11 Facts About Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait was a French engineer, hydrographer and politician, and Minister of the Navy.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait nevertheless helped repair eleven of the ships of the fleet.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait simultaneously developed new techniques to improve the disposition of cargo in ships' holds.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait was then sent to England to study the British shipbuilding techniques, and authored the Observations sur la marine de d'Angleterre upon his return.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait furthered his efforts with the Romaine class in 1794, and was involved in the design of the Etna-class corvettes.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait was eventually freed by the Committee of Public Safety and made general inspector for forests.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait then returned to Le Havre, where he designed 3 heavily armed gunboats to repel British bomb vessels.

At the collapse of the Peace of Amiens and the outbreak of the War of the Third Coalition in May 1803, Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait was tasked with improving the Flottille de Boulogne.

In 1805, Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait was sent to Genoa as Maritime Prefect, tasked to establish a naval presence there.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait managed to successfully launch the 74-gun Genois, whose originally intended launch had been botched by her constructors, leaving the ship damaged and stuck on her railing.

Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait retired in Rouen, where he died on 8 November 1807.