Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez (Belle-Île, 7 August 1763 - Suresnes
17 May 1845) was a French
sailor and admiral of the First French Empire
.
Born to a family of Army officers, Willaumez joined the navy at 14. In 1782, he served as pilot
aboard the Amazone under La Pérouse
.
In 1789, he was Ensign
aboard the Recherche under Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
. After d'Entrecasteaux died, the expedition sailed for Indonesia
, where they learned of the French Revolution
. Dutch authorities seized the ships, and the pro-revolutionary sailors were imprisoned, Willaumez among them.
Willaumez eventually reached Ile de France
, which was blockade
d by British ships HMS Centurion
and HMS Diomede
. Two frigates, the 32-gun Prudente
and 40-gun Cybèle
, attempted to break the blockade, with Willaumez volunteer to be first officer on Prudente. The British sustained such damage that they were forced to desist from the blockade to repair their ships.
Willaumez was promoted to captain and given command of a small ship, on which he returned to France with tokens from the expedition of d'Entrecasteaux. He then took part in the Indian Ocean campaign led by Admiral Sercey
aboard the Régénérée. Upon his return, Willaumez was promoted to commodore.
Put in charge of the Southern bases of Saint-Domingue
, Willaumez, aboard the frigate Poursuivante
, was intercepted by British ships of the line, but managed to outmanoeuver them and break free. He had Poursuivante repaired in Baltimore returned to France, evading the British blockade again. Upon his return, he was promoted to contre-amiral by Napoléon.
From 1807, Willaumez commanded the Brest
squadron. In 1809, he attempted a sortie
to Lorient
and Rochefort
to rescue ships blockaded in these harbours. The operation led to the Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne
, and Willaumez ended up being blockaded himself in Rochefort, which ultimately led to the Battle of the Basque Roads
.
Suresnes
Suresnes is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The nearest communes are Neuilly-sur-Seine, Puteaux, Rueil-Malmaison, Saint-Cloud and Boulogne-Billancourt...
17 May 1845) was a French
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...
sailor and admiral of the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
.
Born to a family of Army officers, Willaumez joined the navy at 14. In 1782, he served as pilot
Maritime pilot
A pilot is a mariner who guides ships through dangerous or congested waters, such as harbours or river mouths. With the exception of the Panama Canal, the pilot is only an advisor, as the captain remains in legal, overriding command of the vessel....
aboard the Amazone under La Pérouse
Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse
Jean François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse was a French Navy officer and explorer whose expedition vanished in Oceania.-Early career:...
.
In 1789, he was Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
aboard the Recherche under Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Bruni d'Entrecasteaux
Antoine Raymond Joseph de Bruni d'Entrecasteaux was a French navigator who explored the Australian coast in 1792 while seeking traces of the lost expedition of La Pérouse....
. After d'Entrecasteaux died, the expedition sailed for Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, where they learned of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
. Dutch authorities seized the ships, and the pro-revolutionary sailors were imprisoned, Willaumez among them.
Willaumez eventually reached Ile de France
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, which was blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
d by British ships HMS Centurion
HMS Centurion (1774)
HMS Centurion was a 50-gun Salisbury-class fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She served during the American War of Independence, and during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
and HMS Diomede
HMS Diomede (1781)
HMS Diomede was a 44-gun fifth rate built by James Martin Hillhouse and launched at Bristol on 18 October 1781. She belonged to the Roebuck class of vessels specially built during the American Revolutionary War for service in the shallow American coastal waters...
. Two frigates, the 32-gun Prudente
French frigate Prudente (1790)
The Prudente was a 32-gun Capricieuse class frigate frigate of the French Navy.In 1791, under lieutenant Villaret de Joyeuse, she was tasked with ferrying troops to Cap Français and with police duty in Santo Domingo...
and 40-gun Cybèle
French frigate Cybèle (1790)
The Cybèle was an Nymphe class 40-gun frigate of the French Navy.On 22 October 1794, soon after the outbreak of the war with England, and along with the 32-gun Prudente and the brig Coureur, she fought HMS Centurion and , who blockaded Ile de France. The French ships managed to drive away the...
, attempted to break the blockade, with Willaumez volunteer to be first officer on Prudente. The British sustained such damage that they were forced to desist from the blockade to repair their ships.
Willaumez was promoted to captain and given command of a small ship, on which he returned to France with tokens from the expedition of d'Entrecasteaux. He then took part in the Indian Ocean campaign led by Admiral Sercey
Pierre César Charles de Sercey
Pierre César Charles de Sercey was a French admiral, most notable for commanding French naval forces in the Indian Ocean from 1796 to 1800. His name is engraved on the Arc de triomphe.-Early life:...
aboard the Régénérée. Upon his return, Willaumez was promoted to commodore.
Put in charge of the Southern bases of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
, Willaumez, aboard the frigate Poursuivante
French frigate Poursuivante (1798)
The Poursuivante was a Romaine class frigate of the French Navy.In June 1800, the Poursuivante took part in the battle of Dunkirk under commander Oreille. In 1802, she departed Flushing to ferry troops to Saint-Domingue, under capitaine de vaisseau Jean-Baptiste Philibert Willaumez. She arrived as...
, was intercepted by British ships of the line, but managed to outmanoeuver them and break free. He had Poursuivante repaired in Baltimore returned to France, evading the British blockade again. Upon his return, he was promoted to contre-amiral by Napoléon.
From 1807, Willaumez commanded the Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
squadron. In 1809, he attempted a sortie
Sortie
Sortie is a term for deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops from a strongpoint. The sortie, whether by one or more aircraft or vessels, usually has a specific mission....
to Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
and Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
to rescue ships blockaded in these harbours. The operation led to the Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne
Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne
The Battle of Les Sables-d'Olonne was a limited frigate action that took place on 23 February 1809 off Les Sables-d'Olonne. Three ships of the line and two attached ships of the British squadron blockading the harbours of the Atlantic coast engaged a small French frigate squadron comprising...
, and Willaumez ended up being blockaded himself in Rochefort, which ultimately led to the Battle of the Basque Roads
Battle of the Basque Roads
The Battle of the Basque Roads, also Battle of Aix Roads was a naval battle during the Napoleonic Wars off the Island of Aix...
.
Honours
- pair de France in 1837
- His name is inscribed on the 22nd column of the Southern pillar of the Arc de TriompheArc de Triomphe-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
in Paris.