Promoted by the 'Messieurs de Saint-Malo', its maritime elite where intrepid explorers and wealthy shipowners rubbed shoulders, the city of Saint-Malo became in the 16th and 17th centuries a major commercial port but also a nest of corsairs. It takes its nickname of 'corsair city' from the presence of legendary figures like Surcouf and Duguay-Trouin, both honored by statues on the city ramparts. The very popular, Robert Surcouf (1773-1827), a corsair captain who became one of the most powerful Saint-Malo shipowners, harassed British merchant and military vessels on the seas from Europe to India. As for René Trouin, sieur du Gué, so called Duguay-Trouin (1673-1736), after his corsair period from 1689 to 1697, he had a brilliant military career as a senior officer in the Royal Navy.