François-André Baudin (2 December 1774 – Strasbourg, 18 June 1842) was a French naval officer. His nephew

Auguste Baudin Auguste Laurent François Baudin (21 November 1800, Hoogstraten Belgium - 1 August 1877, Douai) was a French admiral and colonial administrator. His uncle François-André Baudin was also a naval officer. Life Volunteering for the navy in 1817, ...

was a colonial governor and naval officer.

Life

He took part in the Baudin expedition to Australia, led by his namesake

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 1754 – 16 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. Biography Early career Born a comm ...

, leaving

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very ...

on 19 October 1800. He was a lieutenant de vaisseau on board the '' Géographe'', a vessel whose officers also included an ensign (''aspirant'') called

Charles Baudin Charles Baudin (21 July 1784 – 7 June 1854), was a French admiral, whose naval service extended from the First Empire through the early days of the Second Empire. Biography From 1800, Baudin served as a midshipman on ''Géographe'' and took ...

. François-André Baudin fell ill and was left behind on île de France in April 1801.''Voyage de découvertes aux terres australes'',

François Péron François Auguste Péron (22 August 1775 – 14 December 1810) was a French naturalist and explorer. Life Péron was born in Cérilly, Allier, in 1775, the son of a tailor (not a harness maker as is frequently asserted). Although intended for ...

. Under the First French Empire, François-André Baudin rose to

capitaine de vaisseau Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide includ ...

, commanding a force made up of the frigate ''Topaze'' (his flagship), the corvettes ''Département-des-Landes'' (captained by Desmontils) and ''Torche'' (captained by Dehen) and the brig ''Faune'' (captained by Brunet). Cruising off Barbados, this force captured the British frigate '' Blanche'', though ''Faune'' and ''Torche'' were later captured by the ship of the line , the frigate and . ''Topaze'' was also involved in the action with the ''Raisonnable'' and managed to escape to the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

. In November 1809 Baudin was ordered to take the 80-gun ships of the line ''Robuste'' and ''Borée'', the 74-gun ''Lion'' and the frigates ''Pauline'' and ''Pomone'' and escort a twenty ship convoy from

Toulon Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

to supply the Napoleonic forces fighting the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

. This French force was met by a hugely superior British squadron under

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the " Fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the ...

. Seeing that the enemy had gained speed and was trying to block his path, Baudin ordered his ships to make for land as fast as possible, but this only led to the ''Robuste'' and ''Lion'' going aground – to deny them to the British, Baudin ordered them set on fire and scuttled near

Frontignan Frontignan (; ) is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. Frontignan is renowned for its AOC wine, the Muscat de Frontignan, a sweet wine made solely from the Muscat grape variety. Geography Frontignan is located in the ...

. Captain Senèz, commanding the ''Borée'', stayed further offshore whilst still obeying Boudin's orders – he passed through the middle of the British squadron and escaped into the port of Sète, normally too small for ships of the line.

Titles

Baron de l'Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that t ...

(16 February 1810).

Coat of arms

Blason François-André Baudin (1774-1842)

References

External links

* Service Historique de la Marine – Fort de Vincennes – Dossier S.H.A.M. Côte : CC7 ALPHA 126. ** Côte S.H.A.M., état de services, distinctions su
web.genealogie.free.fr : ''Les militaires''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baudin, Francois Andre 1774 births 1842 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars