Augustin Boué de Lapeyrère

Augustin Manuel Hubert Gaston Boué de Lapeyrère (18 January 1852 – 17 February 1924) was a French admiral during World War I.

Boué de Lapeyrère was born in Castéra-Lectourois, Gers into a family of sailors: his uncle was vice-admiral Augustin Dupouy, who becomes his mentor following the death of his father.

Boué de Lapeyrère served as Minister of Marine, a political position, from 24 July 1909 until 27 February 1911 in the governments of Aristide Briand.

He was criticised at the start of the war in August 1914 for his part in the escape of the German ships Goeben and Breslau from the Mediterranean to form a Turkish navy in the Black Sea.

Despite his notable successes (such as bombarding Cattaro and occupying the Dalmatian Islands[1]), the sinking of the armoured cruiser Léon Gambetta, torpedoed by Austro-Hungarian submarine U-5, elicited his resignation on 10 October 1915 without any public explanation.