Pierre François Étienne Bouvet de Maisonneuve

Ship-of-the-line Captain Pierre-François-Henri-Étienne Bouvet de Maisonneuve (28 December 1775 – 18 June 1860 ) was a French Navy officer and privateer. Born to a Navy captain, Bouvet started sailing at the age of 11, He served under his father on various ships between France and the Indies. He was taken prisoner by the British during their occupation of Toulon in 1793.

Released, Bouvet served on the frigate Amazone in Linois's squadron, which raided commerce in the Indies. After Amazone was wrecked at Cape of Good Hope, he attempted to return to Isle de France and inform the governor, but was captured en route by a British frigate. Released on parole, Bouvet designed a patamar or felucca of Indian pattern that he named . After he was exchanged, he cruised off the Malabar Coast undetected amongst indigenous shipping. Appointed to a 16-gun brig also named , Bouvet sailed to Manila and rescued the crew of Mouche n° 6 from detention.

Embarked in Duperré's squadron, Bouvet was given command of the prize Minerve, on which he took part in a battle against three large East Indiamen, of which the squadron captured two. On their return to Isle de France, the squadron met four British frigates, which it defeated in the Battle of Grand Port. Duperré having been wounded, Bouvet commanded the French forces for the second half of the battle. Returned to France after the British invasion of Isle de France, Bouvet was given command of a two-frigate squadron, with his flag on Aréthuse. His other frigate was wrecked in a storm, and soon after, Aréthuse battled HMS Amelia in a bloody action that resulted in a stalemate. Bouvet never fought again, and devoted his late life to politics and writing.

Career Early life Born to Pierre-Servais-René Bouvet, Pierre Bouvet enlisted in the French Navy as a volunteer at the age of 11, on 13 December 1786, and enlisted on the merchant fluyt Nécessaire, He returned to France in May 1789. He then transferred on the 74-gun Tourville for a patrol the same month in June

In 1792, he became a midshipman, and served on the brand-new frigate Aréthuse in Toulon, under his father who had recently been promoted to captain.

Service in the English Channel In June 1795, Bouvet was appointed to the frigate Rassurante, on which he roamed the English Channel until September. Bouvet obtained a release from Navy duty to enlist on a privateer, the Triton. privateer Furet on 16 December 1799. On the 26th at 10:15, Furet was intercepted by HMS Viper under Lieutenant John Pengelly, After a running chase of over two hours, Viper caught up with Furet and delivered two broadsides that compelled her to strike her colours. including Bouvet, who suffered an injury and was again taken prisoner. Bouvet was appointed to the inspection of signals on the coasts near Brest; he held this position until 14 March 1801, when he was appointed to the frigate Consolante. Redoutable departed for Guadeloupe, During the journey, on 24 April, Bouvet was promoted to Lieutenant. With Linois' division, he cruised in the Gulf of Bengal, took part in the Battle of Vizagapatam on 15 September 1804, Captain Gaudin-Beauchêne sent Bouvet to Mauritius with despatches for governor Decaen, and sailed to La Réunion to visit his family.

Service on Entreprenant and the rescue of Mouche n° 6 At Mauritius, Bouvet requested the construction of a patamar to which Decaen agreed. and returned to Mauritius on his prize, which she renamed Entreprenant. She was a "brig gourable", of 16 guns, disappeared there a few months before.

In order to obtain a clear casus belli, Bouvet anchored his ship at the entrance of Manila Bay, but stayed ready to set sail. Soon, Antelope and shore batteries opened up on Entreprenant, which promptly retreated. Bouvet sailed to Corregidor Island and endeavored to blockade all shipping bound for Manila. After collecting enough prisoners in this way, on 3 September, he released them on parole under promise not to navigate at sea before Mouche n° 6 would be released. Bouvet had them convey his ultimatum that if his conditions were not met the next day, he would attack the coasts of the island. The French crew detained in Manila was promptly released and returned to Entreprenant. On 20 October, sailing through Malacca Strait, Entreprenant encountered a British convoy and detected an isolated sail, which she intercepted by 23:00. The ship was the 18-gun Ovidor, of the Dutch East India Company.

Service on Minerve, Duperré's squadron, and the Battle of Grand Port Bouvet relinquished command of Entreprenant in late January 1810, On Minerve, he took part in the action of 3 July 1810, where he single-handedly engaged the East Indiamen Ceylon, Windham and Astell for one hour before the rest of Duperré's squadron rejoined him. The squadron then returned to Mauritius where it encountered four British frigates, leading to the Battle of Grand Port, from 20 to 27 August 1810.

Combat de Grand Port by Pierre-Julien Gilbert. Bouvet commanded the French forces (on the right of the painting) during the second half of the battle. At the Battle of Grand Port, Bouvet replaced Duperré as chief of the French squadron on Bellone when he was wounded and carried below deck. in the subsequent Action of 13 September 1810, Astrée and Iphigénie subdued Africaine, but had to abandon her when the rest of Rowley's frigate division arrived on the scene. Astrée and Iphigénie sailed to Mauritius for resupply and repair, captured the British East India Company's Bombay Marine's 14-gun sloop-of-war Aurora en route, and arrived at Port-Nord-Ouest on 22 September. and on 11 April 1811, Bouvet embarked on the cartel Adèle, bound for France where he arrived on 14 August, landing in Morlaix. After one year, on 6 December 1811, he was appointed to command the frigate Clorinde, on which he embarked on 5 January 1812. and lead a frigate squadron also comprising Rubis, under Commander Louis-François Ollivier.

On 25 November 1812, Bouvet's division departed from Nantes, sailed to Cape Verde and Guinea, and anchored at Îles de Los; Probably because of these mixed reviews, Bouvet was appointed Officer of the Legion of Honour, on 2 July, but was neither promoted to Rear-Admiral, nor made a Baron of the Empire, as had been requested in his favour.

Later life

On 1 October 1813, Bouvet was relieved from duty due to ill health and replaced by Captain Le Bozec, The new regime appointed him Knight of the Order of Saint Louis on 5 July 1814.

In 1852, Napoléon III reinstated Bouvet as titulary Rear-Admiral in the reserve corps. He died in 1860 on June 18 Saint-Servan, and was buried in the Jeanne-Jugan Cemetery in Saint Malo. In 1864 when his son, father of Amélie Carette, died in Cherbourg, he was buried alongside him.

Works

Honours Five ships were named after Bouvet. See French ship Bouvet for a list. Grand Officer of the Order of the Legion of Honour Knight of the Order of Saint Louis A statue was erected in front of the mairie of Saint-Servan

Notes, citations, and references