Louis de La Couldre de La Bretonnière
Encyclopedia
Louis Bon Jean de la Couldre de La Bretonnière (6 or 8 July 1741, château de la Bretonnière at Marchésieux
- 25 November 1809, Paris) was a French naval officer and the first designer of Cherbourg Harbour
.
and American War of Independence. He was made a captain aged 40 as a reward for his bravery. He was born a viscount, made a count by royal decree in 1787 and made a member of the Order of Cincinnatus
, on the recommandation of George Washington
. In 1763 he took on important hydrographic work to clarify France's coastal charts.
The duc d'Harcourt
, governor of Normandy, and Suffren, Lieutenant général des armées navales, had been ordered by Louis XVI to build a major military port on France's north-west coast. In 1776 they thus put La Bretonnière and Pierre Méchain
in charge of perfecting the mapping of the coast between Dunkirk and Granville
. In 1777 La Bretonnière filed his report, giving Cherbourg as the best site for such a port and proposing closing off its harbour with a 4 km breakwater made of stone, 4 km from the coast. Sartine
then De Castries backed this plan in 1780.
Three years later, those in charge of construction had still not decided on the construction method. La Bretonnière backed sinking old warships and building stone around them, with masonry round the upper part. However, work initially proceeded according to the more innovative plan of Louis-Alexandre de Cessart
to sink 90 wooden tree trunks into 20 m high piles and cladding them with stone. In 1784 Cessart was made chief engineer of the project and La Bretonnière returned from America as Cherbourg's naval commander. In June 1786 he received Louis XVI, who had come to take part in sinking the ninth tree trunk of the breakwater. However, Cessart's technique proved unable to bear up to storms and only 20 trunks ended up being sunk before the French Revolution
. The project thus returned to La Bretonnière's initial construction method in 1788 and he took over sole control of the project after Cessart and governor Dumouriez left in 1789. In September 1791 the post of naval commander disappeared, forcing La Bretonnière to resign on 8 March 1792.
Denounced by the Montagnards of Valognes
, he was imprisoned for two weeks in 1793. Le Carpentier
offered to let him rejoin the navy as an ordinary seaman, but he refused and left for Paris. Bonaparte
, then first consul, let La Bretonnière back into the navy at the rank of captain in 1803 but refused to let him return to the building project at Cherbourg, instead putting him in command at Boulogne
then Dunkirk. Powerless, he retired under the decree of 7 April 1804 and died in Paris five years later aged 68.
Marchésieux
Marchésieux is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France....
- 25 November 1809, Paris) was a French naval officer and the first designer of Cherbourg Harbour
Cherbourg Harbour
Cherbourg Harbour is the largest artificial harbour in the world, with a surface area of around 1,500 hectares...
.
Life
He joined the navy aged 14, becoming an officer two years later and fighting in the Seven Years' WarSeven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
and American War of Independence. He was made a captain aged 40 as a reward for his bravery. He was born a viscount, made a count by royal decree in 1787 and made a member of the Order of Cincinnatus
Order of Cincinnatus
Order of Cincinnatus may refer to:* The Society of the Cincinnati, an organization in the United States and France founded in 1783 to preserve the ideals and fellowship of the Revolutionary War officers who fought for American independence...
, on the recommandation of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. In 1763 he took on important hydrographic work to clarify France's coastal charts.
The duc d'Harcourt
Anne Pierre d'Harcourt
Anne Pierre d'Harcourt was a French nobleman, notable as a duke of Harcourt and the fourth marshal of France from the House of Harcourt. He was the great grandson of Abraham de Fabert....
, governor of Normandy, and Suffren, Lieutenant général des armées navales, had been ordered by Louis XVI to build a major military port on France's north-west coast. In 1776 they thus put La Bretonnière and Pierre Méchain
Pierre Méchain
Pierre François André Méchain was a French astronomer and surveyor who, with Charles Messier, was a major contributor to the early study of deep sky objects and comets.-Life:...
in charge of perfecting the mapping of the coast between Dunkirk and Granville
Granville
-People:As a surname,Granville may refer to:* Andrew Granville , British mathematician* Arthur Granville , Welsh footballer* Danny Granville , English footballer...
. In 1777 La Bretonnière filed his report, giving Cherbourg as the best site for such a port and proposing closing off its harbour with a 4 km breakwater made of stone, 4 km from the coast. Sartine
Antoine de Sartine
Antoine Raymond Jean Gualbert Gabriel de Sartine, comte d'Alby was a French statesman who served as Lieutenant General of Police of Paris during the reign of Louis XV and as Secretary of State for the Navy under King Louis XVI.-Origins:Antoine de Sartine was born in Barcelona in 1729, the son of...
then De Castries backed this plan in 1780.
Three years later, those in charge of construction had still not decided on the construction method. La Bretonnière backed sinking old warships and building stone around them, with masonry round the upper part. However, work initially proceeded according to the more innovative plan of Louis-Alexandre de Cessart
Louis-Alexandre de Cessart
Louis-Alexandre de Cessart was a French road and bridge engineer.He served in the "gendarmerie de la Maison du Roi", fighting at the battles of Fontenoy and Raucoux in 1745 and 1746. In 1747 he entered the school of Jean-Rodolphe Perronet, which later became the École nationale des ponts et...
to sink 90 wooden tree trunks into 20 m high piles and cladding them with stone. In 1784 Cessart was made chief engineer of the project and La Bretonnière returned from America as Cherbourg's naval commander. In June 1786 he received Louis XVI, who had come to take part in sinking the ninth tree trunk of the breakwater. However, Cessart's technique proved unable to bear up to storms and only 20 trunks ended up being sunk before 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...
. The project thus returned to La Bretonnière's initial construction method in 1788 and he took over sole control of the project after Cessart and governor Dumouriez left in 1789. In September 1791 the post of naval commander disappeared, forcing La Bretonnière to resign on 8 March 1792.
Denounced by the Montagnards of Valognes
Valognes
Valognes is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.It lies on the Merderet river, southeast of Cherbourg.-History:...
, he was imprisoned for two weeks in 1793. Le Carpentier
Jean-Baptiste Le Carpentier
Jean-Baptiste Le Carpentier was a French political activist from Normandy.-Sources:...
offered to let him rejoin the navy as an ordinary seaman, but he refused and left for Paris. Bonaparte
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, then first consul, let La Bretonnière back into the navy at the rank of captain in 1803 but refused to let him return to the building project at Cherbourg, instead putting him in command at Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer
-Road:* Metropolitan bus services are operated by the TCRB* Coach services to Calais and Dunkerque* A16 motorway-Rail:* The main railway station is Gare de Boulogne-Ville and located in the south of the city....
then Dunkirk. Powerless, he retired under the decree of 7 April 1804 and died in Paris five years later aged 68.
Sources
- La Bretonnière, père du port de Cherbourg, La Manche Libre, 16 octobre 2005
- La Bretonnière, inventeur du port de Cherbourg, Reflets, ville de Tourlaville