Qualla: Battle of Tamatave https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave en-us © 2026 Bendyline Mon, 20 Jul 2026 10:21:26 GMT Qualla serial false Qualla support@bendyline.com yes https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/hero-small.webp Qualla: Battle of Tamatave https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave Battle of Tamatave: Introduction https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave/ Photo credit Unknown/unspecified (irrelevant to licencing), Public domain. Commodore Dominique Roquebert sailed from Brest on 2 February 1811 carrying soldiers, food, and ammunition for a French colony that had already fallen. News traveled slowly across the Indian Ocean in the age of sail, and no one in France yet knew that Isle de France -- modern Mauritius -- had surrendered to a British invasion force three months earlier. By the time Roquebert's three frigates reached the island on 6 May and discovered British flags flying where French tricolours should have been, his mission was already impossible. What followed was a running chase across the western Indian Ocean that ended in a savage evening battle off the port of Tamatave, on the northeast coast of Madagascar.

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Image: Unknown/unspecified (irrelevant to licencing) | Public domain

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/mhg0-battle-of-tamatave-intro.mp3 0:06 1 full Battle of Tamatave: A Colony Already Lost https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave/ Photo credit John Opie, Public domain. The seeds of the Battle of Tamatave were planted nine months earlier at Grand Port, where a French squadron achieved the most significant French naval victory of the entire Napoleonic Wars by capturing or destroying four Royal Navy frigates. The triumph was hollow. Isle de France...

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Image: John Opie | Public domain

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/mhg0-battle-of-tamatave-a-colony-already-lost.mp3 0:06 2 full Battle of Tamatave: Into the Trap https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave/ Photo credit John Opie, Public domain. When Roquebert's squadron appeared off Grand Port in early May, the British commander Captain James Hillyar was ready. He kept French tricolours flying from the harbor landmarks, hoping to lure the French into shallow waters where they could be destroyed. Roquebert was cautious e...

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Image: John Opie | Public domain

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/mhg0-battle-of-tamatave-into-the-trap.mp3 0:06 3 full Battle of Tamatave: A Calm That Favored the French https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave/ Photo credit John Opie, Public domain. The battle began at 4 PM in near-windless conditions that left both squadrons drifting rather than sailing. In the eerie calm, the French were better positioned. The frigate Nereide advanced on the British ship Phoebe and sandwiched her between two opponents, pouring in destructi...

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Image: John Opie | Public domain

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/mhg0-battle-of-tamatave-a-calm-that-favored-the-french.mp3 0:06 4 full Battle of Tamatave: The Commodore's Last Fight https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave/ Photo credit John Opie, Public domain. As darkness fell, Schomberg pursued the retreating French by following their lantern lights. When the frigate Clorinde lost a man overboard and stopped to rescue him around 9:50 PM, Roquebert was forced to fall back and shield her. He steered Renommee directly at Astraea and open...

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Image: John Opie | Public domain

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/mhg0-battle-of-tamatave-the-commodores-last-fight.mp3 0:06 5 full Battle of Tamatave: Judgment at Brest https://qualla.com/battle-of-tamatave/ Photo credit John Opie, Public domain. Five days after the battle, Schomberg's squadron found Nereide sheltering in Tamatave harbor. The town's French garrison negotiated a bloodless surrender: the crew and soldiers would be repatriated to France in exchange for the frigate, the port, and a 12-gun battery. Saint-Cricq...

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Image: John Opie | Public domain

]]> Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://qualla.com/_m/m/h/g/0/battle-of-tamatave-wp/mhg0-battle-of-tamatave-judgment-at-brest.mp3 0:06 6 full