Point of Interest
Destruction of a French Privateer at Saint-Simon
Street Address: Saint-Simon, NB
In the autumn of 1760 during the Seven Years’ War, Antoine-Charles Denys de Saint-Simon, an officer of the Troupes de la Marine and a participant of the Battle of the Restigouche, outfitted a privateer to prey on British shipping. His crew consisted of forty-seven Acadians. While in the act of capturing a small British vessel, Saint-Simon was intercepted by a British frigate. He led a chase into a shallow bay on the Acadian Peninsula where the British warship could not follow. After burning his ship he and the crew fled into the woods. The village of Saint-Simon is named for the captain and marks the site where the sinking occurred. After years of searching, in 2015 a local diving group found what they believe could be the remains of the French privateer. A key artifact recovered was a cannonball.