Captain Jean-Marie Letellier (Brest, 3 October 1767 - Alexandria, 17 April 1830) was a French Navy officer.

Biography

Letellier joined the Navy at age 13 as an apprentice, and was severely wounded after a few weeks of service when the escort on which he sailed battled two privateers. The next year, he volunteered on the frigate ''Bellone'', which raided commerce off India. While at sea, he transferred to Suffren's squadron, and subsequently took part in the battles of Suffren's campaigns, serving on ''Coventry'' and ''Sévère''. Returned to Brest with the ''Illustre'', Letellier sailed with the merchant navy until 1793, when he embarked on a privateer. In September, he joined the Navy with the rank of ensign on the ''Pomone'' and served aboard until the

action of 23 April 1794 The action of 23 April 1794 took place between a British squadron of five frigates under the command of Sir John Borlase Warren and three frigates and a corvette under the command of Chef d'escadre Georges Desgarceaux during the War of the Fir ...

, in which the frigate was captured and Letellier was taken prisoner. Released and returned to Brest, he was transferred to Toulon to serve on ''Conquérant'' and on ''Orient'' from January 1796. Promoted to commander in September, Letellier was appointed to ''Heureux'' and served in the

Mediterranean campaign of 1798 The Mediterranean campaign of 1798 was a series of major naval operations surrounding a French expeditionary force sent to Egypt under Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The French First Republic, French Republic sought to ...

. After the captured of Malta, he was given command of the ''Cartaginoise'', freshly captured at La Valette. He remained in harbour until the end of the Siege of Malta. Returned to France, Letellier served in various harbours until he was appointed to the frigate ''Cérès''. He then served as an aid to

Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley Vice-Admiral Pierre Étienne René Marie Dumanoir Le Pelley (2 August 1770 – 7 July 1829) was a French Navy officer best known for commanding the vanguard of the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar. His conduct during this battle was the s ...

, and was promoted to captain in September 1803. He was appointed to Dumanoir's flagship ''Formidable'', taking part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre and in the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

. He managed to escape the battle, but fell upon Admiral Sir

Richard Strachan Admiral Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet, GCB (27 October 1760 – 3 February 1828) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the American War of Independence and French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of ad ...

's squadron on 4 November 1805, resulting in the

Battle of Cape Ortegal The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been defeated earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar. It took place on 4 November 1805 ...

. The French ships had to strike their colours. Letellier returned to France in 1806 and served ashore until 1811, when he was appointed to ''Agamemnon''. Letellier was retired in 1816, and left for Egypt where he served as an advisor to Ibrahim Pasha, though he stayed ashore during the

Battle of Navarino The Battle of Navarino was a naval battle fought on 20 October (O.S. 8 October) 1827, during the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), in Navarino Bay (modern Pylos), on the west coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, in the Ionian Sea. Allied ...

, as staying on board Egyptian ships would have entailed facing the French Navy. He nevertheless retained his appointment afterwards, and supervised the harbour of Alexandria until his death in a boating accident.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Letellier, Jean-Marie French Navy officers 1767 births 1830 deaths