Joseph - Marie Nielly Joseph - Marie Nielly ( 1751 – 1833 ) was a French naval officer and admiral . Nielly was born and died in Brest . He began his career aged seven aboard the " Formidable " , and was wounded at the Battle of Quiberon Bay , on 20 November 1759 . He sailed in the Caribbean until 1769 , when he joined the merchant navy . In 1774 , aged 23 , he received his first command of a merchantman . In 1778 , he joined the French Navy as " lieutenant de frégate " . During the Naval operations in the American Revolutionary War , he commanded the 20 - gun " Guyane " , escorting convoys . On 17 August 1778 , she fought against two ships of the line , two frigates and one cutter , yet managed to escaped . After war ended , he sailed again as a merchant , and joined the Navy again in 1787 after a reform of the status of officers from the ranks and files , as a " sous - lieutenant de vaisseau " . In 1789 and 1790 , and commanded the cutter " Pilote des Indes " , escorting the fishing fleet from Granville . He later served on the fluyt " Dromadaire " as first mate , and as commanded between May and December 1791 , replenishing outposts in the Carebeans . In January 1792 , he was promoted the full " lieutenant de vaisseau " , and to " capitaine de vaisseau " in January 1793 . When the War of the First Coalition broke out , he took command of the frigate " Résolue " and raided commerce in the Atlantic , in the Bay of Biscay , and the Channel , both alone and within the frigate division commanded by Zacharie Allemand . A resolute Republican , Nielly had his crew sign a manifesto supporting the Constitution of the French First Republic , and sent it to the National Convention . In November 1793 , he was promoted to " contre - amiral " . In April 1794 , in the context of the Atlantic campaign of May 1794 , he set his mark on the " Sans Pareil " and led a 5 - ship and 2 - frigate strong squadron to meet with the convoy led by Van Stabel . He failed to meet the convoy , but on 8 May , the squadron met and captured HMS " Castor " , as well as 30 merchantmen that she escorted . The frigate " Unité " also captured the 16 - gun sloop HMS " Alert " . He met with Villaret - Joyeuse ' s fleet . At the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2 , Nielly commanded the rear with his mark set on " Républicain " . At the Action of 6 November 1794 , Nielly ' s division captured HMS " Alexander " . Nielly was put in charge of the third squadron of the Brest fleet , and took part in the Croisière du Grand Hiver , under Villaret - Joyeuse , and in the Expédition d ' Irlande , under Morard de Galles , with his mark on the frigate " Résolue " . The fleet was dispersed in tempests which destroyed the " Séduisant " and the frigate " Surveillante " He reached Bantry Bay , where the " Redoutable " accidentally collided with the " Résolue " , destroying her bowsprit , foremast , mainmast and mizzen . A shore party was sent on a small boat , and was captured by the British . Without hope of landing an army in condition to fight , the French fleet returned to Brest . Nielly later held the office positions of " commandant d ’ armes " in Brest and Lorient , and Préfet maritime in Dunkirk from 1800 . Having bad personal relations to Denis Decrès , he resigned in 1803 and retired . In 1814 , he was made Baron d ' Empire , and died in 1833 with the dignitiy of honorary vice - admiral . Honours . Nielly ' s name is engraved on the Arc de Triomphe .