Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume
Encyclopedia
Count Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume (La Ciotat
, 13 April 1755 - Aubagne
, 28 July 1818) was a French
admiral.
Ganteaume was born to a family of merchant sailors, and sailed on a dozen commercial cruises in his youth. He also served as an aid officer in the Navy in America, aboard the ship-of-the-line Fier Rodrigue, and in India in Suffren
's fleet aboard the fluyt
Marlborough, the frigates and Apollon, and aboard the ship-of-the-line Jupiter.
Ganteaume was promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau
in September of 1793, and captain in February 1794, receiving command of the ship-of-the-line Trente et un Mai, under Admiral de Joyeuse
. On 1 June 1794, he was wounded at the Third Battle of Ushant
.
Ganteaume was subsequently granted command of the ship-of-the-line , and later of a division comprising a ship-of-the-line, four frigates and two corvettes. He was promoted to rear admiral
in November 1798, and was chief of staff of admiral Brueys
at the Battle of the Nile
.
Ganteaume was aboard the frigate when she ferried Bonaparte
back to France, in October 1799. He reached Brest and took command of a rescue squadron, in an attempt to reinforce the Army of Egypt, but his hesitations allowed the Royal Navy to blockade him in Toulon. When he finally arrived near Egypt, actually Derna, Libya, in June 1800, the troops did not land, due to the hostility of the locals and the British naval threat.
Ganteaume was promoted to head of the fleet of the Mediterranean in 1800, préfet maritime
of Toulon in 1802, and vice-admiral in 1804. In 1810 he was made a Count
of the Empire, and chief of the sailors of the Imperial Guard. Named a member of the Conseil d'État in 1799, Ganteaume served as president of the Section Marine from 1806-1810.
After the Restoration
, he was made a Pair de France.
La Ciotat
La Ciotat is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. It is part of the metropolitan area of Marseille Provence. La ciotat is located to the east of Marseille at an equal distance from Marseille and Toulon...
, 13 April 1755 - Aubagne
Aubagne
Aubagne is a commune located east of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.The French Foreign Legion has its headquarters there...
, 28 July 1818) 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...
admiral.
Ganteaume was born to a family of merchant sailors, and sailed on a dozen commercial cruises in his youth. He also served as an aid officer in the Navy in America, aboard the ship-of-the-line Fier Rodrigue, and in India in Suffren
Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez
Admiral comte Pierre André de Suffren de Saint Tropez, bailli de Suffren , French admiral, was the third son of the marquis de Saint Tropez, head of a family of nobles of Provence which claimed to have emigrated from Lucca in the 14th century...
's fleet aboard the fluyt
Fluyt
A fluyt, fluit, or flute is a Dutch type of sailing vessel originally designed as a dedicated cargo vessel. Originating from the Netherlands in the 16th century, the vessel was designed to facilitate transoceanic delivery with the maximum of space and crew efficiency...
Marlborough, the frigates and Apollon, and aboard the ship-of-the-line Jupiter.
Ganteaume was promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau
Ship-of-the-Line Lieutenant
Ship-of-the-line lieutenant is a common naval rank, equivalent to the naval rank of Lieutenant in the UK, Commonwealth and US.The name of the rank derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship .The rank is lieutenant de vaisseau...
in September of 1793, and captain in February 1794, receiving command of the ship-of-the-line Trente et un Mai, under Admiral de Joyeuse
Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse
Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse was a French admiral.-Early career:Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse was born in Auch, in the heart of Gascony. The Villaret de Joyeuse family figured among the minor nobility from Languedoc...
. On 1 June 1794, he was wounded at the Third Battle of Ushant
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June [Note A] of 1794 was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars...
.
Ganteaume was subsequently granted command of the ship-of-the-line , and later of a division comprising a ship-of-the-line, four frigates and two corvettes. He was promoted 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"...
in November 1798, and was chief of staff of 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...
at 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...
.
Ganteaume was aboard the frigate when she ferried Bonaparte
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
back to France, in October 1799. He reached Brest and took command of a rescue squadron, in an attempt to reinforce the Army of Egypt, but his hesitations allowed the Royal Navy to blockade him in Toulon. When he finally arrived near Egypt, actually Derna, Libya, in June 1800, the troops did not land, due to the hostility of the locals and the British naval threat.
Ganteaume was promoted to head of the fleet of the Mediterranean in 1800, préfet maritime
Préfet Maritime
The Préfet Maritime is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in one particular region . As a civil servant, he reports to the Prime Minister...
of Toulon in 1802, and vice-admiral in 1804. In 1810 he was made a Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
of the Empire, and chief of the sailors of the Imperial Guard. Named a member of the Conseil d'État in 1799, Ganteaume served as president of the Section Marine from 1806-1810.
After the Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
, he was made a Pair de France.