Jean Bart
- For other Jeans Bart, see Jean Bart (disambiguation).
Jean Bart (October 21 1651 - April 27 1702) - was a (Dutch born) French naval commander.
Born in Dunkirk as the son of a fisherman, Bart served when young in the Dutch navy, but when war broke out between Louis XIV and the United Provinces in 1672 he entered the French service, as one of the Dunkirker Privateers. He gained great distinction in the Mediterranean, where he held an irregular sort of commission, unable due to his low birth to receive a command in the navy.
He had such success, however, that he became a lieutenant in 1679. He rose rapidly to the rank of captain and then to that of admiral. The Peace of Ryswick (1697) put a close to his active service. Many anecdotes tell of the courage and bluntness of the uncultivated sailor, who became the popular hero of the French naval service. The town of Dunkirk has honoured his memory by erecting a statue and by naming a public square after him.
In World War II 70% of Dunkirk was completely destroyed, but the statue survived. The reason it was untouched by the Germans was because the sword that Jean Bart is holding points directly towards England, and it was used as a guide for the Luftwaffe.
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Ships bearing the name Jean Bart
More than 27 ships of the French Navy, over a period of 200 years, have borne the name Jean Bart. These include:
- Jean Bart (1788) - 74-gun ship of the line
- Jean Bart (1811) - 74-gun ship of the line
- Jean Bart (1886) - First class cruiser of 4800 tonnes
- Jean Bart (1910) - 23,600 tonne battleship; the first French dreadnought
- Jean Bart (1940) - 50,000 tonne battleship armed with 380mm guns. Although launched in 1940, the ship did not get fitted out and completed until 1955, having spent much of the Second World War in dock at Casablanca; the last French battleship completed
- Jean Bart (1988) - Anti-aircraft frigate, still in service with the French Navy
Commercial products branded Jean Bart
- Jean Bart Shoe polish
Jean Bart in popular culture
- Jean Bart appears as a character in the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson
External links
- Jean Bart (in French/en Français)
Categories
1651 births | 1702 deaths | Natives of Nord-Pas-de-Calais | French Navy admirals | Privateers | French pirates | French sailors