François-André Baudin
Encyclopedia
François-André Baudin was a French naval officer. His nephew Auguste Baudin
was a colonial governor and naval officer.
, leaving Le Havre
on 19 October 1800. He was a lieutenant de vaisseau on board the Géographe, a vessel whose officers also included an ensign (aspirant) called Charles Baudin
. François-André Baudin fell ill and was left behind on île de France in April 1801.
Under the First French Empire, François-André Baudin rose to capitaine de vaisseau, commanding a force made up of the frigate Topaze (his flagship), the corvettes Département-des-Landes (captained by Desmontils) and Torche (captained by Dehen) and the brig Faune (captained by Brunet). Cruising off Barbados, this force captured the British frigate Blanche, though Faune and Torche were later captured by the ship of the line , the frigate and . Topaze was also involved in the action with the Raisonnable and managed to escape to the Tagus
.
In November 1809 Baudin was ordered to take the 80-gun ships of the line Robuste and Borée, the 74-gun Lion and the frigates Pauline and Pomone and escort a twenty ship convoy from Toulon
to Barcelona
to supply the Napoleonic forces fighting the Peninsular War
. This French force was met by a hugely superior British squadron under George Martin
. Seeing that the enemy had gained speed and was trying to block his path, Baudin ordered his ships to make for land as fast as possible, but this only led to the Robuste and Lion going aground - to deny them to the British, Baudin ordered them set on fire and scuttled near Frontignan
. Captain Senèz, commanding the Borée, stayed further offshore whilst still obeying Boudin's orders - he passed through the middle of the British squadron and escaped into the port of Sète
, normally too small for ships of the line.
Auguste Baudin
Auguste Laurent François Baudin was a French admiral and colonial administrator...
was a colonial governor and naval officer.
Life
He took part in the Baudin expedition to Australia, led by his namesake Nicolas BaudinNicolas Baudin
Nicolas-Thomas Baudin was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer.Baudin was born a commoner in Saint-Martin-de-Ré on the Île de Ré. At the age of fifteen he joined the merchant navy, and at twenty joined the French East India Company...
, leaving Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
on 19 October 1800. He was a lieutenant de vaisseau on board the Géographe, a vessel whose officers also included an ensign (aspirant) called Charles Baudin
Charles Baudin
Charles Baudin , was a French admiral, whose naval service extended from the First Empire through the early days of the Second Empire....
. François-André Baudin fell ill and was left behind on île de France in April 1801.
Under the First French Empire, François-André Baudin rose to capitaine de vaisseau, commanding a force made up of the frigate Topaze (his flagship), the corvettes Département-des-Landes (captained by Desmontils) and Torche (captained by Dehen) and the brig Faune (captained by Brunet). Cruising off Barbados, this force captured the British frigate Blanche, though Faune and Torche were later captured by the ship of the line , the frigate and . Topaze was also involved in the action with the Raisonnable and managed to escape to the Tagus
Tagus
The Tagus is the longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. It is long, in Spain, along the border between Portugal and Spain and in Portugal, where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon. It drains an area of . The Tagus is highly utilized for most of its course...
.
In November 1809 Baudin was ordered to take the 80-gun ships of the line Robuste and Borée, the 74-gun Lion and the frigates Pauline and Pomone and escort a twenty ship convoy from Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
to Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
to supply the Napoleonic forces fighting the Peninsular War
Peninsular War
The Peninsular War was a war between France and the allied powers of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The war began when French and Spanish armies crossed Spain and invaded Portugal in 1807. Then, in 1808, France turned on its...
. This French force was met by a hugely superior British squadron under George Martin
George Martin (Royal Navy officer)
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Martin GCB, GCMG was an officer of the Royal Navy who saw service during the American War of Independence, and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
. Seeing that the enemy had gained speed and was trying to block his path, Baudin ordered his ships to make for land as fast as possible, but this only led to the Robuste and Lion going aground - to deny them to the British, Baudin ordered them set on fire and scuttled near Frontignan
Frontignan
Frontignan la Peyrade is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France.Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety.-Sights:...
. Captain Senèz, commanding the Borée, stayed further offshore whilst still obeying Boudin's orders - he passed through the middle of the British squadron and escaped into the port of Sète
Sète
Sète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
, normally too small for ships of the line.
External links
- Service Historique de la Marine – Fort de Vincennes – Dossier S.H.A.M. Côte : CC7 ALPHA 126.
- Côte S.H.A.M., état de services, distinctions sur web.genealogie.free.fr : Les militaires.