He came to the attention of Frederik Danneskiold-Samsøe,[1][Note 1] when in 1739 the newly formed Danish Naval Construction Commission was seeking a replacement chief designer and shipbuilder.
He married Brigitte Agnes Mariane Schenck, some thirty years his junior, the daughter of a senior officer in royal lifeguard regiment.
[3] Despite concerns over the quality of its keel, Elephanten proved to be an excellent ship and the technical drawings set the standard for future work.
Barbé also designed a frigate, a slightly smaller ship of the line (of 70 guns) and a royal yacht.
With the departure of Danneskiold, Count of Samsøe in November 1746, Barbé lost all support in the shipyard, had disagreements with the Construction Commission and was retired on a pension of 500 rdl in 1747.