Joseph-Marie Nielly
Encyclopedia
Joseph-Marie Nielly was a French
naval officer and admiral.
Nielly began his career aged seven aboard the Formidable, and was wounded at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
, on 20 November 1759. He sailed in the Caribbean until 1769, when he joined the merchant navy.
In 1774, aged 23, he received his first command of a merchantman. In 1778, he joined the French Navy
as lieutenant de frégate. During the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War
, he commanded the 20-gun Guyane, escorting convoys. On 17 August 1778, she fought against two ships of the line, two frigates and one cutter, yet managed to escaped.
After war ended, he sailed again as a merchant, and joined the Navy again in 1787 after a reform of the status of officers from the ranks and files, as a sous-lieutenant de vaisseau. In 1789 and 1790, and commanded the cutter Pilote des Indes, escorting the fishing fleet from Granville. He later served on the fluyt Dromadaire as first mate, and as commanded between May and December 1791, replenishing outposts in the Carebeans.
In January 1792, he was promoted the full lieutenant de vaisseau, and to capitaine de vaisseau in January 1793. When the War of the First Coalition broke out, he took command of the frigate Résolue and raided commerce
in the Atlantic, in the Bay of Biscay
, and the Channel, both alone and within the frigate division commanded by Zacharie Allemand
.
A resolute Republican, Nielly had his crew sign a manifesto supporting the Constitution of the French First Republic
, and sent it to the National Convention
. In November 1793, he was promoted to contre-amiral.
In April 1794, in the context of the Atlantic campaign of May 1794
, he set his mark on the Sans Pareil and led a 5-ship and 2-frigate strong squadron to meet with the convoy led by Van Stabel
. He failed to meet the convoy, but on 8 May, the squadron met and captured HMS Castor
, as well as 30 merchantmen that she escorted http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/C/00864.html. The frigate Unité also captured the 16-gun sloop HMS Alert http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/A/00169a.html. He met with Villaret-Joyeuse's fleet. At the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, Nielly commanded the rear with his mark set on Républicain
.
At the Action of 6 November 1794, Nielly's division captured HMS Alexander
.
Nielly was put in charge of the third squadron of the Brest fleet, and took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver
, under Villaret-Joyeuse, and in the Expédition d'Irlande
, under Morard de Galles
, with his mark on the frigate Résolue http://www.darse.org/article_asso.php3?id_article=55. The fleet was dispersed in tempests which destroyed the Séduisant
and the frigate Surveillante
He reached Bantry
Bay, where the Redoutable
accidentally collided with the Résolue, destroying her bowsprit
, foremast, mainmast and mizzen. A shore party was sent on a small boat, and was captured by the British. Without hope of landing an army in condition to fight, the French fleet returned to Brest.
Nielly later held the office positions of commandant d’armes in Brest and Lorient, and Préfet maritime
in Dunkirk from 1800. Having bad personal relations to Denis Decrès
, he resigned in 1803 and retired. In 1814, he was made Baron d'Empire, and died in 1833 with the dignitiy of honorary vice-admiral.
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...
naval officer and admiral.
Nielly began his career aged seven aboard the Formidable, and was wounded at the Battle of Quiberon Bay
Battle of Quiberon Bay
The naval Battle of Quiberon Bay took place on 20 November 1759 during the Seven Years' War in Quiberon Bay, off the coast of France near St. Nazaire...
, on 20 November 1759. He sailed in the Caribbean until 1769, when he joined the merchant navy.
In 1774, aged 23, he received his first command of a merchantman. In 1778, he joined the French Navy
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...
as lieutenant de frégate. During the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War
Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War
The naval operations of the American Revolutionary War , divide themselves naturally into two periods...
, he commanded the 20-gun Guyane, escorting convoys. On 17 August 1778, she fought against two ships of the line, two frigates and one cutter, yet managed to escaped.
After war ended, he sailed again as a merchant, and joined the Navy again in 1787 after a reform of the status of officers from the ranks and files, as a sous-lieutenant de vaisseau. In 1789 and 1790, and commanded the cutter Pilote des Indes, escorting the fishing fleet from Granville. He later served on the fluyt Dromadaire as first mate, and as commanded between May and December 1791, replenishing outposts in the Carebeans.
In January 1792, he was promoted the full lieutenant de vaisseau, and to capitaine de vaisseau in January 1793. When the War of the First Coalition broke out, he took command of the frigate Résolue and raided commerce
Commerce raiding
Commerce raiding or guerre de course is a form of naval warfare used to destroy or disrupt the logistics of an enemy on the open sea by attacking its merchant shipping, rather than engaging the combatants themselves or enforcing a blockade against them.Commerce raiding was heavily criticised by...
in the Atlantic, in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, and the Channel, both alone and within the frigate division commanded by Zacharie Allemand
Zacharie Allemand
Zacharie Jacques Théodore Allemand, was a French admiral.- Early career :Allemand was born to a captain of the East Indian Company. Orphaned at an early age, he started his sailing career at 12 as an apprentice on Superbe, an East Indiaman...
.
A resolute Republican, Nielly had his crew sign a manifesto supporting the Constitution of the French First Republic
French First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
, and sent it to the National Convention
National Convention
During the French Revolution, the National Convention or Convention, in France, comprised the constitutional and legislative assembly which sat from 20 September 1792 to 26 October 1795 . It held executive power in France during the first years of the French First Republic...
. In November 1793, he was promoted to contre-amiral.
In April 1794, in the context of the Atlantic campaign of May 1794
Atlantic campaign of May 1794
The Atlantic campaign of May 1794 was a series of operations conducted by the British Royal Navy's Channel Fleet against the French Navy's Atlantic Fleet, with the aim of preventing the passage of a strategically important French grain convoy travelling from the United States to France...
, he set his mark on the Sans Pareil and led a 5-ship and 2-frigate strong squadron to meet with the convoy led by Van Stabel
Pierre Jean Van Stabel
Pierre Jean Van Stabel was a French naval officer and admiral, famous for his role in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2.Van Stabel was born to a family of sailors and started a career on privateers and merchantmen...
. He failed to meet the convoy, but on 8 May, the squadron met and captured HMS Castor
HMS Castor (1785)
HMS Castor was a 32-gun Amazon-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The French briefly captured her during the Atlantic Campaign of May 1794 but she spent just 20 days in French hands as a British ship retook her before her...
, as well as 30 merchantmen that she escorted http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/C/00864.html. The frigate Unité also captured the 16-gun sloop HMS Alert http://www.pbenyon.plus.com/18-1900/A/00169a.html. He met with Villaret-Joyeuse's fleet. At the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, Nielly commanded the rear with his mark set on Républicain
French ship Royal Louis (1780)
The Royal Louis was a 106-gun ship of the line of the French Royal Navy.She was renamed Républicain in 1792. Under this name, she took part in the Third Battle of Ushant, being the last ship of the French rear...
.
At the Action of 6 November 1794, Nielly's division captured HMS Alexander
HMS Alexander (1778)
HMS Alexander was a Royal Navy 74-gun third-rate. This ship of the line was launched at Deptford on 8 October 1778. During her career she was captured by the French, and later recaptured by the British. She fought at the Nile in 1798, and was broken up in 1819...
.
Nielly was put in charge of the third squadron of the Brest fleet, and took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver
Croisière du Grand Hiver
The Croisière du Grand Hiver was a French attempt to organise a winter naval campaign in the wake of the Glorious First of June.-Context:...
, under Villaret-Joyeuse, and in the Expédition d'Irlande
Expédition d'Irlande
The Expédition d'Irlande was an unsuccessful attempt by the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule...
, under Morard de Galles
Justin Bonaventure Morard de Galles
Justin-Bonaventure Morard de Galles was a French admiral.-Family:de Galles was the issue of a noble family from Dauphiné whose origins stretched right back to the end of the 11th century...
, with his mark on the frigate Résolue http://www.darse.org/article_asso.php3?id_article=55. The fleet was dispersed in tempests which destroyed the Séduisant
French ship Séduisant (1783)
Séduisant was a 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, lead ship of her class.She was renamed Pelletier on 30 September 1793, in honour of Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau. Under Savary, she was one of the last ships of the line at the Glorious First of June.On 30 May 1795 her name...
and the frigate Surveillante
French frigate Surveillante (1778)
Surveillante was an Iphigénie-class 32-gun frigate of the French Navy. She took part in the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, where she became famous for her battle with HMS Quebec; in 1783, she brought the news that the war was over to America...
He reached Bantry
Bantry
Bantry is a town on the coast of County Cork, Ireland. It lies on the N71 national secondary road at the head of Bantry Bay, a deep-water gulf extending for 30 km to the west...
Bay, where the Redoutable
French ship Redoutable (1791)
The Redoutable was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She is known for her duel with HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar and for killing Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson during the action.- Early career :...
accidentally collided with the Résolue, destroying her bowsprit
Bowsprit
The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a pole extending forward from the vessel's prow. It provides an anchor point for the forestay, allowing the fore-mast to be stepped farther forward on the hull.-Origin:...
, foremast, mainmast and mizzen. A shore party was sent on a small boat, and was captured by the British. Without hope of landing an army in condition to fight, the French fleet returned to Brest.
Nielly later held the office positions of commandant d’armes in Brest and Lorient, and Préfet maritime
Préfet Maritime
The Préfet Maritime is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in one particular region . As a civil servant, he reports to the Prime Minister...
in Dunkirk from 1800. Having bad personal relations to Denis Decrès
Denis Decrès
Denis Decrès, , was an officer of the French Navy and count, later duke of the First Empire.-Early career:...
, he resigned in 1803 and retired. In 1814, he was made Baron d'Empire, and died in 1833 with the dignitiy of honorary vice-admiral.
Sources
- Georges Six: Dictionnaire biographique des Généraux et Amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Empire, Librairie Historique et Nobiliaire, Georges Saffroy éditeur, Paris 1934
- Georges BordonoveGeorges BordonoveGeorges Bordonove was a French historian and writer.- Biography :Georges Bordonove was a member of the jury of the Prix Hugues Capet....
: Les Marins de l'An II - Auguste Thomazi: Les Marins de Napoléon, Tallandier, Paris 1978