of Good Hope for a few weeks to take on board reinforcements heading for Mauritius Island. Between 1782 and 20 June 1783, Sphinx was an engaged in Suffren's five battles in the Bay of Bengal and off Sri Lanka - the battles of Sadras (17 February 1782), Providien (12 April 1782), Negapatam (6 July 1782), Trincomalee (August and September 1782) and Cuddalore (20 June 1783). At the Battle of Providien, Sphinx, under Captain du Chilleau, was fourth in the French line, behind Petit Annibal (Captain de Morard de Galles). She came within pistol range of his opposite number, (Captain Peter Rainier) before opening fire. She sustained casualties, with over 20 killed, including Lieutenant Anerchiesna and Lieutenant de Bourdeille, and about 75 wounded, including Ensign d'Aigremont. During this campaign she captured the troop transport Raikes on 6 June 1782 and three days later. She also took in tow after the latter was dismasted at the Battle of Trincomalee. After the war, Sphinx sailed to Isle de France for a refit. Her captain, Du Chilleau, claimed that the cannonballs removed from her hull filled six longboats. Final years She returned to France for a refit in 1784 and was then posted to the Rochefort squadron. She was barely ten years old but had already been outclassed - the American War of Independence had shown that she and her type were not powerful enough and the naval ministry had already begun to prioritise building 74-gun ships, a drive that came to its final fruition with the designs of Borda and Sané. When war broke out with Britain again in 1793, Sphinx was turned into a floating battery with twelve 36-pounder guns, four-16-pounder howitzers, six swivel guns, and two mortars. Sphinx is also recorded as a hulk in Rochefort in 1793 and disappeared from the navy lists in 1802. References Bibliography (notice BnF no FRBNF36697883) (notice BnF no FRBNF35734655) et (notice BnF no FRBNF38825325) Further reading (notice BnF no FRBNF42480097) (notice BnF no FRBNF37219533) (notice BnF no FRBNF44313515) (notice BnF no FRBNF35864311) Rémi Monaque, Une histoire de la marine de guerre française, Paris, éditions Perrin, 2016, 526 p. () Rémi Monaque, Suffren, Tallandier, 2009 (), p. 53-57 Jean-Michel Roche, Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours, t. 1, de 1671 à 1870, Toulon, J.-M. Roche, 2005, 527 p. (, OCLC 165892922, notice BnF no FRBNF40090770 Alain Demerliac,