Years of service 1754-1782 Service/branch French Navy Died April 12, 1782 | Name Jean Chadeau Rank Captain | |
Born February 23, 1741Rochefort sur Mer ( 1741-02-23 ) Battles/wars Seven Years' WarAmerican Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape Henry, Battle of Saint Kitts, Battle of the Saintes Commands held French frigate Belle Poule, HMS Argonaut, French ship Hercule | ||
Jean Isaac Timothée Chadeau, Sieur de la Clocheterie (1741–1782) was a French naval officer of the American Revolutionary War.
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Early career
Chadeau de la Clocheterie entered the French naval service in 1754, at the age of thirteen, as an élève de la marine. He became an ensign in 1757 and served in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). On 2 November 1758 he was made a prisoner of war at the capture of the Belliqueux, returning to France in April 1759.
In 1768 he was stationed at Mauritius. There he met the botanist Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, who described him as "a young man, with a dashing figure, very modest, who hardly spoke and was devoted to his duties".
In 1775 he was made a Knight of the Order of Saint Louis.
La Belle Poule
As lieutenant commanding the royal frigate Belle Poule, de la Clocheterie on 17 June 1778 fought the naval action with the Arethusa that provided the casus belli for French entry into the American Revolutionary War.
Despite suffering heavy casualties, the Belle Poule managed to fight off and disable the British frigate within sight of a becalmed British squadron, and was then towed to safety through the coastal shallows of Brittany.
For his gallantry in this action, Lieutenant de la Clocheterie was received at court by Louis XVI and raised to the rank of captain and given command of the newly built Triton, a 64-gun ship of the line. According to a widely circulated anecdote, the king informed him of his new commission during a game of piquet, taking him to task for his infidelity to his ship, and when de la Clocheterie expressed surprise saying "You are sure to abandon the Belle Poule to be captain of a ship with 64 guns."
His action, his reception at court and his reward were reported in British, French, Spanish, German, Swiss, and Dutch reviews of current affairs of the year 1778.
Subsequent career
Captain de la Clocheterie became commander of the Jason in early 1780, and fought at the Battle of Cape Henry and the Battle of Saint Kitts, particularly distinguishing himself in the former engagement.
He died in 1782, in the Battle of the Saintes, commanding L'Hercule.