Colbert

The Colbert was a French warship which came to Japan in the mid-1850s.

The ship first entered Shimoda harbor on 1855/3/11, captained by a Capt. Botean. After meeting with Tokugawa shogunate officials and receiving food but being denied permission to come ashore, the Colbert departed from Shimoda on the 13th.

At some point later, the Colbert made its way to Nagasaki, joining up with the Sybille, captained by Commodore Tardy de Montravel, on 4/5. The Colbert then set sail from Nagasaki but suffered some damage to its hull near the Gotô Islands and returned to Nagasaki again on 4/8. Repairs took several weeks; the Colbert left Nagasaki again on 4/27.

On 9/27 that same year, the Colbert entered Naha harbor in the Ryûkyû Kingdom, along with the Sybille and Virginie.

References

• Ishin Shiryô Kôyô 維新史料綱要, vol 2 (1937), 28, 42, 44, 55, 121.