Joseph de Flotte d'Argenson (Saint-Pierre-d'Argençon, 11 March 1734 – Toulon, 10 September 1792)[1] was a French Navy officer.

He served in the War of American Independence, earning a membership in the Society of Cincinnati and the Order of Saint Louis.

[3] In 1750, Flotte served as Page to the King,[1][2] and as Lieutenant in the Régiment de Belzunce in 1753,[2] before joining the Navy as a Garde-Marine on 4 July 1754.

[3] In 1755, he served on Entreprenant for a mission to Canada in the squadron under Dubois de la Motte, and later the same year, on Galatée.

[17] In March 1779, Flotte arrived a Toulon with his prizes, and wrote a report to Navy Minister Sartine, complete with suggestions to improve the speed of Éclair that his unsuccessful chase had inspired.

[2] [19][Note 1] He took part in the blockade of Mahón, capturing a neutral Swedish merchantman and taking it to Toulon.

[26] In October, Aurore departed Marseille, escorting a 26-ship convoy bound for Martinique, ferrying supplies for the French colonies of the Caribbeans and for the division under Chef d'Escadre Lamotte-Picquet,[27] as well as diplomat Gérard de Rayneval.

The British gave chase, and Flotte opened fire, still out of range, as to warn the French forces at Martinique.

[34] In 1781, Flotte was given command of the frigate Lutine, escorting convoys in the Eastern Mediterranean and calling Marseille, Malta, Smyrna and Foilleri.

She arrived at the Golden Horn on 10 November, where Pléïade detached to sail to Thessaloniki with a part of the convoy, and Montréal to Constantinople, while Lutine continued to Smyrna.

[40] After returning to Toulon, Flotte reported the acquisition of the relief to Navy Minister Castries,[41][42][Note 2] who suggested presenting it to Louis XVI.

[43] In August 1782, Flotte was given command of the 74-gun Destin, succeeding Goimpy,[44] and sailed to Cadiz to reinforce the fleet under Córdova.

[1] He was given command of the 20-gun corvette Favorite in the Escadre d'évolution, and was present at Cherbourg naval base when Louis XVI visited it in April 1786.

[55] The life of the workers of the arsenal was dire: their pay very low, they were liable to find employment only one out of two or three days, and due to the financial crisis they were also often paid only with delay.

The bad harvest of 1789 and harsh winter that year compounded the issue by raising prices, and the ensuing misery yielded unrest.

[56] Albert de Rions reacted with rigidity and scorn, alienating the workers, and in December,[4] a riot let to his transfer to Brest.