Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca
Encyclopedia
See Casabianca (disambiguation)
for other meanings
Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca (7 February 1762, Vescovato, Haute-Corse
– 1 August 1798, Abukir) was a French
Navy
officer.
) in November 1781 and served on the Terrible and the Zélé
in the fleet of Admiral
De Grasse, taking part in the fights of Fort-Royal
(29 April 1781), Chesapeake
(5 September) and St. Kitts
(January 1782). He was promoted to lieutenant (lieutenant de vaisseau) in March 1786.
In September 1792, he was elected deputy for Corsica
at the Convention, and promoted to captain (capitaine de vaisseau) in January 1793. He was a Jacobin
, but rather moderate, notably voting in favour of keeping Louis XVI
in prison. During the Directory
period, he worked at re-organising the Navy, and joined back in 1798. Made a division commander, he served in the expedition to Egypt as flag captain to Admiral Brueys
.
In 1798, Casabianca captained the Orient
, the flagship of the French fleet which carried Napoleon Bonaparte and his army to Egypt
. Days after their arrival to Egypt, the French ships were attacked by the British and the Battle of Aboukir Bay broke out. During the fight, Orient was set ablaze by English cannon fire and exploded at around 11 o'clock, killing everybody aboard. The blast was so great it was felt 15 miles away in Alexandria. His 12-year-old son, Giocante, was also killed.
, by Felicia Hemans
, tells the story of the heroic death of his son at the Battle of Aboukir Bay (and mentions his own death in passing).
Several vessels of the French Navy were named in his honour, notably
Casabianca (disambiguation)
*Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca, a French Navy officer who was lost with his ship, L'Orient rather than be captured at the Abukir. His 12-year old son sacrificed himself with him....
for other meanings
Vescovato, Haute-Corse
Vescovato is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.Its name derives from the Italian term for "bishopric" -Population:-Personalities:*French footballer Charles Orlanducci, born in Vescovato in 1951....
– 1 August 1798, Abukir) 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...
Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
officer.
Career
Casabianca attended the military school in June 1775 and joined the Naval Guards in July 1778. He was made an ensign (enseigne de vaisseauRanks in the French Navy
The rank insignia of the French Navy are worn on shoulder straps of shirts and white jackets, and on sleeves for navy jackets and mantels....
) in November 1781 and served on the Terrible and the Zélé
French ship Zélé (1764)
The Zélé was a César class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.On 6 July 1779, she participated in the Battle of Grenada as a member of the Vanguard. In 1781 and 1782, she took part in the naval operations in the American Revolutionary War, under Admiral de Grasse. She fought at the Battle...
in the fleet of 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"...
De Grasse, taking part in the fights of Fort-Royal
Battle of Fort Royal
The Battle of Fort Royal was a naval battle fought off Fort Royal, Martinique in the West Indies during the American War of Independence on 29 April 1781 between fleets of the British Royal Navy and the French Navy. After an engagement lasting four hours, the British squadron under Sir Samuel Hood...
(29 April 1781), Chesapeake
Battle of the Chesapeake
The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American War of Independence that took place near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 1781, between a British fleet led by Rear Admiral Sir Thomas...
(5 September) and St. Kitts
Battle of St. Kitts
The Battle of Saint Kitts, also known as the Battle of Frigate Bay, was a naval battle that took place on 25 and 26 January 1782 during the American Revolutionary War between a British fleet under Rear-Admiral Sir Samuel Hood and a larger French fleet under the Comte de Grasse.-Background:When Hood...
(January 1782). He was promoted to lieutenant (lieutenant de vaisseau) in March 1786.
In September 1792, he was elected deputy for 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....
at the Convention, and promoted to captain (capitaine de vaisseau) in January 1793. He was a Jacobin
Jacobin Club
The Jacobin Club was the most famous and influential political club in the development of the French Revolution, so-named because of the Dominican convent where they met, located in the Rue St. Jacques , Paris. The club originated as the Club Benthorn, formed at Versailles from a group of Breton...
, but rather moderate, notably voting in favour of keeping Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
in prison. During the Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
period, he worked at re-organising the Navy, and joined back in 1798. Made a division commander, he served in the expedition to Egypt as flag captain to Admiral Brueys
François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers
Vice-Admiral François-Paul Brueys d'Aigalliers, Comte de Brueys was the French commander in the Battle of the Nile, in which the French Revolutionary Navy was defeated by Royal Navy forces under Admiral Horatio Nelson. The British victory helped to ensure their naval supremacy throughout the...
.
In 1798, Casabianca captained the Orient
French ship Orient (1791)
The Dauphin-Royal was an Océan class 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.During the French Revolution, she was renamed Sans-Culotte in September 1792, and eventually Orient in May 1795....
, the flagship of the French fleet which carried Napoleon Bonaparte and his army to 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...
. Days after their arrival to Egypt, the French ships were attacked by the British and the Battle of Aboukir Bay broke out. During the fight, Orient was set ablaze by English cannon fire and exploded at around 11 o'clock, killing everybody aboard. The blast was so great it was felt 15 miles away in Alexandria. His 12-year-old son, Giocante, was also killed.
Legacy
The poem CasabiancaCasabianca (poem)
Casabianca is a poem by British poet Felicia Dorothea Hemans, first published in the New Monthly Magazine for August 1826.The poem opens:-History:...
, by Felicia Hemans
Felicia Hemans
-Ancestry:Felicia Heman's paternal grandfather was George Browne of Passage, co. Cork, Ireland; her maternal grandparents were Elizabeth Haydock Wagner of Lancashire and Benedict Paul Wagner , wine importer at 9 Wolstenholme Square, Liverpool. Family legend gave the Wagners a Venetian origin;...
, tells the story of the heroic death of his son at the Battle of Aboukir Bay (and mentions his own death in passing).
Several vessels of the French Navy were named in his honour, notably
-
- the CasabiancaCasabianca (Q183)Casabianca was a Redoutable-class submarine of the French Navy, named in honour of Luc-Julien-Joseph Casabianca. She was notable for her escape from Toulon in November 1942 as Germans forces tried to seize the French fleet as part of Case Anton, the occupation of Vichy France...
, the famous submarine which joined the Free French Forces during the Second World War, notably liberating 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....
. - the CasabiancaFS CasabiancaThe Casabianca is a first-generation nuclear attack submarine of the French Navy. She is named in honour of the famous submarine of the Free French Naval Forces Casabianca.She is the third of the Rubis series...
, a contemporary nuclear attack submarine
- the Casabianca
- Camille de CasabiancaCamille de CasabiancaCamille de Casabianca is a French filmmaker/writer. Casabianca's selected films include Peking Central, a comedy set in Mainland China, Madame Petlet's True Story, a French comedy, and Vive Nous!, a romantic comedy about social class and judo. Casabianca's published work includes Le Lapin Enchanté...
, a descendant, is a French filmmaker/writer.