Француз адмиралы Луи Тома Вилларе де Жуайез

French admiral

Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (29 May 1747 – 24 July 1812) was a French admiral. Villaret was born at Auch. After serving in the Indies under Suffren, he rose in rank during the early stages of the French Revolution. He was in command of the French fleet during the Glorious First of June, where despite being handed a heavy tactical defeat, he ensured the passage of a vital grain convoy to France. He led the French fleet during the disastrous Croisière du Grand Hiver and failed to prevent a British fleet from successfully retreating, with his last battle being a defeat off Groix. He was relieved when he refused to serve for the disastrous Expédition d'Irlande. Villaret was then elected at the Council of Five Hundred. He joined the Club de Clichy, a party promoting colonies and slavery, and harbouring Royalist sympathies. After the Coup of 18 Fructidor, Villaret was to be deported to Cayenne but went into hiding long enough for his sentence to be commuted to exile to Oléron, where he went willingly. Reinstated in 1801, Villaret took command of the naval component of the Saint Domingue expedition, and was appointed captain general of Martinique and Sainte Lucie alongside the colonial prefect, Charles Henri Bertin. He served in this capacity until the British captured Martinique in 1809. Returned to France, Villaret fell in disfavour for his perceived weak defence during the invasion. After two years, Napoléon pardoned him and appointed him governor of Venice. Villaret died there of edema on 24 July 1812.

In 1781, Villaret commanded the fireship Pulvérisateur in Suffren's fleet. He ordered him to sail to Madras and warn the French blockading squadron, composed of two ships of the line and two frigates, of the imminent arrival of a superior British force. When Villaret surrendered his sword, Graves allegedly told him "Sir, you have given us a fairly beautiful frigate, but you made us pay dearly for her! "; Naïade was not commissioned in the Royal Navy and was sold. he helped the governor transport troops around the island. On 14 March 1792, he swore the "civic oath" to the Republic, while his brother emigrated. Promoted to Captain in 1792, he was given the command of the 74 gun Trajan in 1793;

In 1794, Villaret was promoted to Rear admiral, the engagement culminated in the Glorious First of June. Although suffering severe losses, he rallied his remaining ships and rescued several of his ships; most importantly, the grain convoy reached Brest unmolested. Supported by Saint André, Villaret Joyeuse kept his command despite the tactical defeat. He blamed his losses on the conduct of several of his captains who had failed to fulfil their duties. On 27 September 1794, Villaret Joyeuse was promoted to Vice admiral.

In December, the Committee of Public Safety ordered him to attack British commerce in the Croisière du Grand Hiver. Although the cruise did lead to the capture of a number of British merchant ships, the French fleet was battered by storms in which several ships were sunk and all the surviving ships suffered heavy damage.

In June 1795, he sailed with nine ships to relieve a small squadron near Belle Île. During Cornwallis's Retreat, Villaret Joyeuse tried to engage the small British squadron blockading Belle Île. Unable to bring them to battle, Villaret attempted to return to Brest, but contrary winds forced him towards Lorient. Close to Lorient, Villaret Joyeuse was discovered by British admiral Alexander Hood's fleet, guarding the expedition to Quiberon. During Second Battle of Groix, several of Villaret's ships disobeyed his orders and sailed away, with three ships of the line being captured by the British. In 1796, Villaret Joyeuse was appointed to command the fleet for the Expédition d'Irlande, an attempt to land General Hoche's army in Ireland; Villaret was elected to the Council of Five Hundred as a representative of Morbihan.

In 1801, Bonaparte ended Villaret Joyeuse's exile and returned him to active command. Initially, Napoleon wanted Villaret Joyeuse to prepare an expedition to capture the Cape of Good Hope, then head into the Indian Ocean. With the Peace of Amiens, Bonaparte decided to attempt to regain control of Haiti with the Saint Domingue expedition. In December 1801, Villaret set out with ten French and five Spanish ships and nine frigates and corvettes, he faced the threats of slave uprisings, yellow fever and the possibility of invasion. On 3 November 1802, Villared founded a 94 strong force of Gendarmerie at Martinique, and on 8 July 1803, a company of black Chasseurs Volontaires de la Martinique. He cooperated with Admirals Missiessy and Villeneuve who sailed into the Caribbean in 1805 during the Trafalgar Campaign. In January 1809, a British expedition invaded Martinique and laid siege to the fortress at Fort de France. After the British were able to bring up their heavy artillery, the month long siege ended on 24 February with the surrender of Villaret. Another legend holds that he enlisted in the Gendarmes before joining the Navy; or at the age of 18.