Léon Barnaud (; 28 December 1845 – 29 August 1909) was a French naval officer, father of Pierre Barnaud and

Jacques Barnaud Jacques Barnaud (; 24 February 1893, Antibes – 15 April 1962, Paris) was a French banker, businessman, and member of the collaborationist Vichy regime during the Second World War. A graduate of the École Polytechnique, Barnaud worked for the ...

Early life

Léon Barnaud was born in 1845 in

Antibes Antibes (, , ; ) is a seaside city in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in Southeastern France. It is located on the French Riviera between Cannes and Nice; its cape, the Cap d'Antibes, along with Cap Ferrat in Saint-Jean-Ca ...

as the son of Jean-Joseph Barnaud, merchant, and Delphine Christine. His foster father was Jean-Charles-Alexandre Sallandrouze de Lamornaix (1840–1899).

Naval career

Barnaud entered the (Naval School) in 1862 and became an on 2 October 1865. From 2 October 1867, he was a ship's sign on the ''Sybille'', then on the ''Loiret''. In 1873, he was assigned to the rifle battalion of

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...

where he was promoted to lieutenant on August 3, 1875; he followed the courses of the School of Pyrotechnics and then of the School of Underwater Defenses, before serving on the ironclad in squadron of evolutions from 1878 to 1879. He was awarded Knight of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

on 11 July 1880. In 1881, he was posted to

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

. In 1882, he was on a mission to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

to observe the passage of Venus. In 1883, he became aide-de-camp to the

Maritime prefect A maritime prefect ( French: ''Préfet maritime'') is a servant of the French government who exercises authority over the sea in a particular region known as a maritime prefecture (''Préfecture maritime''). As of , there are three maritime prefec ...

of the 3rd arrondissement of Lorient. Appointed on 3 October 1884, on 1 January 1886, he took command of the

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

''Massue'' in

French Indochina French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China), officially known as the Indochinese Union and after 1941 as the Indochinese Federation, was a group of French dependent territories in Southeast Asia from 1887 to 1954. It was initial ...

. In 1887, he became an officer of the Minister for the Navy. On May 12, 1888, he became second-in-command of the frigate on the ironclads and ; he was awarded Officer of the Legion of Honor on December 30, 1890; in 1891, he took command of the

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

s , then in the Mediterranean Wing. On 1 January 1894, he was reassigned to Toulon, where he was promoted to captain on 14 March 1895 and in the process, he became director of submarine defenses in the 5th maritime district. From 20 September 1897, he assumed command of the ironclad in the Northern Squadron. In 1901 and 1902, he was commanding the protected cruiser and the Pacific Naval Division, before being appointed rear admiral on 21 October 1902. In 1903, he was appointed president of the Standing Commission for the Control and Revision of Armament Regulations, member of the Navy Advisory Committee and the Lighthouse Commission. From late 1903 to 1905, he commanded a division of the Mediterranean Wing with his flag on the

pre-dreadnought battleship Pre-dreadnought battleships were sea-going battleships built from the mid- to late- 1880s to the early 1900s. Their designs were conceived before the appearance of in 1906 and their classification as "pre-dreadnought" is retrospectively appli ...

. From 1906, he was responsible for the services of the armed fleet; he was named Commander of the Legion of Honor on 13 July 1906; he was promoted to vice-admiral in August 1907 and became president of the Navy Technical Committee on November 9 of the same year and in 1909, also president of the Hydrographic Committee. Barnaud died on 29 August 1909 in Antibes.

Citations

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernaud, Leon 1845 births 1909 deaths French Navy admirals