Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume

Count Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume(La Ciotat, 13 April 1755 - Aubagne, 28 July 1818) was a French admiral.

Ganteaume was born to a family of merchant sailors, and achieved a dozen commercial cruises in his youth. He also served as an aid officer in the Navy in America, aboard the ship-of-the-line "Fier Rodrigue", and in India in Suffren's fleet aboard the fluyt "Marlborough", the frigate "Surveillante" and "Apollon", and aboard the ship-of-the-line "Jupiter".

Ganteaume was promoted to "lieutenant de vaisseau" in September of 1793, and captain in February 1794, receiving command of the ship-of-the-line"Trente et un Mai", under Admiral de Joyeuse. He was wounded at the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2.

Ganteaume was then granted command of the ship-of-the-line "Montblanc", and later of a division comprising a ship-of-the-line, 4 frigates and 2 corvettes. He was promoted to rear admiral in November 1798, and was chief of staff of admiral Brueys at the Battle of the Nile.

Ganteaume was aboard the frigate "Muiron" when she ferried Bonaparte back to France, in October 1799. He reached Brest and took command of a rescue squadron, in an attempt to reinforce the Army of Egypt, but his hesitations allowed the Royal Navy to blockade him in Toulon. When he finally arrived off Egypt, the troops did not land.

Ganteaume was promoted to head of the fleet of the Mediterranean in 1800, "préfet maritime" of Toulon in 1802, and vice-admiral in 1804. In 1810 he was made a count of the Empire, and chief of the sailors of the Imperial Guard. Named a member of the Conseil d'État in 1799, Ganteaume served as president of the Section Marine from 1806-1810.

After the Restauration, he was made a Pair de France.

External links

* [http://perso.orange.fr/marine-imperiale/amiraux/ganteaume.htm Netmarine]