Edouard Jean Bague
Encyclopedia
Edouard Jean Bague was an early twentieth-century French
aviator. A lieutenant in the Algerian tirailleurs, he obtained his aviators's licence (number 337) from the Aéro-Club de France
on 23 November 1910. He resigned his commission early in 1911 to concentrate on aviation and, in particular, his plan to cross the Mediterranean by air.
In an initial attempt in March 1911, he planned to fly from Antibes
to Ajaccio
, Corsica
, from there to Sardinia
and then via Sicily
to Tunis
.
On that occasion, due an error in navigation, he did not reach Ajaccio. Instead, after a flight which began at 7.30am and ended at 1.00pm, Bague landed instead on the small wooded Italian
island of Gorgona
. His Blériot
monoplane
was seriously damaged on landing, and Bague was injured. The distance of over 200km he covered on this occasion established a new record for a flight over the sea. According to a Reuters
report, his escape from death on this occasion was considered "miraculous".
On 5 June 1911, Bague made a second attempt to cross the Mediterranean by air. His planned itinerary was:
His aircraft disappeared shortly after departing from Nice. It was reported that he embarked on the flight without a compass. A witness reported sighting an aircraft apparently in difficulty in the area through which Bague would have been expected to have been flying.
Several French naval vessels
undertook an extensive sea search for Bague; the Ministry of the Marine despatched the destroyer Arbalète
and six torpedo boats from Ajaccio and the destroyer Mousqueton
and six torpedo boats from Toulon
. However, no trace of Bague or his airplane was found, then or subsequently.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
aviator. A lieutenant in the Algerian tirailleurs, he obtained his aviators's licence (number 337) from the Aéro-Club de France
Aéro-Club de France
The Aéro-Club de France was founded as the Aéro-Club on 20 October 1898 as a society 'to encourage aerial locomotion' by Ernest Archdeacon, Léon Serpollet, Henri de la Valette, Jules Verne and his wife, André Michelin, Albert de Dion, Alberto Santos-Dumont, Henry Deutsch de la Meurthe, and Henry de...
on 23 November 1910. He resigned his commission early in 1911 to concentrate on aviation and, in particular, his plan to cross the Mediterranean by air.
In an initial attempt in March 1911, he planned to fly from Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
to Ajaccio
Ajaccio
Ajaccio , is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud....
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, from there to Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and then via Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
to Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
.
On that occasion, due an error in navigation, he did not reach Ajaccio. Instead, after a flight which began at 7.30am and ended at 1.00pm, Bague landed instead on the small wooded Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
island of Gorgona
Gorgona, Italy
Gorgona is the northernmost island in the Tuscan Archipelago, a group of islands off the west coast of Italy. Between Corsica and Livorno, this diminutive island has been valued most for its wildlife, especially marine birds, and its isolation. The latter quality resulted in the foundation of...
. His Blériot
Blériot Aéronautique
Blériot Aéronautique was a French aircraft manufacturer founded by Louis Blériot. It also made a few cyclecars from 1921 to 1922.After Louis Blériot became famous for being the first to fly over the English Channel in 1909, he established an aircraft manufacturing company. This company really took...
monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
was seriously damaged on landing, and Bague was injured. The distance of over 200km he covered on this occasion established a new record for a flight over the sea. According to a Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
report, his escape from death on this occasion was considered "miraculous".
On 5 June 1911, Bague made a second attempt to cross the Mediterranean by air. His planned itinerary was:
- Nice to CalviCalviCalvi is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio...
, CorsicaCorsicaCorsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
(170km) - Calvi to Ajacccio, Corsica (80km)
- Ajaccio to SassariSassariSassari is an Italian city. It is the second-largest city of Sardinia in terms of population with about 130,000 inhabitants, or about 300,000 including the greater metropolitan area...
, SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
(150km) - Sassari to CagliariCagliariCagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
, Sardinia (200km) - Cagliari to Bizerta, TunisiaTunisiaTunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
(200km) - Bizerta to TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
(80km)
His aircraft disappeared shortly after departing from Nice. It was reported that he embarked on the flight without a compass. A witness reported sighting an aircraft apparently in difficulty in the area through which Bague would have been expected to have been flying.
Several French naval vessels
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
undertook an extensive sea search for Bague; the Ministry of the Marine despatched the destroyer Arbalète
Arquebuse class destroyer
The Arquebuse class was a class of 20 destroyers of the French Navy built between 1902-04, used during the First World War.-Losses:The Catapulte was sunk after a collision with the British steamship Warrimoo near Bizerte, Tunisia, on 18 May 1918....
and six torpedo boats from Ajaccio and the destroyer Mousqueton
Arquebuse class destroyer
The Arquebuse class was a class of 20 destroyers of the French Navy built between 1902-04, used during the First World War.-Losses:The Catapulte was sunk after a collision with the British steamship Warrimoo near Bizerte, Tunisia, on 18 May 1918....
and six torpedo boats from Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
. However, no trace of Bague or his airplane was found, then or subsequently.