Emmanuel Halgan

Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Halgan (31 December 1771 – 20 April 1852) was a French Navy officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Martinique from 1834 to 1836.

Life

Born to the family of a bailiff, Halgan joined the French Navy aged 16. He then served as a lieutenant and first officer on merchantmen. After rejoining the Navy, he served aboard the brig ''Curieux'', captured by a British frigate in 1793. Halgan was taken prisoner. Upon his return to France, he served on the ''Terrible'' and on a number of other ships. In 1798, Halgan received command of . The next year, ''Aréthuse'' was dismasted and captured by the 74-gun , off Portugal. The Royal Navy took ''Aréthuse'' into service as HMS ''Raven''. In 1800, Halgan was tasked with commissioning ''Clorinde'', and then served as first officer on ''Clorinde'' as she was sent to Saint-Domingue.

Upon his return to France, Halgan received command of the brig ''Épervier'', with ensign Jérôme Bonaparte under his orders. In Martinique, Halgan took temporary command of the 20-gun ''Berceau''. He sailed to France, and in 1803, sailed to the Indian Ocean to warn of the outbreak of the War of the Third Coalition. At Mauritius, he joined up with Linois' squadron, engaging in commerce raiding. ''Berceau'' captured the 1500-ton and on 3 December along with Motard's '' Sémillante'' destroyed outposts at Pulo Bay, which was about eight miles from Bencoolen. Sailing towards the Sea of China, Halgan persuaded Linois to sail through the Gaspar Strait, of which he had studied recent maps. The French squadron then met a 26-ship convoy of the East India Company, leading to the Battle of Pulo Aura.

Promoted to ''capitaine de frégate'', Halgan was sent to France and received command of the frigate ''Cybèle'', but was then ordered to embark on the ''Vétéran'' instead, under Prince Jérôme Bonaparte. In 1809, Halgan captained the ''Heureuse'' during the Battle of the Basque Roads. ''Heureuse'' was amongst the survivors of the battle. In December 1813, with three companies of sailors and a fraction of the crews of his ships, Halgan defended the fortress of Hellevoetsluis, in Holland, against the attacks of several thousands insurgents. The French-held fortresses were later ordered abandoned due to the advances of the Allies, and the Meuse flotilla was scuttled in Willemstad. Halgan retreated to Anvers. When Anvers was shelled, he defended the harbour and helped preserve the ships and the naval installations.

After the Bourbon Restoration in France, Helgan was given command of the ''Superbe'', sailing to the Caribbean. Halgan the supervised the naval divisions of the Levant and of America. In 1819, he was nominated director for personnel at the Ministry of the Navy. He later returned to Levant to command a squadron, before returning to his office at the Ministry in 1824 and serving at the Council of State. From 1819 to 1830, he sat in the Chamber of Deputies. In 1830, he presided the Commission of Naval Signals. From 1834 to 1836, he served as the governor of Martinique. In 1837, he was made general inspector of the Harbours of the Ocean, and a Peer of France. After retiring on 24 June 1841, by then a vice-admiral, Halgan was promoted to Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. The genus Halgania of small shrubs in the family Boraginaceae, which are native to Australia, was named in his honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halgan, Emmanuel
French Navy admirals
1771 births
1852 deaths
French naval commanders of the Napoleonic Wars
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour
Peers of France
French governors of Martinique