Pierre Morpain Pierre Morpain ( c . 1686 - 20 August 1749 ) was a French ship ' s captain , privateer , and naval officer . Active in the waters of the West Indies , Morpain is best known for a highly successful privateering career along the coast of Acadia ( and later Nova Scotia ) during Queen Anne ' s War and King George ' s War . He notably made a providential arrival , with supply - laden prizes in tow , at the Acadian capital , Port Royal , not long after the first 1707 siege . In his later years he participated as a military commander in the defence of Fortress Louisbourg during the 1745 siege . Early life . Pierre Morpain was born in Blaye , a community on the Gironde in southwestern France , in roughly 1686 . His father , Jacques Morpain , was a local businessman . Both parents died when he was young , and by 1703 he was serving at sea . In 1706 he was given command of the " Intrépide " , based in the West Indies at Cap - Français ( present - day Cap - Haïtien ) , with instructions to interfere with British shipping . In 1707 he cruised as far north as New England , where he captured two prizes : a ship full of provisions , and a slave ship . Since France and England were then at war , he made for the nearest safe port , which was Port Royal , the capital of Acadia . Unknown to Morpain , an English colonial force had recently abandoned a siege there , and the town was in desperate need of supplies . Morpain generously offered his captured stores to the town , winning the gratitude of Acadia ' s Governor Daniel d ' Auger de Subercase . Fearing a renewed attack , Subercase asked Morpain to stay ; the English returned in late August , and Morpain and his ship ' s crew assisted the Acadians in driving the besiegers off . After returning to the West Indies , Morpain was given command of a naval vessel , the " Marquis de Choiseul " , that was under the authority of Saint - Domingue ' s governor . At the urging of Subercase , Morpain sailed north to engage in privateering in the waters of New England and Acadia in 1709 . While there he married Marie - Joseph de Chauffours , daughter of Louis Damours de Chauffours , an Acadian settler . His privateering was highly successful , building a reputation with both the French authorities and New England sailing interests . When the English failed to attach Port Royal in 1709 Morpain returned briefly to the West Indies to return his employer ' s vessel . He then settled in Plaisance , Newfoundland , where he was joined by his wife , and he again took up privateering . In 1711 a French - Indian force besieged Annapolis Royal but lacked armaments to attack the fort . Following a request they made to Newfoundland ' s governor , Morpain loaded his ship with supplies and munitions and sailed off to meet them . However , his ship encountered part of a major British naval expedition , and was captured after three hours ' battle . Imprisoned at St . John ' s , he was released back to Plaisance in 1712 . Later that year he returned to France , where he spent the next year ; during this time he apparently sought an appointment in the naval establishment . Port commander at Louisbourg . In this he was successful : in 1715 he was appointed the port captain of what would become Fortress Louisbourg on Île - Royale ( present - day Cape Breton Island ) . Arriving the following year , he oversaw the construction of the port facilities at Louisbourg and administered navigation in the province ; in the latter role he became quite familiar with all of the local waters . By the 1740s his duties including the instruction of navigation to the colony ' s mariners . With the advent of war in 1744 , Morpain again took to the seas against British colonial shipping ; his reputation was such that reports of the activities of " Morepang " were sufficient to keep merchant ships in port . Conditions at Louisbourg , however , were not good : the land forces stationed there were extremely discontented , and the governor , Louis Du Pont Duchambon , was faced with a mutiny in December 1744 . The arrival of a British colonial force under William Pepperrell in early May 1745 forced Duchambon to turn to Morpain to lead the defences , since he could not trust many of his officers . Morpain advocated an aggressive response to British intentions to land at Gabarus Bay , south of the fort , and eventually led a small force out in an attempt to stop the landing . In this he was unsuccessful , arriving after the British had already established a small beachhead . In the ensuing skirmish , Morpain was wounded , but managed to make his way back to the fortress . Morpain then effectively directed the defence of the fortress for the duration of the siege ; his vigorous defence of the works was lauded by both the French and British forces . After the British victory , Morpain was returned to France . When Île - Royale was returned to the French after the peace , Morpain was again offered the naval post at Louisbourg ; however , he died at Rochefort in August 1749 without returning to North America .