Admiral Satan: The Life and Campaigns of Suffren, Scourge of the Royal Navy [Hardcover]

Robert Cavaliero (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 185043686X | ISBN-13: 978-1850436867 | Publication Date: June 15, 1994

Nelson admired him. Marie-Antoinette counted him among France's national heroes. The exiled Napoleon sighed for what might have been had his own navy been commanded by someone of like calibre. His lascar sailors feared him as much as they admired him, and nicknamed him 'Admiral Satan'. In an age of remarkable characters, Pierre-Andre de Suffren Saint Tropez, the Bailli de Suffren, was one of the most remarkable: eccentric, irascible, slovenly, gluttonous, possessed of furious energy and lust for battle. He was also the most daring, innovative tactician in France's pre-revolutionary navy." "Suffren began his naval career in the service of the Knights of Malta, protecting the Order's shipping against the corsairs of the Barbary coast. Then began the long, slow climb through the ranks of the pre-revolutionary French navy, during which he saw action in the West Indies, ran the blockade during the American war of independence, and was twice taken prisoner by the British, whom he hated ever after." "When at last he achieved independent command, this hatred fuelled his determination to beat the British in the Indian Ocean. At stake was France's alliance with Haidar Ali, the shrewd and battle-scarred Nawab of Mysore, and hence control of southern India. Suffren brought all his tactical brilliance and radical innovation to bear: his opponent, the indomitable Admiral Sir Edward Hughes, was no less determined, and the resulting campaign was as fierce as it was evenly balanced, ending only with the declaration of peace in 1783. Suffren returned to France, to be feted and feasted by nobility and populace alike. He ended his life there, having acquired honours and avoirdupois in more or less equal measure." "Roderick Cavaliero's is the first English-language biography of this extraordinary man. It is a vivid portrait of an individual and his world, with sharply drawn descriptions of people, places and events - and, of course, the sea battles, with their mingled excitement and danger. Above all, Suffren himself comes to life, with his immense vitality, his volcanic rages, his eccentricities and his matchless understanding of war in his chosen element, the sea.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (June 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185043686X
• ISBN-13: 978-1850436867
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,501,592 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Yes, You Can be a Tough Sea Dog - and Dine Well, Too, February 25, 2011

By 

Fife and Drummer "Fife" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Admiral Satan: The Life and Campaigns of Suffren, Scourge of the Royal Navy (Hardcover)

Verbose but excellent military biography of hard-charging, corpulent French Admiral Suffren. Good insights into how he maintained a squadron off of Ceylon and the Carnatic on the far side of the world in the early 1780s. Suffren was much more aggressive than most French admirals, but, unlike Nelson, he was hampered by ship captains who did not share this attitude. Several excellent area maps and tactical schematics. Nice I.B. Tauris publication.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Nelson of France, July 22, 2007

By 

Eric Husher "The Searat" (Portsmouth, RI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Admiral Satan: The Life and Campaigns of Suffren, Scourge of the Royal Navy (Hardcover)

An excellent biography of the little-known (in the English-speaking world) French Admiral Suffren, who shook the roots of British power in India. Mostly very well-researched, I would have given this book five stars except for the author's shocking lack of knowledge of New England geography, revealed in his discussion of Suffren's early years as part of the fleet of D'Estaing and its abortive activities in Rhode Island and Boston during the American Revolution. As for the account of Suffren himself and his campaigns in Indian waters, Bravo!