Counter-Admiral Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin (13 October 1768 – 23 April 1839) was a

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

officer and explorer. He fought in numerous naval engagements during the

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...

and conducted several exploratory voyages in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

and

Southern Ocean The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...

Early life

Hamelin was born in

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Hon ...

, Calvados,

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. At age 17, Hamelin embarked on a trade ship belonging to his uncle as a young marine to learn sailing. In April 1786, he was a crew member of the ship ''Asie'' of the merchant marine which was destined for the coast of

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

on a ten-month campaign. He then proceeded to

Cherbourg Cherbourg is a former Communes of France, commune and Subprefectures in France, subprefecture located at the northern end of the Cotentin peninsula in the northwestern French departments of France, department of Manche. It was merged into the com ...

on board the ''Triton'' as a

helmsman A helmsman or helm (sometimes driver or steersman) is a person who steering, steers a ship, sailboat, submarine, other type of maritime vessel, airship, or spacecraft. The rank and seniority of the helmsman may vary: on small vessels such as fis ...

. In July 1788, Hamelin returned to Honfleur, where he embarked as a midshipman on the ship ''Jeune Mina'' and campaigns on several other vessels.

French Navy

In 1792, he was conscripted into the

. On August 1792 he was a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

aboard the vessel ''Entreprenant'' which was a part of a naval division under Counter-admiral Louis-René Levassor de Latouche Tréville. Tréville's division joined together with another squadron of

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

Truguet and took part in attacks on the Sardinian municipalities of

Oneglia Oneglia ( or ) is a former town in northern Italy on the Ligurian coast, in 1923 joined to Porto Maurizio to form the Comune of Imperia (city), Imperia. The name is still used for the suburb.Roy Palmer Domenico, ''The regions of Italy: a refere ...

Cagliari Cagliari (, , ; ; ; Latin: ''Caralis'') is an Comune, Italian municipality and the capital and largest city of the island of Sardinia, an Regions of Italy#Autonomous regions with special statute, autonomous region of Italy. It has about 146,62 ...

and

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

of the frigate '' Proserpine'', with which he captured the

Dutch States Navy The Dutch States Navy (, ) was the navy of the Dutch Republic from 1588 to 1795. Coming into existence during the Eighty Years' War, the States Navy played a major role in expanding and protecting the Dutch colonial empire, in addition to partici ...

frigate ''Vigilante'' and part of the convoy she was escorting. He was promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in August 1795, and on '' Minerve'', took part in the

action of 7 March 1795 The action of 8 March 1795 was a minor naval engagement in the Mediterranean theatre of the French Revolutionary Wars. The action was part of series of battles fought in the spring of 1795 between British and French fleets for control of the Ligu ...

, in which HMS ''Berwick'' was captured. He took part in the Battle of the Levant Convoy, in which Counter-admiral Joseph de Richery's squadron met with a British convoy bound for Smyrna, capturing 30 out of 31 merchant ships, and retaking the 74 gun ''Censeur''. On 21 November 1796, Hamelin was promoted to ''capitaine de frégate'' (commander) and took a commission as first officer of '' Révolution''. He took part in the French expedition to support the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The m ...

. Hamelin subsequently took command of the '' Fraternité'' for three months, after which took command of '' Précieuse'', part of a squadron under Admiral Eustache Bruix. He then embarked as second-in-command on the '' Formidable''.

Exploration of the South Seas

From 1 October 1800 to 23 June 1803, Hamelin captained the bomb ship '' Naturaliste'', along with Captain

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 175416 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. He carried a few corms of Gros Michel banana ...

on '' Géographe'', on a scientific expedition exploring the South Seas. This voyage was intended as a scientific exploration of New Holland and the charting of the as yet unknown southern coastline. There were no instructions from the French government to claim any land in the name of France. This expedition returned to France the largest collection of plants animals and seeds from New Holland and

Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...

that Europe had ever seen, including two short-legged emus from King Island who lived out their days in Josephine's garden. Baudin rejected ideas amongst his crewmen that they should found a settlement there, and he wrote letters back home to this effect. A party of Hamelin's men discovered a plate, left by

Willem de Vlamingh Willem Hesselsz de Vlamingh (baptized 28 November 1640 – after 7 August 1702) was a Dutch sea captain who explored the central west coast of New Holland (Australia) in the late 17th century, where he landed in what is now Perth on the Swan ...

in 1697, which had in turn replaced an earlier plate left by

Dirk Hartog Dirk Hartog (; baptised 30 October 1580 – buried 11 October 1621) was a 17th-century Dutch sailor and explorer. Dirk Hartog's expedition was the second European group to land in Australia and the first to leave behind an artifact to record hi ...

in 1616. Hamelin's men initially removed the plate but it was returned on his orders and left intact until a later visit by

Louis de Freycinet Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet (7 August 1779 – 18 August 1841) was a French Navy officer. He circumnavigated the Earth, and in 1811 published the first map to show a full outline of the coastline of Australia. Biography He was born at M ...

in 1818. De Freycinet was on Hamelin's 1801 crew. On his return to France, Hamelin was promoted to ''captaine de vaisseau'' (captain), and oversaw the weaponry of the fleet intended for

Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom at the start of the War of the Third Coalition, although never carried out, was a major influence on British naval strategy and the fortification of the coast of South East England. In 1796 the Fre ...

Mauritius

In July 1806, Hamelin took command of the frigate '' Vénus'' at

Le Havre Le Havre is a major port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy (administrative region), Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the Seine, river Seine on the English Channel, Channe ...

. He set sail for Isle de France, capturing four British ships along the way. In March 1809, ''Vénus'' entered Port Napoléon at the start of the Mauritius campaign of 1809–1811 between France and Britain over French colonies in the Indian ocean. On 26 April, after orders from the governor of Isle de France to leave, he sailed off, having under his command ''Vénus'', the frigate ''

Manche Manche (, ; Norman language, Norman: ) is a coastal Departments of France, French ''département'' in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy on the English Channel, which is known as , literally "the sleeve", in French. Manche is bordered by ...

'', the brig ''Entreprenant'', and the schooner ''Créole''. He visited Foulpointe on the east coast of

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Besieged by local Madagascan tribesmen, he sailed for the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

. On the way there, ''Vénus'' captured the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

(EIC) armed ship ''Orient'' on 26 July. Hamelin then turned east in search of more British shipping to attack, capturing several small merchantmen off the

Nicobar Islands The Nicobar Islands are an archipelago, archipelagic island chain in the eastern Indian Ocean. They are located in Southeast Asia, northwest of Aceh on Sumatra, and separated from Thailand to the east by the Andaman Sea. Located southeast of t ...

and destroying the EIC factory at Tappanooly on 10 October. On the return voyage to Mauritius, he captured three EIC

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

in the action of 18 November 1809. On his return trip, Hamelin captured several more British ships, until he encountered HMS ''Ceylon'' on 17 September. ''Ceylon'' was captured, but the next day a British frigate squadron captured both ''Ceylon'' and ''Vénus''.

Hero's return

Hamelin remained a prisoner of the British for the rest of the year. He was however released in a prisoner exchange, and on his return to France in February 1811 Hamelin was presented to

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and made a ''Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur'', created a Baron of Empire, raised to the rank of counter admiral and named commander of a division of the squadron under the orders of Admiral Édouard Thomas Burgues de Missiessy. In April 1818 he moved 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 ...

as general major of the navy, a post that he occupied until 18 May 1822. In early 1823, he was bestowed the rank of ''Grand Officer de la Légion d'Honneur''. In 1832 Baron Hamelin was appointed Inspector General of Marine Crews, and in 1833 he was named Director of Marine Cartography. He retired shortly after, and died in Paris. His nephew was Admiral Ferdinand-Alphonse Hamelin.

Legacy

The completion of the hero's welcome in 1811 was that his

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

was inscribed on the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

in Paris, on the north pillar, the only naval officer to be so honored from the Napoleonic Wars. He was second in command during the

Battle of Grand Port The Battle of Grand Port was a naval battle fought on 20–27 August 1810 between squadrons of frigates from the French Navy and the British Royal Navy over possession of the harbour of Grand Port on Île de France (now Mauritius), as part of ...

, a naval battle won by the French off the coast of Mauritius. The battle is the only French naval battle to be inscribed on the

References

* Edward Duyker ''François Péron: An Impetuous Life: Naturalist and Voyager'', Miegunyah/MUP, Melb., 2006, , * Fornasiero, Jean; Monteath, Peter and West-Sooby, John. ''Encountering Terra Australis: the Australian voyages of Nicholas Baudin and Matthew Flinders'', Kent Town, South Australia, Wakefield Press, 2004. *Frank Horner, The French Reconnaissance: Baudin in Australia 1801—1803, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1987 . * "Jacques Félix Emmanuel Hamelin", in C. Mullié, '' Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, XIXe siècle'' * Marchant, Leslie R. ''French Napoleonic Placenames of the South West Coast'', Greenwood, WA. R.I.C. Publications, 2004. *Taillemite, E. Dictionnaire des marins français, Editions Maritimes et d’Outre-Mer, Paris, 1982, p. 156.