Jean Gaspard Vence
| Jean Gaspard de Vence | |
|---|---|
Portrait by Bourgeois (Musée du Louvre)
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| Born |
6 April 1747 Marseille, France |
| Died | 12 March 1808 (aged 60) Tonnerre, France |
| Allegiance | |
| Service/branch | |
| Years of service | 1763 - 1803 |
| Rank | Rear admiral |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
| Other work | Maritime Prefect of Toulon |
Jean Gaspard de Vence (6 April 1747 – 12 March 1808) was a French privateer, admiral and Maritime Prefect of Toulon.
In 1762 at age 15 he entered the merchant navy in Bayonne, sailed to Saint-Domingue and several years later became a captain. Transferred to the Royal Navy, served on a 74-gun battleship Protecteur, incidentally studying mathematics and navigation. Then returned to the merchant navy and in 1767 aboard the ship Auguste take a cruise along the coast of Africa, near Cape St. Philip was in a shipwreck more than four months and get to Marseille, losing half the crew from scurvy.
In 1776, he moved to Martinique, where at the beginning of the American War of Independence has received from Congress the right to privateering under the American flag. He served as captain of the xebec Victoire, in May 1777 led by a 14-gun privateer Tigre, which took on board the 24-gun British merchant ship with a cargo valued at 500,000 pounds. Within 18 months, cruised in the West Indies, spent 40 fights and captured 211 prizes, earning a reputation as the most formidable privateer the Caribbean (British Parliament praised his head in the 2 million pounds). Following the announcement of Louis XVI war Britain returned to the king's service, took part in the Invasion of Dominica, where at the head of 400 buccaneers famous capture of Fort Cachacrou, for which a lieutenant and September 20, 1778 appointed commander of a privateer Truite. Under the command of Admiral d'Estaing Battle of St. Lucia, January 1, 1779 - Commander of the privateer «La Ceres». As a lieutenant 80-gun ship of the line «Le Languedoc», the flagship of Admiral d'Estaing distinguished himself at the capture of July 2, 1779 the island of Grenada, where the head 80 grenadiers attacked the British position and took the enemy's flag, for which he was awarded the rank of captain, participated in the Siege of Savannah. In this heroic period Jean-Charles de Borda coined the famous slogan "always in front of Vence!" (Vence toujours devance!). In 1780, he was appointed commander of the port of Grenada, but soon falsely accused of selling marine equipment and forced to resign. Upon returning home his ship was sunk by the British, and Captain de Vence got to Lisbon and Cadiz joined a volunteer for the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral d'Estaing.
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