Julien Cosmao
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Julien Marie Cosmao-Kerjulien (Châteaulin, 27 November 1761 - Brest, 17 February 1825) was a French Navy officer, admiral, and hero of the Battle of Trafalgar.
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[edit] Early career
Completing his studies in Châteaulin, young Cosmao-Kerjulien joined the French Royal Navy in 1776, against his parents' will. He served in the Aigrette in the Caraibs. Back to Brest in 1778, he served on the Oiseau with Corentin de Leissegues. In September, after the beginning of the American Revolutionary War, he served on the Nymphe, taking part in two battles against English privateers, near Bordeaux and Belle-Isle.
Between January 1779 and April 1781, he served in Guyana abord the brig Hirondelle, fighting two more English privateers and capturing two East Indiamen. He was promoted to Lieutenant of an auxiliary frigate in September 1781. He served successively aboard the Pégase (February 1782) and the Protecteur (March) before taking command of the Fluyt Fidèle in Terre Neuve from May 1783 to April 1784. In January 1785 he served on the Lourde, on the Vigilante on October and the Dorade in April 1786. He was made a sub-lieutenant on a ship of the line in March 1786.
In September 1787, he was given command of the brig Vaneau, and of the Boulonnaise for November 1787 to March 1790. From October 1790 to January 1791, he was first officer abord the Précieuse.
From February 1791, he served aboard the Orion of the squadron of Laurent Jean François Truguet in Toulon. He was made ship of the line full lieutenant in January 1792, and received command of the corvette Sincère in April. He took part to the landing at Cagliari in January 1793.
[edit] Ship of the Line Captain
In the context of the lack of qualified officers due to the Revolution, he was made Capitaine de Vaisseau in April 1793, serving aboard the Commerce de Marseille, the Centaure and the Duguay-Trouin, under Counter-Admiral Trogoff de Kerlessy.
In December 1794 he was transferred to the squadron commanded by Admiral Martin, where he commanded the 80-gun ship of the line Tonnant. On the 10 June 1795, he captured the English frigate Alceste, and took part to the Battle of Cape Noli in March 1795 (the French and the English both lost two ships of the line) and of Cape Frejus (17 French ships of the line against 23 English; the French lost the 74-gun Alcide).
In June 1797, he was made chief of division, commanding the Jemmapes in the Mediterranean. From 1801 to 1803, he served under Dordelin in Saint-Domingue, commanding the Océan, the Alliance and the Mont-Blanc.
Back to France, he assumed command of the 74-gun Pluton in the squadron of Admiral Villeneuve in Toulon. He accompanied the squadron to the Caraibs in its seizing of the English fortress of the Diamond Rock, 6 nautical miles (11 km) away from Martinique. Back to Europe, he took part to the "Fight of the 80", on the 22 July, saving one Spanish ship which had run out of wind and was threatened by the English.
[edit] Battle of Trafalgar
At the Battle of Trafalgar, the Pluton was part of the reconnaissance squadron created by Villeneuve and commanded by Spanish Admiral Gravina. She followed the Fougueux in the line of battle, in the rear. When Admiral Collingwood attacked, the Pluton opened fire on the Royal Sovereign, then manoeuvered in order to block the Mars , damaged her with artillery fire and attempted to board and seize her. However, the arrival of the Tonnant in her stern forced her to turn. She engaged the Belle-Isle, already damaged by the fire of the Fougueux; again another English ship, the Polyphemus, forced her to disengage. She then helped the surrounded Principe de Asturias of Gravina, and succeeded in freeing her.
However, at this point, the battle was already lost for the French. At sunset, 5 French ships (the Pluton, the Héros, the Neptune, the Indomptable and the Argonaute) and 6 Spanish ships returned to Cádiz, under the dying Admiral Gravina. On the 23 October, Cosmao, as most senior officer of the harbour, took command of the sqadron, and set back to sea with five ships: the Pluton, the Héros, the Neptune, the San Francisco de Asis, and the Rayo. He managed to retake the Neptuno and the Santa Ana, as well as to force the English to scuttle a number of their prizes. The Neptuno and Rayo sank during the journey back.
[edit] Late career
Cosmao-Kerjulien was made Counter-Admiral on the 29 May 1806. He took command of a division of the Squadron of Mediterranean, under Ganteaume from 1807. he took part in operations to resupply Corfu and to the landing in Sicily. His 4 ships, having sustained damage, retreated to Taranto.
In 1809, he left Toulon aboard the Robuste with a division and escorted a convoy to Barcelona without losing one single ship. He was made Baron in 1810. In August 1811, he served under Missiessy in the squadron of l'Escaut. He commanded a division, setting his mark on the Tilsitt.
In 1813 he returned to the Mediterranean squadron, where he commanded a 5-ship division, with his flag on the Wagram. On the 5 November 1813, he saved the 74-gun Agamemnon and the frigates Pénélope and Melpomène, under Vice-Admiral Emeriau, which were surrounded by superior English forces.
In February 1814, he set sail with three ships from Toulon to Gena, threatened by the Austrians, to bring back the Scorpion. He escaped the forces of Admiral Pellew and successfully returned to Toulon on the 10th with the Scorpion without losing a ship, though the Romulus, at the rear, did suffer several shots.
During the first restoration, in April 1814, Cosmao-Kerjulien received command of the Mediterranean squadron, and was made a Knight in the Order of Saint Louis. In 1815, he rallied Napoleon, who made him préfet maritime of Brest in March, and Peer of France in June, right before the Battle of Waterloo.
Cosmao-Kerjulien was retired on the 1 January 1816, and for one year he did not receive a pension. At the time of his retirement, he was 55, with 25 year in campaigns, and 11 battles without once being wounded or captured. He died at 64, on the 17 February 1825.
[edit] Honours
- Cosmao's name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
[edit] Quotations
"The best sailor of the time; none was ever braver and more generous" -- Napoléon
[edit] Trivia
Five paintings of him can be seen in the town house of his home town of Châteaulin, in the Finistère.
