Jean Jacques Étienne Lucas
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Jean Jacques Etienne Lucas was a French Navy officer and hero of the Battle of Trafalgar.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Jean Jacques Etienne Lucas was born 28 April 1764 in Marennes, France.
[edit] Early military experience
He participated in the American Revolutionary War as a member of the French Marine Nationale.
[edit] The Battle of Trafalgar
His role in the Battle of Trafalgar, however, is how he is primarily remembered in history. By 1805, Lucas was a capitaine de vaisseau, the French title for captain. He commanded the ship of the line known as the French ship Redoutable (1791).
During the Trafalgar conflict (21 October 1805), the Redoutable was located just off the port side of the Bucentaure, the command ship of Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve. As a result of this positioning, Lucas and his crew found themselves in between the two columns of British ships commanded by Admiral Nelson and in the heat of battle from very early on in the conflict. They engaged HMS Victory, Nelson's ship, and through usage of heavy artillery they came astern of HMS Victory and sought to board her.
The conflict aboard the Victory was bloody; costing both sides many men and ultimately resulting in stalement. Admiral Nelson himself was mortally wounded by a musket shot fired from atop one of the masts of the Redoutable, but before the boarding was successful, HMS Temeraire intervened and opened fire on the Redoutable starboard side, resulting in the deaths of over two hundred French marines.
At 2:30 p.m. the Redoutable surrendered to HMS Temeraire after having lost 522 men out of their total 643. Of this number, 300 were killed and 222 were wounded. Lucas himself was injured, and the ship had suffered damage which had led to the hold taking on several feet of water. The masts had been broken and there was substantial damage to the rest of the ship, including the artillery.
HMS Swiftsure sent a party to take Lucas and two other officers off the ship into captivity the following morning. The Redoutable, however, was still taking on water, and despite the efforts of rescue boats sent over the course of the day, only 119 marines were saved before the ship sunk with the dead and wounded still on board.
[edit] After Trafalgar
Upon his release from captivity and return to France, Lucas was personally awarded the gold cross of the legion of honor by Napoleon in recognition of his ship's service. Lucas died on May 29, 1819 in Brest, France at the age of 55.
