He was born at Marseille on 6 April 1747. In 1762 at age 15 he entered the merchant navy in
Bayonne, sailed to
Saint-Domingue and several years later became a captain. Transferred to the Royal Navy, served on a 74-gun battleship
Protecteur, incidentally studying mathematics and navigation. Then returned to the merchant navy and in 1767 aboard the ship
Auguste take a cruise along the coast of
Africa, near Cape St. Philip was in a shipwreck more than four months and get to
Marseille, losing half the crew from scurvy.
Corsair and officer of the King during the American War In 1776, he moved to
Martinique, where at the beginning of the
American War of Independence has received from Congress the right to privateering under the American flag. He served as captain of the xebec
Victoire, on 17 May 1777 led by a 14-gun privateer
Tigre, which took on board the 24-gun British merchant ship with a cargo valued at 500,000 pounds. Within 18 months, cruised in the
West Indies, spent 40 fights and captured 211 prizes, earning a reputation as the most formidable privateer the
Caribbean (British Parliament praised his head in the 2 million pounds). Following the announcement of
Louis XVI of war with Britain returned to the king's service, took part in the
Invasion of Dominica, where at the head of 400 buccaneers famous capture of
Fort Cachacrou, for which he was appointed a lieutenant and 20 September 1778 was appointed commander of a privateer
Truite. Under the command of Admiral
d'Estaing he fought in the 1 January 1779
Battle of St. Lucia, as Commander of the privateer "La Ceres". As a lieutenant 80-gun ship of the line "Le Languedoc", the flagship of Admiral
d'Estaing he distinguished himself at the capture of 2 July 1779 the
island of Grenada, where the head 80 grenadiers attacked the British position and took the enemy's flag, for which he was awarded the rank of captain. He participated in the unsuccessful September/October 1779
Siege of Savannah. In this heroic period
Jean-Charles de Borda coined the famous slogan "always in front of Vence!" (Vence toujours devance!). In 1780, he was appointed commander of the port of
Grenada, but soon falsely accused of selling marine equipment and forced to resign. Upon returning home his ship was sunk by the British, and Captain de Vence got to
Lisbon and
Cádiz joined a volunteer for the combined Franco-Spanish fleet under the command of Admiral
d'Estaing.
Admiral during the Revolution At the beginning of the Revolution joined the
National Guard of
Paris under the command of the
Marquis Lafayette, 10 November 1792 reinstated in the Navy with the rank of captain (old Charges withdrawn, and the cost reimbursed). He commanded a 74-gun battleship
Duquesne and a small naval squadron, directed to the
Levant and
Tunisia for a cargo of wheat to starving France, then managed to overcome the British blockade and bring food to
Toulon, where he headed the ship of the line
Heureux. 16 November 1793 –
Rear Admiral (approved by the rank 2 September 1794), served in
Brest, accompanied the convoy from
Bordeaux along the Atlantic coast to
Lorient, but was attacked by a British fleet of Admiral
William Cornwallis and forced to seek refuge at
Belle Isle. From 24 June to 8 December 1795, he was Commander of the Marine Division at
Lorient in 1796 he was deputy squadron commander Admiral
Villaret-Joyeuse, opposed the expedition of General
Lazare Hoche in
Ireland. After the coup of Fructidor V-18 of the year was appointed Commander of
Toulon arms, took an active part in preparing the fleet for the
Egyptian expedition and provided logistical base in
Italy, on the island of
Malta and in
Egypt, 25 May 1799 - Commander of Arms
Rochefort. 20 July 1800 –
Maritime Prefect of
Toulon, was responsible for the formation of the squadron of Admiral
Honoré Joseph Antoine Ganteaume, directed to the
Barbary Coast and the squadron of Admiral
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois, won a 13 June 1801 victory at the
Battle of Algeciras. In 1802 he was the commander of a squadron of Brest, then commanded the naval squadron Boulogne camp. On 30 September 1803 he retired. He died 11 March 1808 at the
Vaulichères Castle in
Tonnerre at the age of 61 years, buried in the cemetery of Saint-Pierre parish. Chevalier of
St. Louis (24 January 1780), a member of the
Society of Cincinnati (1783). ==References==