François-Thomas Le Même (Saint-Malo, 13 January 1764Cunat, p.403 — ''Waltherstow'', at 30S 79E, 30 March 1805Cunat, p.410) was a French privateer.

Career

Le Même was born in Saint-Malo in the family of an accountant, and studied in order to enlist in the navy. At the age of 14, he enlisted as a volunteer on the merchantman ''Pouponne'', which departed Saint-Malo in early 1778, bound for Northern America. After the outbreak of the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, Le Même returned to Brest on the ''Gentille''. Le Même enlisted on the privateer ''Prince-de-Montbarrey'' which, after taking a number of prizes, was herself captured by a frigate on 28 June 1779.Cunat, p.404 Exchanged the following year, Le Même served on the ships ''Lys'', ''Pilote-des-Indes'' and ''Petite-Guêpe'', which he learnt that the war had ended. Replacing the lieutenant of the ship ''Marie-Constance'', Le Même sailed to Le Havre. Le Même then sailed on various merchantmen, rising to the rank of captain on 5 January 1790. He served as a lieutenant on the ''Mississippi'', before taking command of the ''Liberté'', bound for the

Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies) is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The ''Indies'' broadly referred to various lands in the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found i ...

. He departed on 3 September 1791 and arrived at Mauritius before sailing to Pondicheri and Bengal, before returning to Port-Louis. Le Même then took command of the 130-ton brig ''Hirondelle'', and cruised to Java and Sumatra, returning to Mauritius in March 1793. At the outbreak of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, Le Même converted ''Hirondelle'' into a privateer, arming her with twelve 4-pounder guns and recruiting a 110-man crew.Cunat, p.405 He then departed to prey on Dutch commerce. On 16 August 1793, ''Hirondelle'' met the brig 18-gun ''Good-Werwgting'', under Lieutenant Raken, and captured her by boarding. Le Même sent a prize crew under Lieutenant Legars on ''Good-Werwgting'' and continued his cruise. On 25 August, ''Hirondelle'' met the 40-gun East Indiaman ''Williams-Thesied'', under Captain John Thomson; boarded at once by both ''Hirondelle'' and ''Good-Werwgting'', ''Williams-Thesied'' surrendered after a 40-minute battle.Cunat, p.406 ''Hirondelle'' then returned to Port-Louis with her prizes. Le Même transferred on the 32-gun privateer ''Ville-de-Bordeaux'', with a 200-man complement, keeping Legars as his lieutenant. He reached

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in mid-December 1793, stormed the fortress, and captured the Dutch trading post, which he ransomed. He then sailed to

Sunda Strait The Sunda Strait () is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java island, Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean. Etymology The strait takes its name from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled the western portion of Ja ...

to patrol the area, but an epidemic aboard forced him to abbreviate his cruise and return to Mauritius. While in transit, on 12 February 1794, ''Ville-de-Bordeaux'' met the Portuguese ''Saint-Sacrement''Name in Cunat, p.406, but evidently translated to French. sailing from Bengal to Lisbon, and captured her.Cunat, p.407 A few days later, a storm separated ''Ville-de-Bordeaux'' from her prize; ''Saint-Sacrement'' reached Mauritius on 25 February and ''Ville-de-Bordeaux'', on the day after. Le Même was awarded 1 100 000

livres tournois The (; ; abbreviation: ₶ or £) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in early modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80. ...

in prize money. Le Même next captained the privateer ''Amphititrite'',Cunat (p.407) refers to ''Amphitrite'' as a "frigate"; however, no frigate ''Amphitrite'' of the French Navy operated in the Indian Ocean circa 1794 (Roche, p.40). Cunant probably means that ''Amphitrite'' was a three-masted privateer of the approximate strength of a naval corvette, instead of the more usual brigs used by privateers. a prize taken by Sercey's squadron in the Indian Ocean and sold by the colonial government of Mauritius; ''Amphititrite'' was old and in poor condition, and after cruising off

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( ) is a rocky headland on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A List of common misconceptions#Geography, common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Afri ...

without taking any prize, she sprang leaks and foundered in

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, forcing her crew to return to Mauritius on small ships. Le Même then sailed on the privateer ''Uni'' before transferring on ''Clarisse'', and retired. He started a career and a businessman, in which he lost his 1,400,000 livre tournois fortune. In 1803, with the outbreak of the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, First French Empire, France and French client republic, its client states under Napoleon I an ...

, Le Même took command of the 360-ton three-masted privateer ''Fortune''; on 26 January 1804, ''Fortune'' fought an indecisive battle against the British frigate ''Bombay''.Granier, p.445Possibly HCS ''Bombay'' After a six-month cruise, he returned to Mauritius with eight prizes.Cunat, p.408 On 20 August 1804, ''Fortune'' departed Mauritius to take station in the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf, sometimes called the Arabian Gulf, is a Mediterranean seas, mediterranean sea in West Asia. The body of water is an extension of the Arabian Sea and the larger Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.Un ...

area, where she captured the 16-gun

East Indiaman East Indiamen were merchant ships that operated under charter or licence for European trading companies which traded with the East Indies between the 17th and 19th centuries. The term was commonly used to refer to vessels belonging to the Bri ...

brig ''Fly'' after a 30-minute battle. ''Fly'' carried 50,000 piastres for the British government. ''Fortune'' continued her patrol and captured a number of smaller prizes. Le Même then decided to cruise off

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

; on 7 November, around 10:00, ''Fortune'' met the frigate HMS ''Concorde'', under Captain John Wood. ''Concorde'' had been dispatched specifically to hunt for ''Fortune'', and even had a 60-man reinforcement to her crew for the battle.Cunat, p.409 ''Fortune'' attempted to flee and ''Concorde'' gave chase, resulting in a race that lasted for several hours before ''Concorde'' overhauled her opponent. Le Même resisted fiercely before striking his colours at 22:15. Captain Wood treated his prisoner with great courtesy and returned to Bombay; ''Fortune'', in poor state after the battle, limped in several dayslater.

Fate

Le Même embarked on the East Indiaman ''Waltherstow'', bound for England, which departed on 15 February 1805. Aboard, he fell ill and died of sickness on 30 March at 30S 79E.Cunat, p.410

Notes

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Meme, Francois-Thomas People of the Quasi-War French privateers