The Battle of the Basque Roads

[Bligh]

Pierre-Nicolas, baron Rolland.





(29 April 1761 at Dieppe – 9 November 1825), was a French admiral noted for his participation at the battles of Cape Finisterre in 1805 and the Basque Roads in 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars.

life.

Rolland joined the French Navy at a young age, participating in the American War of Independence, on board Sibylle in 1778 in the squadron of Louis Guillouet d'Orvilliers, the Amphion in 1779, in the squadron of d'Estaing, the Amphitrite between 1779 and 1781, and the Emeraude in 1782, in which he was wounded at the Battle of the Saintes.

An auxiliary officer in 1782, as a lieutenant, Rolland was promoted captain en 1796 and was in command of 74-gun ship of the lineAtlas with Villeneuve's fleet in 1805, fighting at the Battle of Cape Finisterre in which he was badly wounded. In 1809 he was flag captain to Zacharie Allemand on Océan during the Battle of Basque Roads, in which his ship was badly damaged and nearly destroyed.

Rolland was promoted Contre-amiral in 1814, after being distinguished by his command of Romulus at the Action of 13 February 1814 off Toulon, under the orders of Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien. He was honoured as a commander of the Legion d'Honneur and made a Baron de l'Empire.

Bibliography.

• Théodore-Éloi Lebreton, Biographie normande: recueil de notices biographiques et bibliographiques sur les personnages célèbres nés en Normandie et sur ceux qui se sont seulement distingués par leurs actions ou par leurs écrits, 1861
• Christian de La Jonquière, Les Marins français sous Louis XVI: guerre d'indépendance américaine, 1996
• P. Lerot, Les gloires maritimes de la France: notices biographiques sur les plus célèbres marins, 1866
• Joseph François Gabriel Hennequin, Biographie maritime ou notices historiques sur la vie et les campagnes des marins célèbres français et étrangers, Volume 1, 1835

[Bligh]

Antoine Louis Gourdon,



Born in Paris on 20 July 1765 and died there on 28 June 1833, was a vice-amiral of the French Navy.

Life.

He saw his first campaign in the frigate Aimable, taking part in the capture of Demerara. Unlike many officers he did not join the French Royalist cause, and was dismissed in 1793. Later restored to the Navy, he served with the Saint-Domingue expedition, commanding the naval division at Port-de-Paix.

He later took part, in April 1809, at the Battle of Basque Roads, on board Foudroyant. In 1811 he took command of the French squadron based in the Scheldt, defending the river from British attack during the Siege of Antwerp in 1814.

After the fall of Emperor Napoleon, he joined the Bourbon Restoration. From 1815, he successfully commanded the fleet at Rochefort, and that at Brest between 1816 and 1826. In 1822, he was promoted to vice-amiral and became a member of the conseil d'Amirauté. In 1829, he became directeur général of the Dépôt des cartes et plans de la Marine, the French naval cartography department.

He was made a Chevalier (February 1804), Officier (June 1804), Commandeur (July 1814) and Grand Officier (August 1820) of the national order of the Légion d’honneur as well as a Chevalier (July 1814), Commandeur (May 1816) and Grand Croix (August 1824) of the Ordre de Saint-Louis.
He died on 28 June 1833 and was buried in the 39th division of the Cimetière du Père-Lachaise in Paris.

[Bligh]

Gilbert-Amable Faure-Conac.






(5 April 1755 – 14 February 1819), was an officer of the French Navy and politician for the department of Creuse in the late eighteenth century.

Life.

Born the son of Jean-Baptiste Faure, of Fournoux, and Marguerite Rochon, Faure-Conac volunteered for naval service in 1778, serving for three campaigns on Argus, the corvette Sylphide and the frigate Pourvoyeuse, and became sub-lieutenant under Admiral Suffren in the squadron sent to operate against British India during the American Revolutionary War.



He later became naval commander at Pontarion, and after the French Revolution the administrator for Creuse. On 7 September 1792 he was elected by plurality as the alternate deputy to represent Creuse at the National Convention. After the death of Jean-François Guyès, he took his seat on 25 frimaire an II (15 December 1793), where he was occupied exclusively with naval issues, voting to postpone the indictment against Minister of the Navy Jean de Lacoste. By the decree of 30 thermidor an II (17 August 1794), Faure-Conac was sent on a mission with Bernard Thomas Tréhouart to the ports of Brest and Lorient, for which the committee of inspectors allocated 6000 livres on (18 August 1794).

During this mission, they learned from the authorities of Bergen in Norway that French sailors had helped to extinguish a major fire in the city. On 20 frimaire an III (10 December 1794), with his colleague, Faure-Conac sent to the Committee of Public Safety, the 171 decrees made during their trip, which were then redistributed to other committees. Recalled by the degree of 2 ventôse an III (20 February 1795), he was replaced by Julien-François Palasne de Champeaux and Jean-Nicolas Topsent. At the Convention, he opposed the plan by Marie-Benoît-Louis Gouly regarding the reorganisation of naval artillery.


Elected by the same department for the Conseil des Cinq-Cents on 21 vendémiaire an IV (13 October 1795) by 151 votes from 218 voters, Faure-Conac was promoted to captain on 22 September 1796, as commander of the frigate Bravoure. On 8 ventôse an V (26 February 1797) he resigned his political position to serve in the Navy. Between 1799 and 1809, he commanded Indivisible, Bravoure, Constitution, and Cassard. Whilst in command of the latter

he took part in the action of the Basque Roads.


On 4 January 1811, he was named commandant of the École de marine de Brest, on board the school-ship Tourville until 1814.
He was made an honorary contre-amiral on 1 January 1816 and retired to Chénérailles.



He was made an officier of the Légion d'honneur and a chevalier de Saint-Louis.

He died on February 14th, 1819 aged 63.

Chénérailles

France.

[Bligh]

Captain Joseph Fauveau.




Born: 3 December 1755
Entered naval service either commercial or military position: 1775
Captain de fregate: 16 June 1799
Captain de vaisseau 2nd class: 12 July 1808
Captain de Jemmappes 3rd class: Basque Roads 1809
Member of the Legion d’Honneur: 14 June 1804
Wounds received while in the service of France: None
Died: 26 January 1822