Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars

Aristide Aubert Du Petit Thouars (Boumais, August 31 1760 - Abukir, August 2 1798; often written Dupetit-Thouars) was a French naval officer, and a hero of the Battle of Aboukir, where he died.

He was born on August 31 1760, in the castle of Boumais, near Saumur. He studied at the Collège Royal de La Flèche, and entered the French Navy in 1778. He participated that same year to the Battle of Ouessant. In 1790, he participated to the conquest of Saint-Louis du Sénégal.

He then served in the Antilles, under Guichen against Rodney on the 80-gun "La Couronne". He was at the Battle of the Saintes.

He was promoted to Lieutenant ("Lieutenant de Vaisseau") in 1792. He left that year onboard the 12-gun brig "Le Diligent", in search of La Pérouse. In Brazil, he was imprisoned by the Portuguese, but liberated in 1793. After that he lived for three years in the United States.

Back in France, he was reintegrated (he had been destituted as an aristocrat), and was promoted to Captain, commander of the "Tonnant" at the Battle of the Nile, where he died on August 2 1798. During the battle, he forced HMS "Majestic" to break off combat with 50 killed, including Captain Westcott, and 143 wounded [The Line Upon A Wind, Noel Mostert Pg. 274] [Tonnant fired a broadside at Bellerophon, but Bellerophon never struck her colors. Mostert, Pg. 269 as well as Billy Ruffian, David Cordingly Pg. 149] . After having lost both legs and an arm, he continued to command from a bucket filled with wheat, until he died.

His last order was allegedly to nail the flag of the "Tonnant" to her mizzen-mast and never to surrender the ship. The "Tonnant" was eventually captured by the British.

Family

* His older brother, Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars, was a famous botanist.
* His nephew, Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars, was a Navy captain who took possession of Tahiti for France.
* His descendant, Abel Nicolas Bergasse Dupetit-Thouars participated to the Boshin War in Japan.

Honours

* Six ships of the French Navy were named in his honour. See French ship "Dupetit-Thouars"

Notes

External links

* [http://www.netmarine.net/tradi/celebres/aristidedupetitthouars/index.htm Detailed biography (French)]
* [http://www.netmarine.net/bat/ee/dupetit/celebre.htm La famille Dupetit-Thouars (French)]