My 2019 French ChallengeAZ in 100 Words—or More | N for Naval Disaster

On December 13 of each year, Acadian Remembrance Day is commemorating the Acadians who died as a result of the deportations. The choice of the month of December for that special day is no coincidence.

In December 1758, no fewer than three naval disasters (Violet, Duke William, and Ruby) occurred. Indeed, the British decided to proceed with the deportation of the Acadians from Isle Saint Jean (nowadays Prince Edward Island) despite the fact that it was late fall and therefore difficult to withstand the worst potential conditions at sea.

On December 10 or 11, the Duke William crew saw that the Violet took on water. Unfortunately, it sank on December 12 near the English coast. No one survived the shipwreck of the Violet.

On December 13, the Duke William met the same fate, save for some were able to escape on a small boat, including the crew, four Acadian prisoners, and a priest.

As for the Ruby, it hit the rocks on Pico Island, in the Azores, and sank in turn on December 16, 1758, although 120 people survived to this tragedy.

Library and Archives Canada, Acc. No. R9266-554.9 Peter Winkworth Collection of Canadiana

Owing to these three naval disasters, 850 Acadians lost their lives. Genealogist and author Stephen A. White has re-created the passenger lists, based on the people listed in the 1752 census (just six years before the deportation), and compared the latter to the lists of people who made it to France. Most probably, among those victims was Anne Daigre, mother-in-law of Charles Fouquet.