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Henri Nicol
Henri Paul Hipolito Nicol was an officer of the French Navy in the 19th century. Based on the ship ''Minerva'' of the French Oriental Fleet, he deserted when the ship was anchored at Yokohama harbour, with his friend Eugène Collache to rally other French officers, led by Jules Brunet, who had embraced the cause of the Bakufu in the Boshin War. Nicol was a classmate of Collache as the Ecole Navale, France's Military Academy, where he had learnt some Japanese. Nicol participated to the Naval Battle of Miyako, when three Bakufu warships were dispatched for a surprise attack against Imperial forces. He was on the ''Kaiten'' together with the samurai warriors, the Shinsengumi. The other ships were the ''Banryu'' and the ''Takao''. Nicol had been selected for the main attack on the ''Kaiten'' because he was a native of Bordeaux, and happened to know well about the characteristics and construction of the revolutionary warship ''Kotetsu'', built in the same city. To create surpri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in the world, ranking seventh in combined fleet tonnage and fifth in number of naval vessels. The French Navy is one of eight naval forces currently operating fixed-wing aircraft carriers,Along with the U.S., U.K., China, Russia, Italy, India and Spain with its flagship being the only nuclear-powered aircraft carrier outside the United States Navy, and one of two non-American vessels to use catapults to launch aircraft. Founded in the 17th century, the French Navy is one of the oldest navies still in continual service, with precursors dating back to the Middle Ages. It has taken part in key events in French history, including the Napoleonic Wars and both world wars, and played a critical role in establishing and securing the French colonial ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
