Jean-Baptiste-Henri Féretier (Nantes, 18 December 1765Bulletin des lois de la République Française, Volume 2
/ref> - Nantes, 11 January 1832) was a French navy officer.

Family

Son of Jean Feretier, a master tailor in Nantes, he married, in 1806, Louise Modeste Bellanger, niece of Mathieu Augustin Cornet.

Career

Féretier became an ensign in 1795 on board of the corvette 'L'Insolent', rose to Lieutenant in 1803.Chantier archéologique sous-marin – Base du Grasu – Lorient
/ref> He took command of the frigate ''

Caroline Caroline may refer to: People * Caroline (given name), a feminine given name * J. C. Caroline (born 1933), American college and National Football League player * Jordan Caroline (born 1996), American (men's) basketball player Places Antarctica * ...

'' when her master, Captain Billard, died.Roche, ''op. cit.'', p. He captained her at the

action of 31 May 1809 The action of 31 May 1809 was a naval skirmish in the Bay of Bengal during the Napoleonic Wars. During the action, an Honourable East India Company convoy carrying goods worth over £500,000 was attacked and partially captured by the French fri ...

when he captured two

East Indiamen East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

, and . During the British

Raid on Saint-Paul The Raid on Saint-Paul was an amphibious operation conducted by a combined British Army, Royal Navy and Royal Marines force against the fortified French port of Saint-Paul, Réunion, Saint Paul on Île Bonaparte (now known as Réunion) during the ...

he had to beach and abandon his frigate to avoid being captured. Brenton (p. 399) incorrectly states that Feretier committed suicide following the loss of his ship but James (p. 200) refutes this statement, affirming that Des Bruslys was the only known suicide during the campaign. He was promoted to Commander in 1810. In December 1811, he was appointed commander of a squadron by the Emperor Napoléon. Feretier commanded the frigate '' Ariane''. The squadron also comprised the ''Andromaque'', under Captain

Nicolas Morice Nicolas Morice (born 1774) was a French navy officer. He was born Lorient. Career Morice became an ensign in 1796 and rose to Lieutenant in 1803. He took part in the Battle of Grand Port, where he captained the corvette ''Victor''. In 1810 he w ...

, and the 16-gun ''Mamelouk'', under Captain Galbert. The squadron raided American commerce, capturing a number of prizes.The French Assaulton American Shipping, 1793–1813
A History and Comprehensive Record of Merchant Marine Losses, GREG H. WILLIAMS The campaign was successful, but as they returned to Lorient, on 22 May 1812, the squadron met the 74-gun HMS ''Northumberland'', resulting in the

action of 22 May 1812 The action of 22 May 1812 took place off Groix when a small French squadron comprising the French frigates and , and the brig ''Mameluck'' returning from a commerce raiding campaign in the Atlantic, met the 74-gun while trying the slip to Lorien ...

. After a gunnery exchange, ''Andromaque'' caught fire, and both frigates ran aground to save their crew; ''Andromaque'' exploded soon afterwards, and ''Ariane'' was set afire to prevent her capture. Féretier and Morice were court-martialed for the loss of their ships, stripped of their rank and barred from commanding a ship for three years. They were however quickly reintegrated.

Honours

* Legion of Honour * Order of Saint Louis in 1814.

Sources and references

Sources : AN – BB4 – 353
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Feretier, Jean-Baptiste-Henri French Navy officers 1765 births French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars 1832 deaths