Career Pierre Jean Van Stabel

1 career

1.1 service on rohan soubise
1.2 service captain channel
1.3 service rear-admiral channel
1.4 atlantic campaign of may 1794
1.5 later service

career

van stabel born family of sailors , started career in merchant navy @ age of fourteen, steadily rosing rank of sea captain. in 1778, intervention of france in american revolutionary war, van stabel enlisted in french royal navy auxiliary officer.

service on rohan soubise

van stabel s privateer dunkerquoise in 1779.

van stabel took command of privateer dunkerquoise in 1781, in command of 22-gun corvette rohan soubise, formerly privateer comtesse d artois purchased service on 27 april 1781.

commanding rohan soubise, van stabel captured british privateer admiral-rodney after one-hour battle, in twice wounded musket bullets throat, relinquishing command of ship long enough have bullets removed him body. damaged in battle taken prize, privateer scuttled fire. king louis xvi had silver sword presented him in recognition.

van stabel later commanded privateer, robecq.

service captain channel

in 1782, van stabel promoted frigate lieutenant, , tasked escort duty in english channel, on various small warships.

in 1787, van stabel tasked ferrying 4 large barges boulogne brest.

in 1788, conducted hydrographic survey of coasts of english channel; given command of lugger fanfaron.

promoted ensign in 1792, took command of frigate proserpine, on left one-year campaign in caribbean , saint-domingue.

in february 1793, outbreak of war of first coalition, van stabel promoted captain, , appointed command frigate thétis. departed brestin in april , led four-month campaign in english channel, capturing around forty british merchantmen.

service rear-admiral channel

in november of same year, van stabel promoted rear-admiral, , took command of division comprising 6 ships of line, flag on 74-gun tigre; other ships 74-gun jean bart, tourville, impétueux, aquilon , révolution, screenning force comprising frigates insurgente , sémillante, , brigs ballon , espiègle.

on 16 november, division departed brest intercept british convoy in channel. instead of convoy , expected four-ship escort under sir john jervis, van stabel s division met 28-ship squadron under admiral howe. van stabel ordered retreat, sémillante s inferior nautical qualities made lag behind division, , overhauled british frigate; van stabel sailed tigre independently rescue her, , in course of chase lasted several days, managed pry seventeen merchantmen convoy without granting howe head-on engagement before returning brest. espiègle captured 2 frigates on 29th.

atlantic campaign of may 1794

later year, van stabel tasked escorting food convoy gathered captain Émeriau, of frigate embuscade, chesapeake france. convoy departed in april, counting 170 ships. pursuit of convoy of royal navy focus of atlantic campaign of may 1794 culminated bataille du 13 prairial 2 ( glorious first of june ). convoy arrived @ scene of battle on 3 june , found debris left battle; van stabel considered whether keep route fear british fleet might ambush him, decided quantity of wreckage sign both fleets had had return harbour. continued on, , reached brest unharmed on 13 june, without losing ship, , having augmented convoy forty prizes. national convention voted decree van stabel had bien mérité de la patrie.

during croisière du grand hiver, van stabel commanded light squadron of villaret-joyeuse s fleet, lost none of ships.

later service

in 1796, french directory decided reopen shipping lines on scheldt, , tasked van stabel lead 2 brigs , 4 gunboats escort 8 merchantmen antwerp (six french , 2 swedish). van stabel managed sail several dutch forts without engaging them.

van stabel returned vlissingen conduct patrols in north sea @ head of division comprising 4 frigates , number of corvettes. however, declining health forced him return dunkirk, died after of chest disease.

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