Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
Encyclopedia
Vice-Admiral Count Pierre-Etienne-René-Marie Dumanoir Le Pelley (Granville, 2 August 1770 – Paris, 6-7 July 1829) was a French Navy
officer
, best known for commanding the vanguard of the French
fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar
.
and Néréide
, cruising off Africa. He then embarked on the fluyt Dromadaire, bound for Cayenne.
Promoted to lieutenant in 1790, he was appointed to the staff of Admiral Martin
. He served on Sans-Culotte
.
Promoted to captain, Dumanoir took command of the Berwick
in Richery
's squadron, raiding commerce in the Mediterranean and in Newfoundland.
In 1796, Dumanoir commanded a division under Admiral Bouvet during the Expédition d'Irlande
, with his flag on Révolution
. Upon his return to France, he encountered the Scévola
, badly damaged in a storm, and rescued her crew.
In 1798, Dumanoir took part in the preparation for the invasion of Egypt, and was tasked with supervising the harbour of Alexandria afterwards. The next year, he commanded the frigate Carrère
, ferrying Lannes, Murat, Marmont and Parceval-Grandmaison to France, and sailing with the Muiron
which carried ferrying Bonaparte, Gantheaume, Berthier, Andréossi, Monge, Berthollet, Denon, Lavalette et Bourienne.
Dumanoir was promoted to contre-amiral on 21 November 1799, commanding a division of the squadron of Brest
. During the Battle of Algeciras Bay
, he was tasked with commissioning activities in Cadix, and after the battle, he was reprimanded for failing to reinforce Linois.
In 1805, he was in command of a division in the French fleet commanded by Admiral
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
. He took part in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, flying his flag on the Formidable
and commanding the six-ship vanguard of the French fleet; cut off from most of the fighting, he gave the signal for his ships to flee the battle, and four of them did (although the Spanish Valdes defied the order and had rowboats tow him back into battle); Dumanoir was chased down and captured by a squadron under Richard Strachan
at the Battle of Cape Ortegal
on 3 November and reached England in disgrace.
He later was given commands in Danzig in 1811 and in Marseilles in 1815. He was promoted to vice-admiral on 27 January 1819.
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...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
, best known for commanding the vanguard of the 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...
fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....
.
Early career
Dumanoir joined the Navy in 1787 as an élève de port and served in America until 1790. He was then promoted to ensign and served on the frigates PomoneFrench frigate Pomone (1787)
Pomone was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy built in 1783. The British captured her, along with Babet and Engageante, off the Île de Batz during the Action of 23 April 1794....
and Néréide
French frigate Néréide (1779)
The Néréide was a Sybille class 32-gun, copper-hulled, frigate of the French Navy. On 22 December 1797 HMS Phoebe captured her and she was taken into British service as HMS Nereide. The French recaptured her at the Battle of Grand Port, only to lose her again when the British took Île de France in...
, cruising off Africa. He then embarked on the fluyt Dromadaire, bound for Cayenne.
Promoted to lieutenant in 1790, he was appointed to the staff of Admiral Martin
Pierre Martin (French Navy officer)
Admiral Pierre Martin was a French Navy officer and admiral.- Youth :Pierre Martin was born to a Canadian family of Louisbourg. In 1759, his family fled to Rochefort as his hometown was taken by the British during the Seven Years' War.Martin served as an apprentice on the fluit Saint Esprit...
. He served on Sans-Culotte
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....
.
Promoted to captain, Dumanoir took command of the Berwick
HMS Berwick (1775)
HMS Berwick was a 74-gun Elizabeth-class third rate of the Royal Navy, launched at Portsmouth Dockyard on 18 April 1775, to a design by Sir Thomas Slade. She fought the French at the Battle of Ushant and the Dutch at the Battle of Dogger Bank...
in Richery
Joseph de Richery
Rear-Admiral Joseph de Richery was a French naval officer. He distinguished himself in the French Navy in the American Revolutionary War. From 1781 until 1785 he served in the Indian Ocean under Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez...
's squadron, raiding commerce in the Mediterranean and in Newfoundland.
In 1796, Dumanoir commanded a division under Admiral Bouvet during 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...
, with his flag on Révolution
French ship Thésée (1790)
The Thésée was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. As Révolution, she took part in the Expédition d'Irlande under Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley.- External links :*...
. Upon his return to France, he encountered the Scévola
French ship Illustre (1781)
The Illustre was a 74-gun Magnanime class ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the campaigns of Suffren before staying in Brest between 1788 and 1791. She was razeed into a 44-gun frigate in 1793....
, badly damaged in a storm, and rescued her crew.
In 1798, Dumanoir took part in the preparation for the invasion of Egypt, and was tasked with supervising the harbour of Alexandria afterwards. The next year, he commanded the frigate Carrère
HMS Carrere (1801)
Carrère was a French frigate that served briefly in the French navy before the British captured her in 1801, naming her HMS Carrere...
, ferrying Lannes, Murat, Marmont and Parceval-Grandmaison to France, and sailing with the Muiron
French frigate Muiron
The Muiron was a frigate of the French Navy, famous for ferrying Bonaparte on the 22 August 1799 under the flagship of Admiral Ganteaume from Egypt to France after the Battle of the Nile....
which carried ferrying Bonaparte, Gantheaume, Berthier, Andréossi, Monge, Berthollet, Denon, Lavalette et Bourienne.
Dumanoir was promoted to contre-amiral on 21 November 1799, commanding a division of the squadron of 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...
. During the Battle of Algeciras Bay
Battle of Algeciras Bay
The Battle of Algeciras Bay refers to two separate battles in July 1801 between an allied French-Spanish fleet and the British near Gibraltar. In the first battle, the French drove off an attack by the larger British fleet and captured one ship of the line...
, he was tasked with commissioning activities in Cadix, and after the battle, he was reprimanded for failing to reinforce Linois.
In 1805, he was in command of a division in the French fleet commanded by 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"...
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles Villeneuve
Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar....
. He took part in the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805, flying his flag on the Formidable
French ship Formidable
A number of ships of the French Navy have born the name Formidable, honouring the trait of inspiring fear in the enemy. Among them:* Formidable , a 96-gun ship of the line* Formidable , a 80-gun ship of the line...
and commanding the six-ship vanguard of the French fleet; cut off from most of the fighting, he gave the signal for his ships to flee the battle, and four of them did (although the Spanish Valdes defied the order and had rowboats tow him back into battle); Dumanoir was chased down and captured by a squadron under Richard Strachan
Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet
Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...
at the Battle of Cape Ortegal
Battle of Cape Ortegal
The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...
on 3 November and reached England in disgrace.
He later was given commands in Danzig in 1811 and in Marseilles in 1815. He was promoted to vice-admiral on 27 January 1819.