 From 1877 to 1879 he was posted to the ironclad "Richelieu", where he again served as chief of staff to Admiral de Dompierre d'Hornoy, now commander-in-chief of the "escadre d'évolutions".In May 1880 Courbet succeeded Admiral Olry as governor of New Caledonia.He returned to France in the autumn of 1882, where he was promised command of the Levant naval division by Admiral Bernard Jauréguiberry, the navy minister.