Victor Valois

Who was Victor Valois?

Victor Valois, was a vice-admiral in the German Imperial Navy. He graduated from the post-graduate Naval War College, the German Imperial Naval Academy 1872-1918 in 1874 in a class with three other future admirals: Otto von Diederichs, Felix von Bendemann, Gustav von Senden-Bibran.

He married Minna von Behrendt. He served as executive officer of SMS Vineta, out of Wilhelmshaven.

Valois commanded the cruiser corvette SMS Victoria in February 1881 on a cruise to Liberia to protest a native attack on the shipwrecked crew of a German merchant ship. He exacted a monetary fine from the Liberian government and shelled the village of the natives involved.

In early 1890 he left the position of Director of the Imperial Shipyard in Kiel to become commander of the German East Asia Squadron 1890-1892. In December 1890 he was in Australia with the SMS Sophie, SMS Leipzig, the SMS Arcona and the SMS Alexandrine.

The purpose of the East Asia Squadron was to protect and promote imperialist interest in Asia and the Pacific. On 21 December 1890 he was as Samoa with his squadron in connection with German plans to annex the Marshall Islands when an approaching hurricane caused him to flee in his flagship SMS Leipzig.