fbpx
Wikipedia

French corvette Alecton

March 20, 2024

The French corvette Alecton was a ship in the French Navy in the 19th century. She is most famous for having been one of the first surface vessels recorded to have encountered a giant squid (Architeuthis). Until this time, giant squid were viewed as mythical creatures.

The French aviso Alecton, launched 1861.
—Frédéric Bouyer [fr] (1866/1867) (text). Édouard Riou (illustr.) after Rodolphe.[1][2]
History
France
NameAlecton
Laid down1859
Launched1861
FateDecommissioned 10 August 1883 and scrapped in 1884 at Lorient
General characteristics
Class and typeAlecton class
Displacement570 tonnes
Length50.9 m
Beam12.1 m
Draught2.7 m
Propulsion120 hp steam engine and sails on two masts
Complement66
Armamenttwo light cannon

Service history edit

The Alecton, named after Alecto, one of the three Furies, was a paddle wheeler (aviso à roues de deuxième classe, type Étoile modifié) laid down in 1859 at the La Seyne shipyard of the Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranée and launched in 1861.[3][4] She had a length of 50.9 metres and a beam of 12.1 metres. Alecton was powered by both a 120 hp steam engine and sails on two masts, had a crew of sixty-six and an armament of two light cannons. Her displacement was 570 tonnes. Alecton was first stationed at French Guiana and from 1868 onwards at Guadeloupe. She was decommissioned on 10 August 1883 and scrapped in 1884 at Lorient.[4][3]

Bouyer's travelogue edit

Frédéric Bouyer [fr] who served as captain on the Alecton wrote a travelogue, which first appeared as an article in Le Tour du Monde in 1866,[1] later published as a book, La Guyane française: notes et souvenirs d'un voyage exécuté en 1862-1863 (1867).[5]

These carried illustrations done by artists based on sketches made by officers on the Alecton[6] and Bouyer himself.[7] The illustration of the ship was by Édouard Riou, based on the sketch by E. Rodolphe, the ship-of-the-line ensign (enseigne de vaisseau)[a] aboard Alecton.[1][9]

The encounter with the gigantic squid occurred in 1861 when the boat was under his command.[10]

Giant squid encounter edit

Alecton attempts to capture squid;
near Tenerife, November 1861
 
—Original watercolour by Rodolphe, 1861[8] (Reproduction)
 
—Pierre Lackerbauer (after E. Rodolphe), 1865[8]
 
—Frédéric Bouyer [fr], 1866/1867 (text). Édouard Riou (illustr.) after Rodolphe.[11][12]
 
—(Originally in): Figuier, Louis, 1866[13]
(Reused by): Lee, Henry, 1884[14]
Paintings depict the gigantic squid, harpooned and attempted to be hauled aboard.

On November 30, or November 17,[4] 1861 the French corvette Alecton was on its way to Cayenne, navigating near Tenerife, the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands. As the ship neared the island the lookout on duty yelled to the crew below: “a large body, partly submerged, on the surface”.[15] The captain, Frédéric Bouyer, himself would later describe the monster as a "gigantic squid" (French: encornet gigantesque).[16]

The captain had heard reports of giant squid but the scientific community disputed their existence. Mutilated, decomposed pieces of giant squid had surfaced, most notably off Zealand, Denmark in 1847, and another at The Skaw in 1854. Yet no one had ever captured or even seen a live specimen.[15] Resolved to capture the monster, the captain ordered the ship to fire muskets, launch harpoons, and try to ensnare the squid with a noose.[17]

The bullets seemed to do little damage to the squid's rubbery body,[19] estimated at up to 18 feet (5.5 m) in length from "head to tail" (excluding the length of arms).[20][21][4] Finally they managed to lasso a rope around its body. However, the weight was so great that when they tried to haul it aboard, the squid's body was torn and only the tip of the tail remained aboard, which weighed 14 kg according to the captain.[22][18]

The fragmentary sample was definitely sent to a museum for study, but whether it still remained preserved could not be established by scholars by the following year, in 1862.[23]

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea edit

Main article: Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea

The Alecton encounter of 1861 was the inspiration for the giant squids attacking the submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne, published in 1870.[24][25] Verne ascribed vicious behavior to the giant squid to paint it as a monster of legend, and the physical descriptions did not square with the living creature.[25]

Explanatory notes edit

  1. ^ The enseigne de vaisseau was first officer.

References edit

Citations
  1. ^ a b c Bouyer (1866), p. 273.
  2. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 3.
  3. ^ a b Roberts, Stephen S (2021). "Chapter 4. Avisos, Special Ships, and Gunboats 1859–1882". French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859–1914. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781526745347.
  4. ^ a b c d Clouet, Alain (2005–2011). [2nd class paddle avisos]. la Flotte de Napoléon III. 1850 - 1870. Archived from the original on 2015-10-29. Retrieved 2015-08-03.
  5. ^ Bouyer (1867).
  6. ^ Bouyer (1867), title page
  7. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 223.
  8. ^ a b c Frédol, Alfred (ps. de Alfred Moquin-Tandon) (1865), Le monde de la mer, Hachette, p. 314a; alt copy via biodiversity library
  9. ^ "E. Rodolphe" according to Frédol aka Moquin-Tandon.[8]
  10. ^ Bouyer (1867), pp. 20–21.
  11. ^ Bouyer (1866), p. 276.
  12. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 20.
  13. ^ Figuier, Louis [in French] (1866). La vie et les moeurs des animaux zoophytes et mollusques par Louis Figuier. Paris: L. Hachette et C.ie. p. 467.. Eng. tr. (1868) The Ocean World, p. 457
  14. ^ Lee (1884), p. 365.
  15. ^ a b c Ley, W. (June 1941), "Scylla Was a Squid", Natural History Magazine, 48 (1), retrieved 2022-02-03
  16. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 21.
  17. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 20: "pris la résolution de m'emparer du monstre.. on charge le fusils, ou emmanche les harpons, on dispose les nœuds coulant.."
  18. ^ a b Lee (1884), p. 40.
  19. ^ Capt. Bouyer himself says muskets (fusils) and "bullets" according to Henry Lee in 1884[18] is consistent as opposed to "cannon" written by Willy Ley in 1941.[15]
  20. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 21: "dix-huit pieds de à la tête a la queue".
  21. ^ Lee (1884), p. 40: "estimated to have been from 16 feet to 18 feet.. without reckoning [the] arms".
  22. ^ Bouyer (1867), p. 21: "..déchira et nous n'amenâmes à bord qu'un tronçon de la queue".
  23. ^ Crosse, [Henri]; Fischer, [Paul] [in French] (1862), "Nouveaux documents sur les Céphalopodes gigantesques", Journal de Conchyliologie, 3e serie, 10 (in French): 135, n(1), Les fragments de ce Céphalopode existent ou existaient au muséum; "Quelques-uns des viscères du nôtre sont déposés la galerie d'anatomie coparée du museum." (Quoy et Gaimard, l. c.) [Zool. de l'Uranie, t. I, 2e partie, p. 411] alt copy via Gallica
  24. ^ Hatcher & Battey 2011, p. 44
  25. ^ a b Fisher, Arthur (May 1995). "He Seeks the Giant Squid". Popular Science ((Special issue: Oceans at Risk/Ocean Planet)): 30. [1] via Ocean Planet, accessed 2015-07-12.
Bibliography
  • Bouyer, Frédéric [in French] (January 1866), Charton, Édouard (ed.), Riou, Édouard (illustr.); "nos plus célebrès artistes [d'Hachette]" (illustr.), "Voyage dans la Guyane Française", Le Tour de Monde: Nouveau journal des voyage, Paris: L. Hachette et cie (!3): 273–304 alt copy via BnF
  • Bouyer, Frédéric [in French] (1867), La Guyane française: notes et souvenirs d'un voyage exécuté en 1862-1863, Riou, Édouard (illustr.); Rapine; Delahaye (old natural history illustr.); Touboulic; Masson; Farcy; Rodolphe, officiers de la marine impériale (original sketches), Paris: L. Hachette et cie, pp. 39–40; alt copy via BnF
  • Hatcher, Paul; Battey, Nick (2011). Biological Diversity: Exploiters and Exploited. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9780470979860. —440 pp.
  • Lee, Henry (1884), "The Kraken", Sea Monsters Unmasked, The Fisheries Exhibition Literature 3, Chapman and Hall, pp. 39–40

External links edit

  •   Media related to Alecton encounter at Wikimedia Commons

March 20, 2024
french, corvette, alecton, ship, french, navy, 19th, century, most, famous, having, been, first, surface, vessels, recorded, have, encountered, giant, squid, architeuthis, until, this, time, giant, squid, were, viewed, mythical, creatures, french, aviso, alect. The French corvette Alecton was a ship in the French Navy in the 19th century She is most famous for having been one of the first surface vessels recorded to have encountered a giant squid Architeuthis Until this time giant squid were viewed as mythical creatures The French aviso Alecton launched 1861 Frederic Bouyer fr 1866 1867 text Edouard Riou illustr after Rodolphe 1 2 HistoryFranceNameAlectonLaid down1859Launched1861FateDecommissioned 10 August 1883 and scrapped in 1884 at LorientGeneral characteristicsClass and typeAlecton classDisplacement570 tonnesLength50 9 mBeam12 1 mDraught2 7 mPropulsion120 hp steam engine and sails on two mastsComplement66Armamenttwo light cannon Contents 1 Service history 2 Bouyer s travelogue 3 Giant squid encounter 4 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea 5 Explanatory notes 6 References 7 External linksService history editThe Alecton named after Alecto one of the three Furies was a paddle wheeler aviso a roues de deuxieme classe type Etoile modifie laid down in 1859 at the La Seyne shipyard of the Societe des Forges et Chantiers de la Mediterranee and launched in 1861 3 4 She had a length of 50 9 metres and a beam of 12 1 metres Alecton was powered by both a 120 hp steam engine and sails on two masts had a crew of sixty six and an armament of two light cannons Her displacement was 570 tonnes Alecton was first stationed at French Guiana and from 1868 onwards at Guadeloupe She was decommissioned on 10 August 1883 and scrapped in 1884 at Lorient 4 3 Bouyer s travelogue editFrederic Bouyer fr who served as captain on the Alecton wrote a travelogue which first appeared as an article in Le Tour du Monde in 1866 1 later published as a book La Guyane francaise notes et souvenirs d un voyage execute en 1862 1863 1867 5 These carried illustrations done by artists based on sketches made by officers on the Alecton 6 and Bouyer himself 7 The illustration of the ship was by Edouard Riou based on the sketch by E Rodolphe the ship of the line ensign enseigne de vaisseau a aboard Alecton 1 9 The encounter with the gigantic squid occurred in 1861 when the boat was under his command 10 Giant squid encounter editAlecton attempts to capture squid near Tenerife November 1861 nbsp Original watercolour by Rodolphe 1861 8 Reproduction nbsp Pierre Lackerbauer after E Rodolphe 1865 8 nbsp Frederic Bouyer fr 1866 1867 text Edouard Riou illustr after Rodolphe 11 12 nbsp Originally in Figuier Louis 1866 13 Reused by Lee Henry 1884 14 Paintings depict the gigantic squid harpooned and attempted to be hauled aboard On November 30 or November 17 4 1861 the French corvette Alecton was on its way to Cayenne navigating near Tenerife the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands As the ship neared the island the lookout on duty yelled to the crew below a large body partly submerged on the surface 15 The captain Frederic Bouyer himself would later describe the monster as a gigantic squid French encornetgigantesque 16 The captain had heard reports of giant squid but the scientific community disputed their existence Mutilated decomposed pieces of giant squid had surfaced most notably off Zealand Denmark in 1847 and another at The Skaw in 1854 Yet no one had ever captured or even seen a live specimen 15 Resolved to capture the monster the captain ordered the ship to fire muskets launch harpoons and try to ensnare the squid with a noose 17 The bullets seemed to do little damage to the squid s rubbery body 19 estimated at up to 18 feet 5 5 m in length from head to tail excluding the length of arms 20 21 4 Finally they managed to lasso a rope around its body However the weight was so great that when they tried to haul it aboard the squid s body was torn and only the tip of the tail remained aboard which weighed 14 kg according to the captain 22 18 The fragmentary sample was definitely sent to a museum for study but whether it still remained preserved could not be established by scholars by the following year in 1862 23 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea editMain article Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea The Alecton encounter of 1861 was the inspiration for the giant squids attacking the submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea a classic science fiction novel by French writer Jules Verne published in 1870 24 25 Verne ascribed vicious behavior to the giant squid to paint it as a monster of legend and the physical descriptions did not square with the living creature 25 Explanatory notes edit The enseigne de vaisseau was first officer References editCitations a b c Bouyer 1866 p 273 Bouyer 1867 p 3 a b Roberts Stephen S 2021 Chapter 4 Avisos Special Ships and Gunboats 1859 1882 French Warships in the Age of Steam 1859 1914 Barnsley UK Seaforth Publishing ISBN 9781526745347 a b c d Clouet Alain 2005 2011 Avisos a roues de 2e classe 2nd class paddle avisos la Flotte de Napoleon III 1850 1870 Archived from the original on 2015 10 29 Retrieved 2015 08 03 Bouyer 1867 Bouyer 1867 title page Bouyer 1867 p 223 a b c Fredol Alfred ps de Alfred Moquin Tandon 1865 Le monde de la mer Hachette p 314a alt copy via biodiversity library E Rodolphe according to Fredol aka Moquin Tandon 8 Bouyer 1867 pp 20 21 Bouyer 1866 p 276 Bouyer 1867 p 20 Figuier Louis in French 1866 La vie et les moeurs des animaux zoophytes et mollusques par Louis Figuier Paris L Hachette et C ie p 467 Eng tr 1868 The Ocean World p 457 Lee 1884 p 365 a b c Ley W June 1941 Scylla Was a Squid Natural History Magazine 48 1 retrieved 2022 02 03 Bouyer 1867 p 21 Bouyer 1867 p 20 pris la resolution de m emparer du monstre on charge le fusils ou emmanche les harpons on dispose les nœuds coulant a b Lee 1884 p 40 Capt Bouyer himself says muskets fusils and bullets according to Henry Lee in 1884 18 is consistent as opposed to cannon written by Willy Ley in 1941 15 Bouyer 1867 p 21 dix huit pieds de a la tete a la queue Lee 1884 p 40 estimated to have been from 16 feet to 18 feet without reckoning the arms Bouyer 1867 p 21 dechira et nous n amenames a bord qu un troncon de la queue Crosse Henri Fischer Paul in French 1862 Nouveaux documents sur les Cephalopodes gigantesques Journal de Conchyliologie 3e serie 10 in French 135 n 1 Les fragments de ce Cephalopode existent ou existaient au museum Quelques uns des visceres du notre sont deposes la galerie d anatomie coparee du museum Quoy et Gaimard l c Zool de l Uranie t I 2e partie p 411 alt copy via Gallica Hatcher amp Battey 2011 p 44 a b Fisher Arthur May 1995 He Seeks the Giant Squid Popular Science Special issue Oceans at Risk Ocean Planet 30 1 via Ocean Planet accessed 2015 07 12 BibliographyBouyer Frederic in French January 1866 Charton Edouard ed Riou Edouard illustr nos plus celebres artistes d Hachette illustr Voyage dans la Guyane Francaise Le Tour de Monde Nouveau journal des voyage Paris L Hachette et cie 3 273 304 alt copy via BnF Bouyer Frederic in French 1867 La Guyane francaise notes et souvenirs d un voyage execute en 1862 1863 Riou Edouard illustr Rapine Delahaye old natural history illustr Touboulic Masson Farcy Rodolphe officiers de la marine imperiale original sketches Paris L Hachette et cie pp 39 40 alt copy via BnF Hatcher Paul Battey Nick 2011 Biological Diversity Exploiters and Exploited John Wiley amp Sons ISBN 9780470979860 440 pp Lee Henry 1884 The Kraken Sea Monsters Unmasked The Fisheries Exhibition Literature 3 Chapman and Hall pp 39 40External links edit nbsp Media related to Alecton encounter at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title French corvette Alecton amp oldid 1208834001, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.