Carhaix
Carhaix-Plouguer (; br, Karaez-Plougêr ), commonly known as just Carhaix (), is a commune in the French department of Finistère, region of Brittany, France.Nantes) was a French Navy officer and captain.
Career
Mahé started his career in the merchant Navy in 1789, and became an Midshipman in the Navy on 16 April 1794. He served on the fluyt ''Duras'' before embarking on '' Montagne'', flagship of Villaret-Joyeuse on which he took part in the
Glorious First of June
The Glorious First of June (1 June 1794), also known as the Fourth Battle of Ushant, (known in France as the or ) was the first and largest fleet action of the naval conflict between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the First French Republic ...
.Quintin, p. 254
From October 1794, he served on the frigate '' Fraternité'', on which he took part in the
Battle of Groix
The Battle of Groix was a large naval engagement which took place near the island of Groix off the Biscay coast of Brittany on 23 June 1795 ( 5 messidor an III) during the French Revolutionary Wars. The battle was fought between elements of the ...
on 23 June 1795 under Lieutenant Florinville. He then served on the brig-aviso ''Impatient'', the lugger ''Titus'', and the
felucca
A felucca ( ar, فلوكة, falawaka, possibly originally from Greek , ) is a traditional wooden sailing boat used in the eastern Mediterranean—including around Malta and Tunisia—in Egypt and Sudan (particularly along the Nile and in protect ...
''Fort''.
On 7 July 1797, he was promoted to Ensign and given command of the schooner ''Gentille'', escorting convoys off Bretagne. He served twice on the corvette ''Réolaise'', captained the gunboat ''Caroline'' in the summer of 1800, and returned on ''Impatient'' from October 1800 to January 1801.
In February, he embarked on the frigate '' Chiffonne'' and took part in the capture of the Portuguese frigate ''Hirondelle'' on 16 May 1801. On 16 June, ''Chiffonne'' captured the East Indiaman on her way from Bengal to London. Mahé was given command of the captured ship, and a prize crew took ''Bellona'' to Mauritius where she arrived a month later. Mahé then returned to France on the merchantman ''Aventure''.
On his return, Mahé was given command of the aviso , and promoted to Lieutenant on 5 March 1803. ''Vigie'' sailed from Cayenne at the head of a squadron consisting of herself and three privateer schooners. They were carrying troops to West Africa. They stopped at Dakar where more troops and two more vessels joined them, and then on 17–18 January 1804 captured Gorée from the British. (The British recaptured Gorée some months later.)
On 9 November 1804, Mahé was promoted to Commander and became first officer on '' Bucentaure'' in December 1804. On 23 February, he was given command of the frigate ''
Hermione
Hermione may refer to:
People
* Hermione (given name), a female given name
* Hermione (mythology), only daughter of Menelaus and Helen in Greek mythology and original bearer of the name
Arts and literature
* ''Cadmus et Hermione'', an opera by ...
Battle of Trafalgar
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...
and in Lamellerie's expedition.Fond Marine, p. 331 In late 1807, he took part in a division under Rear-Admiral Baudin, ferrying troops to
Martinique
Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...
, before decommissioning ''Hermione'' on 26 May 1808.
Mahé then served on ''
Patriote
The patriotes movement was a political movement that existed in Lower Canada (present-day Quebec) from the turn of the 19th century to the Patriote Rebellion of 1837 and 1838 and the subsequent Act of Union of 1840. The partisan embodiment of ...
'' as adjudant-commandant of the squadronFond Marine, p. 369 before being promoted to Captain on 12 July 1808. He successively commanded '' Ville de Varsovie'' and ''Patriote'' in Rochefort. He took part in the
Battle of the Basque Roads
The Battle of the Basque Roads, also known as the Battle of Aix Roads (French: ''Bataille de l'île d'Aix'', also ''Affaire des brûlots'', rarely ''Bataille de la rade des Basques''), was a major naval battle of the Napoleonic Wars, fought in th ...
, where ''Patriote'' ran aground and Mahé ordered her artillery thrown overboard to refloat her; on the 12th, ''Patriote'' came under fire from the British squadron and Mahé sent his sick and his wounded ashore to prepare his crew for the evacuation of his ship, but she refloated in the night of the 13th and washed to safety under Fort Lupin.
Mahé then commanded '' Annibal'' in Toulon.Fond Marine, p. 397 On 18 November 1812, he took command of the 74-gun '' Borée'', which he captained during the
action of 5 November 1813
The action of 5 November 1813 was a brief naval clash during the Napoleonic Wars, between part of the British Mediterranean Fleet led by Vice-Admiral Sir Edward Pellew, and a French force under Rear-Admiral Julien Cosmao-Kerjulien. The engagemen ...
and until she was decommissioned on 13 June 1814. He eventually retired on 1 January 1816.