Maurice Gillet
Encyclopedia
Maurice Gillet was a French
navy officer.
. On 1 July 1793, he was promoted to lieutenant, and served on the frigates Carmagnole and Cocarde nationale
.
Having raised to captain by 1796, Gillet served on the Mucius
and Républicain
, before taking command of the 80-gun Franklin in March 1798.
On Franklin, Gillet was flag officer to rear admiral
Armand Blanquet du Chayla
, second-in-command of the French fleet of Toulon during the Mediterranean campaign of 1798
. He took part in the Battle of the Nile
, where he was gravely wounded at the chest and had to be carried below unconscious, while commander Martinet took over.
Gillet was taken prisoner when Franklin, with only three guns left and half her crew casualties, struck her colours. He was taken to England, and later released.
In September 1803, Gillet resumed his naval career by supervising the 2nd gunboat division of the flotilla in Boulogne. In August, incapacitated by his injuries sustained at Aboukir, Gillet requested to be relieved, while giving command of his ships to commander Regnauld. On 26 August, a naval skirmish opposed 90 French brigs and luggers to the British Immortalité
, Harpy, Adder and Constitution, sinking the later.
Gillet was found to have been ashore while his division fought, and was consequently destituted by Decrès. He never managed to resume his naval career.
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 officer.
Biography
Born to a family of sailors, Gillet started sailing in 1793 on the NorthumberlandFrench ship Northumberland (1780)
The Northumberland was a 74-gun Annibal class ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Battle of the Saintes under captain Saint Cézaire, who was killed in the action. In 1782, she captured the 14-gun sloop HMS Allegiance....
. On 1 July 1793, he was promoted to lieutenant, and served on the frigates Carmagnole and Cocarde nationale
French frigate Cocarde (1794)
The Cocarde was a 40-gun Cocarde class frigate of the French Navy.Ordered as Cocarde nationale, she was launched on 29 April 1794 in Saint Malo and commissioned in July under Lieutenant Allanic. Under Captain Quérangal, she took part in the Battle of Groix. She later took part in the Expédition...
.
Having raised to captain by 1796, Gillet served on the Mucius
French ship Orion (1787)
The Orion was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in fighting on the coast of Italy. In 1793, she was renamed Mucius Scaevola, soon shortened to Mucius....
and Républicain
French ship Mont-Blanc (1791)
Mont-Blanc was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line of the French Navy.She was built at Rochefort as Pyrrhus in 1791. She was renamed Mont-Blanc in 1793 before being renamed Trente-et-un Mai in 1794. Under that name she fought at the Battle of the First of June in June 1794 under Honoré Joseph...
, before taking command of the 80-gun Franklin in March 1798.
On Franklin, Gillet was flag officer to 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"...
Armand Blanquet du Chayla
Armand Blanquet du Chayla
Count Armand Blanquet du Chayla was an officer in the French Navy, most famous as second in command of the French fleet during its defeat at the Battle of the Nile.-Early actions:...
, second-in-command of the French fleet of Toulon during the Mediterranean campaign of 1798
Mediterranean campaign of 1798
The Mediterranean campaign of 1798 was a series of major naval operations surrounding a French expeditionary force sent to Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French Republic sought to capture Egypt as the first stage in an effort to threaten British India, and...
. He took part in the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, where he was gravely wounded at the chest and had to be carried below unconscious, while commander Martinet took over.
Gillet was taken prisoner when Franklin, with only three guns left and half her crew casualties, struck her colours. He was taken to England, and later released.
In September 1803, Gillet resumed his naval career by supervising the 2nd gunboat division of the flotilla in Boulogne. In August, incapacitated by his injuries sustained at Aboukir, Gillet requested to be relieved, while giving command of his ships to commander Regnauld. On 26 August, a naval skirmish opposed 90 French brigs and luggers to the British Immortalité
French frigate Immortalité (1795)
The Immortalité was a Romaine class frigate of the French Navy.She took part in the Expédition d'Irlande, and was captured shortly after the Battle of Tory Island by HMS Fisgard...
, Harpy, Adder and Constitution, sinking the later.
Gillet was found to have been ashore while his division fought, and was consequently destituted by Decrès. He never managed to resume his naval career.
Sources and references
- Dictionnaire des capitaines de vaisseau de Napoléon, Danielle & Bernard Quintin, SPM, 2003, ISBN 2-901952-42-9