Tale of two ships at Gunsan in 1847: Gloire and Victorieuse

Shipments of rice at Gunsan in the early 1900s / Robert Neff Collection

Often when we think of early Western-Korean interactions we think of Seoul, Jemulpo or Busan but an early ― and potentially violent ― encounter took place near Gunsan City in 1847.

On July 12, 1847, two French warships, the 54-gun frigate Gloire (command by Captain Augustine de Lapierre) and the 24-gun corvette Victorieuse, sailed out of Macau bound for Korea. The two warships and nearly 600 marines and sailors were to demonstrate the might of the French navy and exact an explanation from the Korean government as to why three French missionaries had been executed.

This would not be the first time these ships had been used to show the French government's displeasure with the treatment its priests had received. Three months earlier, on April 15, these two warships ― seeking redress for the ill-treatment of French priests ― sank five Vietnamese corvettes in Da Nang. Albeit, the Vietnamese ships appear to have attacked first, but there seems to be no doubt that Captain Lapierre was not hesitant to use force.

Arriving off the southern coast of Korea, the two warships made their way slowly along the coast. It was near Gogunsando (a small island off the coast of Gunsan), on Aug. 10, just after noon, when tragedy struck. The wind had been blowing hard all morning but Captain Lapierre, using a British chart, was fairly confident he had nothing to fear ― after all, the charts clearly indicated the water's depth to be between 12 and 14 fathoms (one fathom equals 1.83 meters).

He must have felt sick when, almost simultaneously, both of his ships grounded on a reef (several accounts claim it was quicksand) ― the water was only about 4 fathoms deep. The good captain was quick to lay the blame on the British charts instead of his own carelessness. Later, (using Lapierre's statements) newspapers described the incident:

“Unluckily when [the warships] struck [the reef] it was flood tide, so that at ebb the ships were nearly out of water, and it being found quite impossible to drag them off, their total destruction was at once perceived to be inevitable.”

Immediately, both crews were directed “to getting arms and provisions” to the safety of the island. They managed to salvage a great deal but it came with a cost ― two seamen from the Victorieuse drowned.

Once safely ashore, two small boats ― with 24 men ― were dispatched to China to seek help. The two ships reached Shanghai on Aug. 25 ― the first around noon and the other in the evening ― and three British warships were sent to rescue the shipwrecked French.

Meanwhile, back in Korea, Captain Lapierre and his men were able to salvage almost everything aboard the ships. According to him, he tried to purchase provisions from the Koreans but they “durst not do anything without first receiving permission” from their officials. This seems to imply that the Koreans were unwilling to assist but this is a gross misrepresentation.

The Korean monarch, 20-year-old King Heonjong, had rice, vegetables, pigs and cattle ― in great abundance ― sent to the shipwrecked sailors and he may have also offered them Korean boats so that they would leave. Homer Hulbert declared that “the Korean government was most creditable throughout.”

According to one source, the Korean government also offered to provide the French with boats so that they could leave.

Some have suggested that the Korean government did so out of fear ― worried that the Chinese would assume the Koreans were working with the French and thus be compelled to take a more active role in Korean issues.

But apparently the British warships arrived quickly enough anyway. When they arrived they found the French “officers and men quartered in tents on shore, having saved a portion of the clothes and provisions from the wreck of La Gloire, and being plentifully supplied by the Coreans, who declined accepting any compensation.”

The port of Gunsan in the early 1900s / Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection

The French sailors and marines were loaded aboard the British ships and most of the heavier salvaged goods ― such as the cannons ― were left behind. In a letter to the Korean government, the French wrote they would return as soon as they could for the rest of their goods. The Koreans also had a letter of their own for the French in which they explained why the French missionaries had been executed. The Korean government pointed out that it was unaware of France and its people and certainly wished no harm upon them. Shipwrecked sailors cast upon Korean shores were treated with hospitality but the French missionaries had entered the kingdom on their own volition, in disguise, consorted with people the government considered rebellious or undesirable and violated the laws of the land. Of course, they were executed. The Koreans also made it clear that the French were not welcomed to return.

One newspaper glibly noted that if the Koreans ever found out about the role the two French warships played earlier that year in Vietnam, they would “find cause to congratulate themselves on the wreck of La Gloire and La Victorieuse.”

Most of the French were eventually shipped back to France on the American ship “Great Britain” which had been chartered in China. The ship was treated “like a ship of war” with a French naval officer in command and “the American captain proceeding as a passenger” until it arrived in Brest in December 1847.

However, the story of the shipwrecks doesn't end there. In 1852, two French missionaries ― pretending to be officials ― visited the remains of the shipwreck but were rather disappointed to find “there was nothing left.” It seemed incredulous to the missionaries that there was “no trace of all the objects entrusted to [the Korean government's] care.”

History would repeat itself. Following the execution of several French missionaries, the French navy returned in 1866 and this time the cannons were used. But that is a tale for another time.

Robert Neff has authored and co-authored several books including, Letters from Joseon, Korea Through Western Eyes and Brief Encounters.