Pierre-Henri Philibert (24 January 1774 in Saint-Denis,[1] Île Bourbon[2][3] – 31 October 1824 in Paris) was a French Navy officer.
Pierre-Henri Philibert | |
|---|---|
 Pierre-Henri Philibert | |
| Born | 24 January 1774 Saint-Denis, La Réunion |
| Died | 31 October 1824 Paris |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Service | .svg){kind=small} French Navy |
| Rank | Captain |
Career
editPhilibert was born the family of a Navy civil servant. He joined the Navy in 1786.[3]
During the French Revolution, on 16 November 1793, Philibert was promoted to Ensign.[3] He rose to Lieutenant in 1803,[3] and served as aid to Rear-Admiral Magon on the 74-gun Algésiras.[4] He took part in the Battle of Trafalgar, distinguishing himself by recapturing Algésiras after the battle and sailing her back to Cádiz.[3]
By June 1809, Philibert was in command of Sapho,[5] on which he voyaged to India.[6][Note 1] Sapho sailed from Bordeaux to Port-des-Barques between around 1 July. Philibert was promoted to Commander in 1811, after 26 April.[3][7]
From 7 October 1813, Philibert led a frigate division, comprising Étoile and Sultane, under Abel Aubert du Petit-Thouars,[8] to engage in commerce raiding.[9] Philibert commanded the French forces at the Battle of Jobourg, where both frigates of his squadron were captured.[9]
Philibert was promoted to Captain (second class) in 1814.[3] By 1815, Philibert was a Knight in the Legion of Honour and the Order of Saint Louis.[3]
At the end of the Hundred Days, Philibert was in command of the frigate Saale and led a squadron comprising her and Méduse, under Captain Ponée. A historic rumour has it that with Napoléon's armies in disarray, Ponée proposed to have ferry Napoléon to America on Saale, while Méduse would have engaged HMS Bellerophon in a hopeless battle to prevent her from giving chase.[10] Whether the plan was indeed ever formulated or not, it was never implemented, and Napoléon instead abdicated for the second time.[3] From 14 April 1815 to 15 December, he conducted a mission to India on his frigate, by then renamed to Amphitrite.[11] In 1816, he was in command of a full division, comprising the fluyts Licorne, under Lieutenant and later Commander Rouvroy de Saint-Simon, and Éléphant, under Commander de Cheffontaines, in addition to Amphitrite.[12] By 1817, the Division further comprised the frigate Cybèle, under Captain Achille de Kergariou; the storeships Alouette, under Lieutenant Rigodit, and Girouette, under Ensign Lemaarant de Kerdaniel; and the merchantman Célestine and Louise.[13] In 1818, the Division comprised Cybèle, the fluyts Normande and Rhône and the storeship Durance.
In 1820, Philibert commander the Expédition d'Asie, with his flag on Rhône and later on Durance.[14] His voyages are credited for bringing vanilla to La Réunion, creating the Bourbon vanilla cultivar.[1]
He was promoted to Officer on the Legion of Honour in 1821, and Captain (1st class) in 1822.[3]
Notes and references
editNotes
edit- ^ Roche (p. 405) lists Philibert as a Commander (capitaine de frégate); both Bonnefoux and the Fonds Marine of the Ministry of Defence list him as a Lieutenant at this time.
References
edit- ^ a b Naissance de la Vanille Bourbon, Histoire de la vanille
- ^ Acte naissance Anom St Denis Réunion 1774 (p. 2-3/26)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Note 246 of the Mémoires du Baron de Bonnefoux, Capitaine de Vaisseau, 1782–1855
- ^ Fonds Marine, p. 338
- ^ Fonds Marine, p. 387
- ^ Roche, p. 405
- ^ Fonds Marine, p. 444
- ^ The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Present, vol.5
- ^ a b Fonds Marine, Vol. 2, p. 494.
- ^ Guérin, p. 482
- ^ Fonds Marine, Vol. 2, p. 502.
- ^ Fonds Marine, Vol. 2, p. 507.
- ^ Fonds Marine, Vol. 2, p. 514-515.
- ^ Fonds Marine, Vol. 2, p. 539.
Bibliography
edit- "Fonds Marine. Campagnes (opérations ; divisions et stations navales ; missions diverses). Inventaire de la sous-série Marine BB4. Tome deuxième : BB4 1 à 482 (1790-1826)" (PDF). servicehistorique.sga.defense.gouv.fr. Service historique du Ministère de la Défense. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
- Guérin, Léon (1857). Histoire maritime de France (in French). Vol. 6. Dufour et Mulat.
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2005). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours. Vol. 1. Group Retozel-Maury Millau. p. 169. ISBN 978-2-9525917-0-6. OCLC 165892922.