Louis Gabriel Deniéport (; 14 April 1765,

Dieppe Dieppe (; ; or Old Norse ) is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department, Normandy, northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newhaven in England ...

– 20 October 1805) was a French naval captain who fought in several battles, most notably

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England Trafalgar may also refer to: Places * Cape Trafalgar, a headland in ...

, at which he was killed commanding the ''Achille''.

Life

Born to hotelier parents on rue de l'oranger in Dieppe, his godfather was Nicolas Boiloy, a businessman in the Saint-Remy parish, and his godmother was the widow Michel Martel, a businesswoman in the parish of Saint-Jacques. Like his brother Jean-Vincent Deniéport, Louis was a brilliant student at the Oratorian school and won the general prize in 1785, though he had to enter the Oratorian house very young. His passion for the sea and probable aptitude for action rather than philosophical meditation interrupted his studies aged 14 when he began serving on the

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

s that were common in the port of Dieppe. On these he gained seagoing skills in the subaltern posts of novice, matelot and aide-pilote. Better educated than his fellow seamen and also daring and able, he came to public attention just as the mainly-noble officer corps of the navy was weeded out on the French Revolution. On 9 messidor year II (9 June 1794), he was made an enseigne "entretenu", by decree of Salicetti, representative of the people. A note from

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 ...

on his bearing stated "his manners are pure, exact in the service, inclined neither to wine nor gaming, good in political conduct, educated, with robust health, loved by his crew". He took command of the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...

''Brune'' on 5 frimaire year II (15 November 1794) and went to

under the command of general Martin. He fought in the action in which the British captured the ''Censeur'' and ''Ça Ira''. In the course of this action ''Le Timoléon'' was dismasted and sinking, under fire from three British ships surrounding it. The ''Brune'' managed to draw off the British ships' fire, for which action general Martin promoted Deniéport to

lieutenant de vaisseau Ship-of-the-line lieutenant (; ) is a naval officer rank, used in a number of countries. The name derives from the name of the largest class of warship, the ship of the line, as opposed to smaller types of warship ( corvettes and frigates). It ...

on 21 germinal year IV (10 April 1796). Deniéport then took part in a long campaign in the Levant and, when he came under suspicion from agents of the

French Directory The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...

, the city of

Sète Sète (; , ), also historically spelled ''Cette'' (official until 1928) and ''Sette'', is a commune in the Hérault department, in the region of Occitania, southern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Sétois'' (male) and ''Sétoises'' (fem ...

attested to his loyalty. He thus rose up the career ladder to capitaine de frégate on 14 floréal year V (3 May 1797). On 2 brumaire year VII (23 October 1798) he received a provisional commission as a brevet

capitaine de vaisseau Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navy, navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide in ...

commanding the ''Leander'', putting him under the command of chef de division Lejoille. He was sent to

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

, which Russia and the Ottoman Empire were hoping to annex, doing his best with a lean Greek and Venetian crew. However, his ship was surrounded by an enemy fleet and captured, though he was soon the subject of a prisoner exchange and showered with recommendations and flattering references. Commissioner general Dubois certified that "Commander Deniéport fulfilled all the dutier of a good officer and a brave republican" and the whole garrison of Corfu also witnessed to his good behaviour.

Contre-amiral Counter admiral is a military rank used for high-ranking officers in several navies around the world, though the rank is not used in the English-speaking world, where its equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French . Dependi ...

Perré wrote that Deniéport showed "conduct worthy of praise, a good officer, a true seaman, zealous, active, who very well fulfilled the several particular and very delicate tasks he was entrusted with".

Général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

Chabot also wrote "This captain, with his vessel devoid of people, resisted beyond all praise" and vice admiral Thévenard praised "his zeal and his talent". Ill and tired out from his hard voyages, Deniéport asked for leave to spend time in Dieppe, which he had not visited for seven years.

Sources

*''Bulletin trimestriel les amis du vieux Dieppe'', année 1930, fascicule n° 30. {{DEFAULTSORT:Denieport 1765 births 1805 deaths French Navy officers French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars People from Dieppe, Seine-Maritime