Armand Louis Charles Gustave Besnard on:
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Gustave Besnard (11 October 1833, Rambouillet – 15 July 1903, Château du Rohu near
From the time he joined the
Lorient
Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France.
History
Prehistory and classical antiquity
Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
) was a French admiral and '' Ministre de la Marine''.
Biography
From the time he joined the 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 t ...
as a cadet at the ''École Navale
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
'' in 1849, until his retirement date in 1898, Besnard served 50 years in the 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 t ...
. After graduating from the ''École Navale
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
'' in 1852, Besnard progressed rapidly in rank and commanded twelve warships ( frigates, light cruisers, heavy cruisers) between 1867 and 1892, in all parts of the world (Mediterranean, North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indochina, China). He held a number of prestigious shore positions such as Navy Chief of Staff (1881), Head of Navy Personnel (1887–1889), ''Préfet Maritime
A maritime prefect ( French: ''Préfet maritime'') is a servant of the French State who exercises authority over the sea in a particular region under French jurisdiction, known as a maritime arrondissement (''Arrondissement maritime''). His admini ...
de Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
'' (1893–1895).Vice-amiral Charles Touchard, ''Notice sur la carrière du Vice-amiral Besnard'', Paris, Imprimerie E. Desfossés, 1923, 10 p. After this long and distinguished career in the 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 t ...
, Besnard served as , the French equivalent of First Lord of the Admiralty
The First Lord of the Admiralty, or formally the Office of the First Lord of the Admiralty, was the political head of the English and later British Royal Navy. He was the government's senior adviser on all naval affairs, responsible for the di ...
, between 1895 and 1898.
In this position of , Besnard was responsible for the overall strategic direction of the French Navy. He directed naval support for the conquest of Madagascar (1895). He secured from Parliament the necessary credits to keep the fleets of the 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 t ...
at operational strength and at immediate readiness. He won Parliament approval for setting up overseas Navy bases and strongpoints in many parts of the world: in particular the arsenal of Bizerte (Tunisia
)
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, ...
).
During Besnard's time as , there are two schools of thought: the young school - ''Jeune École
The ''Jeune École'' ("Young School") was a strategic naval concept developed during the 19th century. It advocated the use of small, heavily armed vessels to combat larger battleships, and the use of commerce raiders to cripple the trade of the ...
'' - is in favor of a fleet with a lot of light units such as torpedo boats. The opposite theory emphasizes that sea power is based on the large ships which decide battles, such as battleships and cruisers.
Besnard was clearly in favor of the latter theory. Speaking on the occasion of budget debates at the French Parliament between 1895 and 1898, Admiral Besnard pushed forward naval armaments programs in which battleships and cruisers represented over 80% of total funds. He confined torpedo boats to their normal role in coast defense.
References
Sources
* Vice-amiral Charles Touchard, ''Notice sur la carrière du Vice-amiral Besnard'', Paris, Imprimerie E. Desfossés, 1923, 10 pages * Archives Nationales, Base LEONORE, Cote LH/221/57 * Service Historique de la Défense, Vincennes, Cote SHD MV 87 GG2/1 * Félix Faure, ''Journal à l'Élysée (1895-1899)'', Paris, Éditions des Équateurs, 2009, page 333 * Frédéric Saffroy, ''« Clémenceau et la stratégie navale - le torpilleur contre le cuirassé'' », Cols Bleus Marine Nationale, 1er juin 2018 * Journal Officiel de la République Française, Lois et décrets, 30 mars 1897, ''Tableau des constructions neuves annexé à la Loi de finances du 29 mars 1897'', pages 1888–1912. {{DEFAULTSORT:Besnard, Armand 1833 births 1903 deaths People from Rambouillet École Navale alumni French Naval Ministers French Navy admirals Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War