck, they carried32. onto the island, in the chaloupe that they guided,33. more than one hundred men. And in the evening, no longer34. seeing the warships, I myself went there at35. 7 o’clock, preceded by the chaloupe, in which36. were the officers and the maîtres, and I followed37. them in the small canot. I had the displeasure38. to see this chaloupe run aground and almost39. perish on the bar, from which she was pulled40. only by the maneuver that the officers had41. the crew make, having them get

[fol. 230:]

1. into the water and lift the chaloupe, which they2. floated and reached the shore, where I experienced the sight3. of the groaning of my entire crew, which4. was dying of hunger and thirst, not having found,5. since morning, a drop of water on this6. island. [But],I did not find it at all hard to calm them. They7. had seen that I had never neglected8. their salvation, not one man drowned or even9. injured, [and] the officers no better treated10. than they. The example that it had presented them had11. acquired [their] confidence. Large fires are started12. and on them were placed some grills of salt13. bacon and beef, a few barrels of which had14. come to the coast. I promised them water for15. the following morning. The expectations settled them down,16. calmness returned in an instant, and they slept17. peacefully throughout the night. The English and the18. French had an equal fate, and peace reigned19. between us. At daybreak, I assembled20. everyone. I laid out some wells in places21. where I judged to find it less difficult to22. dig. I put everyone to work,23. and the officers placed themselves to direct them. I had24. caulked and put back into place one of the chaloupe’s strakes,25. which it was missing the day before when it26. was run aground. Once everyone was27. occupied, I left in charge of the works Monsieur de28. Capellis18 who was second [captain] to me and29. was charged to send [the chaloupe] to pick up provisions30. aboard the prize. Once the chaloupe was31. repaired, I left him and was off to scour the32. coast in order to see if I could find33. some indication of a spring, which might34. provide us some water more potable than that35. which I hoped to find in the wells that

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36. were being dug. Hope gave me strength,37. and I went more than two leagues without encountering38. anything but some holes in the rocks39. where there was a little water from a foul source,19

[fol. 230v:]

1. which, nevertheless, I drank in long gulps. During that2. time, the chaloupe had made one trip,3. and sparing distributions of what had4. been carried ashore were made to everyone.5. I continued my trek. I had eaten, in6. four days, only some brandied peaches and had7. drunk some taffia, but I had strength again.8. A little while later, I saw two men9. who told me that the prizes were waiting10. for me 4 leagues away. I was more than11. two [leagues] away from my people. I sent them [the two men]12. to Monsieur de Capellis with orders to set out13. to follow me, and I continued my trek14. in order to go and have food prepared for them15. at their arrival. When I had yet made two16. leagues, I stopped on the side of a17. river in order to restore myself and to have it sounded18. by a sailor who had followed me. I heard19. voices near me. I shouted out, and I saw20. coming to me some sailors from the Diadème21. who came in order to guide us through a22. marsh that they had crossed, and [they] assured me23. that one could not get through [by going] along24. the sea [coast]. I believed them and followed them, but I had25. considerable difficulty withstanding the fatigue and the26. impediments that I encountered there at every moment,27. being a few times in water up to my chin28. and thick, burning mud up to my29. knees. Fortunately, I arrived beside30. the sea, supported during this trek by31. two sailors who helped me walk32. and often raised me up. I found there33. Monsieur Dumas and the provisions that this officer had34. had placed on the route along35. the coast. I asked him to send [help] immediately36. to the poor wretches who followed me37. and to make them stop on the edge38. of the river. And I wrote to Monsieur de Capellis

[fol. 231:]

1. so that he forbade anyone to go by way of the2. marsh where three quarters of our people,3. exhausted by fatigue and nearly out of4. food for four days, would have remained5. without help. Monsieur Dumas undertook to search for a6. route along the coast and sent [a party] to check (gager)7. the river. I boarded one of the8. prizes, and in the evening everyone arrived. The9. following morning, I went ashore and again10. gathered up a few stragglers. At noon,

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11. seeing no more people on the other side of12. the river where I had been, I boarded the13. prize and made the signal that Monsieur Fouquet14. had sent me orders to make to him when15. everyone was embarked. I got under way16. and he came up ahead of me. I came up to17. him in the evening [and] we made route for the18. Cap, where we arrived July 31. On19. arrival, a headcount was taken of my20. crew, and it revealed not one fewer21. Frenchman, but it was missing,22. of the English, 12 or 15 men. I requested23. that a ship be fitted out as a parlementaire20

24. in order to go give them some help and to25. take advantage of that occasion to26. salvage the crew’s clothing and27. my own, which had remained on the deck of28. the frigate. My request was granted,29. but the usual slowness, especially in30. this country, only permitted this ship31. to leave 8 or 10 days after our32. arrival. It was necessary to overcome some obstacles to33. her departure, which I cannot go into34. without getting far off my subject. Also,35. it reached there too late; the English had36. gotten there first, and she returned without finding either37. men or clothing.

38. I asked Monsieur de Clugny21 for two39. months pay to aid my crew40. in clothing themselves, and I obtained it. However, Monseigneur,

[Marginal note opposite the last three lines of the page:]

The King, having consented to this gratuity,he responded to this itemand wrote to Monsieur Hocquart22 on the subjecton December 6.

[fol. 231v:]

1. I added to it the hope that the King, touched2. by their misfortune, would grant them these two3. months in gratuity, and I fulfill my4. obligation to them in taking the liberty5. to ask you this favor, which they have6. merited by their conduct, their obedience, and7. their resignation in an event where they8. had experienced, during 4 days, the horrors of9. impending death, without complaint and without10. a single man of the crew11. seeking to save himself12. by swimming to shore. I still owe them a13. testimony, in your presents, of the acts of14. goodwill that they performed when they15. were employed in the careening of the Hector23

16. and the raising of the Calypso. Monsieur de Blénac17. was able to render an account to you of their

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18. goodwill to which he was witness on that19. occasion.

20. Monsieur de Blénac and Monsieur Ho[c]quart should have21. had the honor to write to you today22. on this subject and have promised me, in view of the reasonableness23. of my request, to join with me24. to obtain this favor. The officers are25. also in the same situation and arrived26. at the Cap as I did, completely naked. It is not27. that it was impossible for us, the day that28. we spent on the island, to save29. most of my effects and those of the officers,30. but there are cases, and I believed this one [to be]31. among those, where it is necessary to sacrifice everything32. for the common good. I caused, out of33. necessity, in the first minutes [after striking the reef], my crew34. to be completely naked. The same necessity no longer existed35. in latter moments, but one might36. believe that this precaution [not letting the crew take their cloths with them] had37. only been taken in order to have more room38. for my effects. A shirt is more39. dear to a sailor than to me. I40. could not bring back theirs, [so] I was not going

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1. to save my own. And, although2. I considered, from then, the inconvenience that3. the loss I was experiencing was going to cause to4. my financial situation, I was making5. sacrifices and it meant nothing to me. I believed it6. quite necessary to use, on one hand, punishment7. toward some and, on the other, money8. in order to encourage those who worked9. willingly. And [in addition], I have the honor to alert10. you that I am planning, at the review [of the incident], to request11. advancement for some. I believe it12. necessary to request that those with whom13. I was displeased be cut off and14. excluded from the gratuity, in case you15. grant one. The number of these last is16. small and limited to three men. There is17. a fourth whom I left at Saint-Domingue18. in prison and whom I was not able19. to have hung before my departure. Whatever20. appeal I made regarding this matter, the proceeding was informed [of the evidence]21. and his judgement certain. However, it would have been desirable that he22. be executed as an example before the departure of23. the squadron. Here is his crime:

24. When I had the two prizes that I had25. captured on the 21st manned, I gave command of them to two26. pilots mates (aides pilotes), wise and capable of sailing them. For27. handling [the ships], I gave them some petty officers28. [and] a dozen sailors. A quarter master (quartier maître), a few29. days later, found out that the wife of an officer who had30. remained on the ship had, under the head of her bed,

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31. money and some jewels. He was, with a knife in hand,32. about to steal them and was caught in the act by a sailor33. and the woman’s husband, who disarmed him. The women34. was pregnant, and the fright she received caused her35. to miscarry. I was given an account of it36. the moment I arrived aboard the prizes. I had the culprit37. arrested, and he was put aboard the Diadème in irons38. and turned over, by order of Monsieur de Blénac, into the hands of39. judges at the Cap. The English themselves sought to excuse him40. when they saw things at this point. Drunkenness was used41. as the excuse, but mercy never occurred to me.42. I fulfilled the obligation of my responsibility, I believe, in43. asking for the most scrupulous examination. And more44. proof was found than necessary45. to give rise to the hope that the execution would serve

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1. as an example to people capable of committing2. similar excesses, which would become only too3. common if they went unpunished.

4. Believing myself, in this event, Monseigneur,5. more to be pitied than condemned, I believed I must6. leave it to Monsieur de Blénac and Monsieur Fouquet to render7. an account to you of my conduct before entering into8. the details that I had the honor to send you9. today. And I dare flatter myself that my misfortune10. will not pose an obstacle to the readiness11. I have to be effective to respond12. to the mark of confidence that the États d’Artois24

13. gave me. In consequence, I implored Monsieur de14. Roquefeuil25 to ask of you a leave that15. will allow me to pay my respects to you and to go16. to my family to make arrangements17. that put me in a condition to profit from18. the favor that you saw fit to grant to me19. on this occasion and which will allow me20. to give new proofs of my21. zeal for the service and of my diligence toward22. my profession.

23. I am, with respect, etc.26

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End Notes

1 There exists a second copy of this letter at fol. 224–27; significant differences between thetwo are addressed in endnotes.

2 This marginal note is somewhat different on the second copy of d’Oisy’s report:Squadron of Monsieur de BlénacMonsieur le Chevalier d’OisyNovember 15, 1762Wreck of the OpaleNo. 33

3 The Chevalier d’Oisy, lieutenant de vaisseau, was commander of the frigate Opale on theBlénac campaign. At some point following the loss of the Opale, d’Oisy was given command ofthe corvette Calypso. Extrait du journal de Kxven [Kerven] le Gall Ecrivain du Roy Embarqué Surle Vau le Duc de Bourgogne..., joint à la lettre de Kxven le Gall du 8 juin 1762, A.N., Marine, B4

104, fol. 108; hereinafter cited as the journal of Kerven Le Gall.4 The 16-gun corvette Calypso, commanded initially on the Blénac campaign by Monsieur

Duchilleau, enseigne de vaisseau. Ibid.5 Cap Français, today Cap Haïtien, Haiti.6 The 74-gun warship Diadème, commanded on the Blénac campaign by the Chevalier

Fouquet, capitaine de vaisseau. The journal of Kerven Le Gall.7 The 64-gun warship Brillant, commanded on the Blénac campaign by the vicomte de

Rochechouart. Ibid.8 Charles de Courbon, comte de Blénac, chef d’escadre and commander of the campaign.

Michel Vergé-Franceschi, La Marine française au XVIIIe siecle: guerres – administration –exploration (Paris: SEDES, 1996), 414.

9 Grand Caicos Island.10 Paul-Louis Fouquet, capitaine de vaisseau (1754), chef d’escadre (1771), and lieutenant

général (1780). Etienne Taillemite, Dictionnaire des Marins français, nouvelle édition (Paris:Tallandier, 2002), 191.

11 This is the Caicos Passage which runs between the Caicos islands and Mayaguana.Because of the danger of entering the passage in darkness, d’Oisy and the other captainsattempted to adjust their speed and route so as to arrive at the passage’s entrance at dawn.

12 Mayaguana Island.13 The ships were apparently to the northeast of Mayaguana and experiencing an east or

northeast wind. Recognizing the danger of being blown into the shallows, they intended to givethe island a wide birth as they made route for the Caicos Passage.

14 A small rowboat used primarily to carry people to and from the ship.15 A boat considerably larger than a canot but having no deck. Chaloupes could be rowed but

were also likely to have one or two sail-rigged masts. Their primary purpose was to transportmerchandise, munitions, and passengers to and from the ship, but they were usually sturdyenough to make short, open-water excursions.

16 A liquor distilled from sugarcane juice.17 Experienced individuals who were in charge of specific functions on the ship. One

specifically mentioned in d’Oisy’s account is the master caulker (maître calfat).18 The second copy of d’Oisy’s letter refers to this individual as the Marquis de Capellis. This

is thought to be Jean-Antoine-Nicolas-François, marquis de Capellis who, in 1762, was alieutenant de vaisseau. Jacques Aman, Les officiers bleus dans la Marine française au XVIIIe

siècle (Genève: Libraire Droz, 1976), 179, citing Capellis’ service dossier, A.N., Marine C7 52.19 The French here is un peu d’eau de puits détestable. In the second copy of d’Oisy’s letter,

the French is un peu d’eau de pluie détestable (a little foul rain water).

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20 A ship that was allowed to enter enemy waters or ports for the purpose of exchangingprisoners or performing other neutral tasks.

21 Jean-Etienne-Bernard de Clugny de Nuits, intendant of Saint-Domingue, 1760–1763.Vergé-Franceschi, La Marine française au XVIIIe siecle, 212, 419.

22 Gilles Hocquart de Champerny, intendant of the Marine at Brest, 1749–1764. Ibid., 209,426.

23 The 74-gun warship Hector, commanded on the Blénac campaign by Monsieur de Sanzay,capitaine de vaisseau. The journal of Kerven Le Gall.

24 The state of Artois was one of several provincial jurisdictions that exercised certainadministrative and fiscal powers and appointed various provincial functionaries. They wereoriginally set up to control ancient fiefdoms within the realm but, between the fourteenth andseventeenth centuries, were also used to administer newly acquired territory. The Chevalierd’Oisy was apparently the recipient of some post or favor from the state of Artois.

25 Aymar-Joseph, comte de Roquefeuil, chef d’escadre (1761) and lieutenant général (1766).Roquefeuil was commandant of the Marine at Brest from 1761 to 1772. Vergé-Franceschi, LaMarine française au XVIIIe siecle, 191, 437.

26 So ends this copy of the letter. The second copy includes the ending, “Your very humble &very obedient servant, Le Chr D’oisy, Brest, November 15, 1762.”