Cordelière

Cordelière - or Marie-Cordelière - is a ship built in 1498 on order of Anne of naval Brittany at the building sites of Morlaix. It was then the floret of the Breton fleet. It was armed with 200 guns and had 1200 men of crew. It draws its name from the order of knighthood of Cordelière.

Cordelière operates in the Mediterranean 1501 with 1504. It takes part in particular in the countryside of Mytilène.

In this period, the English fleet regularly carried out fatal descents on the Breton coasts. It was in particular the case in June of this same year when the admiral Howards unloaded with the Conquet (close to Brest) and set fire to the manor of Henri de Portzmoguer.

The August 10th 1512, at the time of the festival of the St. Lawrence, a reception is organized on the Marie-Cordelière whereas the English are on the point of unloading with the Pointe Saint-Mathieu in Rade of Brest. Herve de Portzmoguer captain of the Marie-Cordelière is informed and weighs the anchor by it towards the enemy bringing on his board the guests of the reception. Engagement is of a great violence, the Marie-Cordelière is fixed on the English vessel-admiral Kent . Portzmoguer foresees the defeat then and decides to make its jump its ship and consequently that of the English. It prepares its crew and its guests to die by this sentence “ We will celebrate SAINT LAURENT which perishes by fire! ”. The two ships ran carrying with them more than two miles hearts, of which that of Portzmoguer.

Campaigns of underwater Archéologie took place in 1997 and 2001 in order to try to find Cordelière.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

Card of the Battle of Saint-Mathieu on the site of the cultural Institute of Brittany
Cordelière
Marie Cordelière, Battle off Brest 1512
Research carried out by the “Friends of Langoz”

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