Louis Dartige du Fournet

Louis Dartige du Fournet (Putanges-Pont-Écrepin, 2 March 1856 – Périgueux, 16 February 1940) was a French admiral during World War I.

He entered the French Navy in 1872 and fought in 1893 as commander of the Comète in the Paknam incident against Siam. During the Balkan Wars (1912-1913) he was as vice-Admiral commander of the French fleet in the Mediterranean Sea. During World War I, he was appointed in February 1915 head of the 3rd French squadron. Based in Syria, its task was to impose a blockade of the Turkish fleet.

In September 1915, he was alerted to the desperate situation of the Armenians on Musa Dagh and he organized the evacuation of 4,080 Armenians on the Foudre, D’Estrées, Guichen, Amiral Charner and Desaix.

On 10 October 1915, he replaced Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère as allied commander in the Mediterranean Sea.

Du Fournet disarmed the Greek fleet on 11 October 1916, although he disliked interfering in the affairs of a neutral state. Nonetheless, he landed a contingent of sailors at Athens, but had to withdraw two days later after unexpected armed resistance by royalist Greek troops. 70 French sailors were killed. Torpedo boats and the battleship Mirabeau shelled Athens to enable the French (and their British allies) to disengage.

Du Fournet was criticised for refusing to bombard Athens more vigorously, and was replaced by Admiral Dominique-Marie Gauchet on 12 December.

Du Fournet was rehabilitated by the end of the war, but retired in his Périgueux villa Paknam. He is buried in Saint-Chamassy. Louis Dartige du Fournet is still seen as a hero by Armenians for his action in 1915.

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