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Origin and history

The shipwreck of La Sémillante, a French frigate from Toulon on 14 February 1855 for Crimea, occurred on the night of 15-16 February 1855 off the Lavezzi Islands, near Bonifacio. When caught in a storm, it struck a high ground at 12 knots and sank body and property, carrying its 773 passengers: 8 officers, 293 sailors, and over 400 soldiers with their equipment. No survivors were identified. The first bodies, often shredded, were found on 18 February and buried on the island by reinforcement soldiers.

An investigation was conducted by Lieutenant de Vaisseau Jean Baptiste Bourbeau, commander of l ́aviso l'Averne, who arrived on the spot on 1 March 1855. His reports, based on testimonies and the study of debris, specify the circumstances of the tragedy. Under his orders, two cemeteries (Acharino to the west, Furcone to the east) were opened to bury 560 bodies, including that of Captain Jugan, identified by his buttoned uniform. A pyramid stele was erected on the island of the shipwreck, with a commemorative plaque honouring the victims, united "in eternal rest as in duty".

This tragedy, which occurred shortly after other shipwrecks in the Black Sea during the Crimean War, had a national impact. The government commissioned the Urban astronomer Le Verrier to study the predictability of the storm. His conclusions, highlighting the Venturi effect in Bonifacio's mouths and the potential of telegraphs to alert, laid the foundation for modern weather reports. In 1874, a lighthouse was built on Lavezzo Island to secure the area.

The scattered wrecks of La Sémillante were explored in 1952 by Dr. Henri Chenevée, although artifacts (such as his bell, stolen in the 1970s) were illegally raised despite the legal protections introduced in the 1960s. Cemeteries and steles, classified as Historical Monuments in 1983, remain places of recollection, testifying to this marine disaster and its scientific and memorial consequences.

The shipwreck inspired a number of literary works, including Agonie de la Sémillante by Alphonse Daudet (1869) and Une vendetta de Guy de Maupassant, anchoring the event in popular culture. The plates of the cemeteries, listing the names of the officers, recall their sacrifice, while the pyramid monument, overlooking Cala Lazarina, symbolizes the collective memory of this tragedy.

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