Capturing over 40 prizes, he later amassed a large fortune from a variety of commercial activities, such as ship-owning, privateering, slave trading and owning land.

He preyed on British shipping, capturing several merchantmen including the East Indiaman Triton, before returning to the Isle de France where his prizes were confiscated.

Returning to the Indian Ocean, Surcouf captained the privateers Clarisse and Confiance, raiding British, American, and Portuguese shipping.

[7] When his parents sent him to Dinan college to become a priest, he fled at age thirteen to enlist on the merchantman Héron, which shuttled between Saint-Malo and Cadiz.

[6] On her next journey, seeking to purchase slaves on the Horn of Africa, Aurore was wrecked in the Mozambique Channel, drowning 400 enslaved Africans chained in the orlop.

[11][N 1] She departed on 27 August 1792 for Mozambique before sailing to Isle de France, where Surcouf was informed on his arrival of the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars.

[3][9] He departed Isle de France on 3 June 1794 [9] for a journey off Africa and Madagascar,[11] and engaged again in slave trading, even though it had been prohibited by the National Convention and the Assembly of Île Bourbon.

[12] Upon his return to Isle de France, agents of the Committee of Public Safety inspected Créole for evidence of slave trading, but left empty-handed as Surcouf had already sold his enslaved cargo.

[12] When British naval forces arrived to blockade the Isle de France, he served as an auxiliary ensign on the 40-gun frigate Cybèle and participated in the inconclusive Action of 22 October 1794.

[8] In the spring in 1795,[9] Surcouf took command of the 180-ton,[11] privateer schooner Modeste,[9] renamed Émilie, with a 32-man crew and four 6-pounder guns,[11] armed by Malroux and Levaillant.

[22] Surcouf returned to Ile de France with his prizes,[15] where he arrived on 10 March 1796,[19] although Hasard was captured by HMS Victorious on the journey back.

[24][26] Surcouf captured a British brig[22] South of Cape of Good Hope, which surrendered after a warning shot was fired,[22] on which he sent a prize crew under Captain Dujardin,[25] and arrived La Réunion on 5 December.

[24] On 16 August, Clarisse departed Isle de France for another cruise; she sailed to La Réunion carrying despatches of Malartic to the governor.

[32] On 3 January, she detected two American 16-carronade ships forming a line of battle; although Clarisse lacked the eight guns sacrificed to escape Sybille and 60 of her men detached on her various prizes, Surcouf engaged.

[40] On 7 October 1800, off Sand Heads, near Calcutta, Confiance met the 40-gun East Indiaman Kent, of 824 tons burthen,[41][42][N 5] under Captain Robert Rivington.

[44] The privateers were then granted one hour of free pillaging on Kent before Surcouf restored order;[43][49][50] however, the female passengers were strictly protected and sentries were placed in front of their apartments.

[52] The first officer of Confiance, Joachim Drieux, was sent on Kent with a 60-man prize crew, while her passengers were released on a merchantman that Surcouf stopped a few days later.

On the journey, Surcouf still managed to capture a number of ships, notably the Portuguese Ebre,[43] with eighteen 12-pounder carronades and a 60-man crew; he released her against a ransom of 10,000 piastres and after exchanging her greatmast with that of Confiance.

[53] Upon her return, Confiance ran into the British blockade and was chased by a frigate; Surcouf managed to evade her by throwing overboard all but one of her guns, his boats, anchors, chains and even components of his masts.

[53] Hennequin states that Bonaparte himself offered him the rank of Captain and the command of two frigates, which Surcouf declined for fear of losing his freedom of action, and awarded him a Sabre of honour.

On 9 March 1807,[59] while en route, off Madeira, Revenant captured the British slave ship Aun,[59] of sixteen 12-pounders, recently departed from Liverpool,[60] which Surcouf let go for a ransom, after throwing her guns overboard, wetting her gunpowder and destroying some of her sails.

[54] Surcouf arrived at Île de France in June, slipping past the British blockade and capturing several ships on the journey.

After a short cruise, Potier returned with a 34-gun[N 10] prize of the Portuguese East India Company,[67] the Conceçáo de Santo Antonio,[67] captured after a one-hour fight.

[26][68] From 1809, Surcouf went into business as ship-owner,[26] and over the years, he equipped a number of privateers:[68] Auguste, under Pelletier;[68][70] Dorade;[68] Biscayenne;[68] Édouard;[68] Espadon;[68] Ville-de-Caen;[68] Adolphe[68] and his last, Renard,[57][68] under Leroux.

The submarine joined the Free French Naval Forces during the Second World War and disappeared mysteriously after liberating Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.

Ships of the French Navy named SurcoufA number of legends have grown around Surcouf, he is often stated to have been made a Baron of the Empire, which is untrue.

[3][N 13] There is a tale that in 1816, Surcouf challenged twelve Prussian officers to a duel and defeated all of them except for the last, which he let go "to tell in his country how a former soldier of Napoleon fights"; this story is a fabrication.