Jean-François Tartu
Encyclopedia
Jean-François Tartu was a French
Navy officer, and hero of the French Revolution
.
Tartu was born to a family of fishers. He joined the French Royal Navy in 1766 as a sailor, raising to master gunner. He took part in the Battle of Ushant
on the Fortunée, and was captured by the British on 22 December 1779.
After being exchanged, he served on Sphinx at the Battle of Martinique
, took part in the Battle of the Chesapeake
on Vaillant, and in the Battle of the Saintes
on the César, where he was again taken prisoner. Released, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant de vaisseau (ensign) in 1786, and to capitaine de vaisseau (captain) in January 1793.
In March 1793, Tartu took command of the frigate Uranie. She departed Rochefort as a commerce raider, capturing 5 prizes until October 1793. On 24, Uranie met with the 32-gun HMS Thames
. As Uranie was loaded with over 200 prisoners and lacked 60 of her sailors, who manned three prizes, she engaged in an artillery duel rather than attempting a boarding. Thames lost most of her rigging and suffered heavy damaged to her port batteries; as she manoeuvered to train her intact starboard batteries on the French, one of her cannonballs hit Uranies poop deck
, killing two and severing Tartu's leg under the knee. The lieutenant of Uranie immediately rushed to take command as Tartu was brought below decks; soon afterwards, a dying Tartu instructed the lieutenant to break the engagement, as the drifting Thames was still heading to the British blockade. Thames was captured the next day by Carmagnole.
Tartu was hailed as a hero, and Uranie was renamed after him. Two destroyers were later named in his honour (a Vauquelin class
and a T 53
).
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, and hero of 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...
.
Tartu was born to a family of fishers. He joined the French Royal Navy in 1766 as a sailor, raising to master gunner. He took part in the Battle of Ushant
Battle of Ushant (1778)
The Battle of Ushant took place on 27 July 1778, during the American War of Independence, fought between French and British fleets 100 miles west of Ushant, a French island at the mouth of the English Channel off the north-westernmost point of France...
on the Fortunée, and was captured by the British on 22 December 1779.
After being exchanged, he served on Sphinx at the Battle of Martinique
Battle of Martinique (1780)
The Battle of Martinique, also Combat de la Dominique, took place on April 17, 1780 during the American War of Independence in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy.-Origins:...
, took part in the Battle of the 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...
on Vaillant, and in the Battle of the Saintes
Battle of the Saintes
The Battle of the Saintes took place over 4 days, 9 April 1782 – 12 April 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned...
on the César, where he was again taken prisoner. Released, he was promoted to sous-lieutenant de vaisseau (ensign) in 1786, and to capitaine de vaisseau (captain) in January 1793.
In March 1793, Tartu took command of the frigate Uranie. She departed Rochefort as a commerce raider, capturing 5 prizes until October 1793. On 24, Uranie met with the 32-gun HMS Thames
HMS Thames (1758)
HMS Thames was a 32-gun Richmond-class fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy built by Henry Adams and launched at Bucklers Hard in 1758. She served in several wars, including for some four years in French service after her capture. She was recaptured in 1796 and was broken up in 1803.-British...
. As Uranie was loaded with over 200 prisoners and lacked 60 of her sailors, who manned three prizes, she engaged in an artillery duel rather than attempting a boarding. Thames lost most of her rigging and suffered heavy damaged to her port batteries; as she manoeuvered to train her intact starboard batteries on the French, one of her cannonballs hit Uranies poop deck
Poop deck
In naval architecture, a poop deck is a deck that forms the roof of a cabin built in the rear, or "aft", part of the superstructure of a ship.The name originates from the French word for stern, la poupe, from Latin puppis...
, killing two and severing Tartu's leg under the knee. The lieutenant of Uranie immediately rushed to take command as Tartu was brought below decks; soon afterwards, a dying Tartu instructed the lieutenant to break the engagement, as the drifting Thames was still heading to the British blockade. Thames was captured the next day by Carmagnole.
Tartu was hailed as a hero, and Uranie was renamed after him. Two destroyers were later named in his honour (a Vauquelin class
Vauquelin class destroyer
The Vauquelin-class large destroyers of the French navy were laid down in 1930 and commissioned in 1931. They were very similar to the previous Aigle class, the only difference being a single extra torpedo tube....
and a T 53
T 53 class destroyer
The T 53 class were the second group of destroyers built for the French Navy after World War 2. These ships were a modified versionof the T 47 class destroyers. The main difference with the preceding ships was the provision of improved air warning and tracking radars as well as an anti-submarine...
).