Jean Gaspard Vence
Encyclopedia
Jean Gaspard de Vence was a French privateer
, admiral
and Maritime Prefect of Toulon
.
, sailed to Saint-Domingue
and several years later became a captain. Transferred to the Royal Navy, served on a 74-gun battleship «Le Protecteur», incidentally studying mathematics and navigation. Then returned to the merchant navy and in 1767 aboard the ship «L'Auguste» take a cruise along the coast of Africa
, near Cape St. Philip was in a shipwreck more than four months and get to Marseille
, losing half the team from scurvy.
, where at the beginning of the American War of Independence has received from Congress the right to privateering under the American flag. He served as captain of the xebec «La Victoire», in May
1777 led by a 14-gun privateer «Le Tigre», which took on board the 24-gun British merchant ship with a cargo valued at 500,000 pounds. Within 18 months, cruised in the West Indies, spent 40 fights and captured 211 prizes, earning a reputation as the most formidable privateer the Caribbean
(British Parliament praised his head in the 2 million pounds). Following the announcement of Louis XVI war Britain returned to the king's service, took part in the Invasion of Dominica
, where at the head of 400 buccaneers famous capture of Fort Cachacrou, for which a lieutenant and September 20, 1778 appointed commander of a privateer «La Truite». Under the command of Admiral d'Estaing
Battle of St. Lucia
, January 1, 1779 - Commander of the privateer «La Ceres». As a lieutenant 80-gun ship of the line «Le Languedoc», the flagship of Admiral d'Estaing
distinguished himself at the capture of July 2, 1779 the island of Grenada, where the head 80 grenadiers attacked the British position and took the enemy's flag, for which he was awarded the rank of captain, participated in the Siege of Savannah
. In this heroic period Jean-Charles de Borda
coined the famous slogan "always in front of Vence!» (Vence toujours devance!). In 1780 he was appointed commander of the port of Grenada
, but soon falsely accused of selling marine equipment and forced to resign. Upon returning home his ship was sunk by the British, and Captain de Vence got to Lisbon
and Cadiz
joined a volunteer for the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral d'Estaing
.
of Paris
under the command of the Marquis Lafayette, November 10, 1792 reinstated in the Navy with the rank of captain (old Charges withdrawn, and the cost reimbursed). He commanded a 74-gun battleship «Le Duquesne» and a small naval squadron, directed to the Levant
and Tunisia
for a cargo of wheat to starving France
, then managed to overcome the British blockade and bring food to Toulon
, where he headed the ship of the line «L'Heureux». November 16, 1793 - Rear Admiral
(approved by the rank September 2, 1794), served in Brest
, accompanied the convoy from Bordeaux
along the Atlantic coast to Lorient
, but was attacked by a British fleet of Admiral William Cornwallis
and forced to seek refuge at Belle Isle
. From June 24 to December 8, 1795 - Commander of the Marine Division at Lorient
in 1796 - deputy squadron commander Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse, opposed the expedition of General Lazare Hoche
in Ireland
. After the coup of Fructidor V-18 of the year was appointed Commander of Toulon
arms, took an active part in preparing the fleet for the Egyptian expedition and provided logistical base in Italy
, on the island of Malta
and in Egypt
, May 25, 1799 - Commander of Arms Rochefort
. July 20, 1800 - Maritime Prefect of Toulon
, was responsible for the formation of the squadron of Admiral Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume
, directed to the Barbary Coast
and the squadron of Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
, won a June 13, 1801 victory at the Battle of Algeciras. In 1802 - the commander of a squadron of Brest, then commanded the naval squadron Boulogne camp, September 30, 1803 he retired. Died march 11, 1808 in Tonnerre
at the age of 61 years, buried in the cemetery of Saint-Pierre parish. Chevalier of St. Louis
(January 24, 1780), a member of the Society of Cincinnati (1783).
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
, admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
and Maritime Prefect of 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....
.
Biography
In 1762 at age 15 he entered the merchant navy in BayonneBayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, sailed to 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...
and several years later became a captain. Transferred to the Royal Navy, served on a 74-gun battleship «Le Protecteur», incidentally studying mathematics and navigation. Then returned to the merchant navy and in 1767 aboard the ship «L'Auguste» take a cruise along the coast of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, near Cape St. Philip was in a shipwreck more than four months and get to Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, losing half the team from scurvy.
Corsair and officer of the King during the American War
In 1776 he moved to MartiniqueMartinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, where at the beginning of the American War of Independence has received from Congress the right to privateering under the American flag. He served as captain of the xebec «La Victoire», in May
May
May is the fifth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days.May is a month of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere and spring in the Northern Hemisphere...
1777 led by a 14-gun privateer «Le Tigre», which took on board the 24-gun British merchant ship with a cargo valued at 500,000 pounds. Within 18 months, cruised in the West Indies, spent 40 fights and captured 211 prizes, earning a reputation as the most formidable privateer the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
(British Parliament praised his head in the 2 million pounds). Following the announcement of Louis XVI war Britain returned to the king's service, took part in the Invasion of Dominica
Invasion of Dominica
The Invasion of Dominica was a successful French invasion of the island of Dominica in the British West Indies, during the American War of Independence. The action took place before British authorities in the Caribbean were aware that France had entered the war as an ally of the United States of...
, where at the head of 400 buccaneers famous capture of Fort Cachacrou, for which a lieutenant and September 20, 1778 appointed commander of a privateer «La Truite». Under the command of Admiral d'Estaing
Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War...
Battle of St. Lucia
Battle of St. Lucia
The Battle of St. Lucia or the Battle of the Cul de Sac was a naval battle fought off the island of St. Lucia in the West Indies during the American War of Independence on 15 December 1778, between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy.-Background:...
, January 1, 1779 - Commander of the privateer «La Ceres». As a lieutenant 80-gun ship of the line «Le Languedoc», the flagship of Admiral d'Estaing
Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War...
distinguished himself at the capture of July 2, 1779 the island of Grenada, where the head 80 grenadiers attacked the British position and took the enemy's flag, for which he was awarded the rank of captain, participated in the Siege of Savannah
Siege of Savannah
The Siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenant-Colonel Archibald Campbell. The siege itself consisted of a joint...
. In this heroic period Jean-Charles de Borda
Jean-Charles de Borda
Jean-Charles, chevalier de Borda was a French mathematician, physicist, political scientist, and sailor.-Life history:...
coined the famous slogan "always in front of Vence!» (Vence toujours devance!). In 1780 he was appointed commander of the port of Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, but soon falsely accused of selling marine equipment and forced to resign. Upon returning home his ship was sunk by the British, and Captain de Vence got to Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
and Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
joined a volunteer for the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral d'Estaing
Charles Hector, comte d'Estaing
Jean Baptiste Charles Henri Hector, comte d'Estaing was a French general, and admiral. He began his service as a soldier in the War of the Austrian Succession, briefly spending time as a prisoner of war of the British during the Seven Years' War...
.
Admiral during the Revolution
At the beginning of the Revolution joined the National GuardNational Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
under the command of the Marquis Lafayette, November 10, 1792 reinstated in the Navy with the rank of captain (old Charges withdrawn, and the cost reimbursed). He commanded a 74-gun battleship «Le Duquesne» and a small naval squadron, directed to the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
and Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , 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...
for a cargo of wheat to starving France
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...
, then managed to overcome the British blockade and bring food to 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....
, where he headed the ship of the line «L'Heureux». November 16, 1793 - Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
(approved by the rank September 2, 1794), served in 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...
, accompanied the convoy from Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
along the Atlantic coast 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...
, but was attacked by a British fleet of Admiral William Cornwallis
William Cornwallis
Admiral the Honourable Sir William Cornwallis GCB was a Royal Navy officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the brother of Charles Cornwallis, the 1st Marquess Cornwallis, governor-general of India...
and forced to seek refuge at Belle Isle
Belle Île
Belle-Île or Belle-Île-en-Mer is a French island off the coast of Brittany in the département of Morbihan, and the largest of Brittany's islands. It is 14 km from the Quiberon peninsula.Administratively, the island forms a canton: the canton of Belle-Île...
. From June 24 to December 8, 1795 - Commander of the Marine Division at 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...
in 1796 - deputy squadron commander Admiral Villaret-Joyeuse, opposed the expedition of General Lazare Hoche
Lazare Hoche
Louis Lazare Hoche was a French soldier who rose to be general of the Revolutionary army.Born of poor parents near Versailles, he enlisted at sixteen as a private soldier in the Gardes Françaises...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. After the coup of Fructidor V-18 of the year was appointed Commander of 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....
arms, took an active part in preparing the fleet for the Egyptian expedition and provided logistical base in Italy
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...
, on the island of Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
and in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, May 25, 1799 - Commander of Arms 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:...
. July 20, 1800 - Maritime Prefect of 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....
, was responsible for the formation of the squadron of Admiral Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume
Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume
Count Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume was a French admiral.Ganteaume was born to a family of merchant sailors, and sailed on a dozen commercial cruises in his youth...
, directed to the Barbary Coast
Barbary Coast
The Barbary Coast, or Barbary, was the term used by Europeans from the 16th until the 19th century to refer to much of the collective land of the Berber people. Today, the terms Maghreb and "Tamazgha" correspond roughly to "Barbary"...
and the squadron of Admiral Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
, won a June 13, 1801 victory at the Battle of Algeciras. In 1802 - the commander of a squadron of Brest, then commanded the naval squadron Boulogne camp, September 30, 1803 he retired. Died march 11, 1808 in Tonnerre
Tonnerre
Tonnerre is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.-Twin town:* Nenagh, North Tipperary, Ireland-References:*...
at the age of 61 years, buried in the cemetery of Saint-Pierre parish. Chevalier of St. Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
(January 24, 1780), a member of the Society of Cincinnati (1783).