Captain Charles Berrenger (Grémonville, 24 June 1757 - Toulon, 17 November 1814) was a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

  Navy officer.

Biography

Berrenger started sailing in 1775, alternating between merchantmen, ships of the French Royal Navy and privateers. In 1780, he was second lieutenant on a privateer, and was admitted in the Navy as an auxiliary frigate lieutenant the next year.

Serving on the aviso Chien de chasse, he took part in a fight against a British corvette.

Returned to France in 1784, Berrenger obtained a licence of merchantman captain. In 1787, he obtained a commission of sub-lieutenant in the Navy, but stayed with the merchant navy.

In 1792, he joined the Navy and was given command of a gunboat at Le Havre. The next year, he captained the corvette Suffisante. Promoted to lieutenant in 1794, he was awarded command of the brand new Sirène

French frigate Sirène (1795)

The Sirène was a 40-gun Coquille class frigate of the French Navy.Begun as Fidèle, she was commissioned as Sirène in May 1795 under lieutenant Charles Berrenger. She took part in the Expédition d'Irlande....

 in September 1795. In March 1796, he was promoted to commander. He took part in the Expédition d'Irlande

Expédition d'Irlande

The Expédition d'Irlande was an unsuccessful attempt by the First French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars to assist the outlawed Society of United Irishmen, a popular rebel Irish republican group, in their planned rebellion against British rule...

, and to various missions in Santo Domingo.

Berrenger was promoted to captain in 1799 and appointed to command the Républicain

French ship Majestueux (1781)

The Majestueux was a 110-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of Terrible class.She was renamed Républicain in 1797. In 1807, she was decommissioned and used as a transport.-References:...

. In 1800, he moved to Redoutable

French ship Redoutable (1791)

The Redoutable was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy. She is known for her duel with HMS Victory during the Battle of Trafalgar and for killing Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson during the action.- Early career :...

, and to Jean-Jacques Rousseau

French ship Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795)

The Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In October 1796, under captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest...

 the next year.

In 1802, he was transferred to Scipion, serving in the Mediterranean under admiral Leissègues

Corentin Urbain Leissègues

Corentin Urbain de Leissegues was a French admiral of the Napoleonic wars, notably protagonist of the Battle of San Domingo.- Biography :...

, and in Villeneuve

Pierre-Charles Villeneuve

Pierre-Charles-Jean-Baptiste-Silvestre de Villeneuve was a French naval officer during the Napoleonic Wars. He was in command of the French and Spanish fleets defeated by Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar....

's fleet from 1805. He took part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre

Battle of Cape Finisterre (1805)

In the Battle of Cape Finisterre off Galicia, Spain, the British fleet under Admiral Robert Calder fought an indecisive naval battle against the Combined Franco-Spanish fleet which was returning from the West Indies...

, and fought at the Battle of Trafalgar

Battle of Trafalgar

The Battle of Trafalgar was a sea battle fought between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French Navy and Spanish Navy, during the War of the Third Coalition of the Napoleonic Wars ....

 under Vice Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley

Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley

Vice-Admiral Count Pierre-Etienne-René-Marie Dumanoir Le Pelley was a French Navy officer, best known for commanding the vanguard of the French fleet at the Battle of Trafalgar.- Early career :...

.

He managed to escape the battle, but fell upon Admiral Sir Richard Strachan

Sir Richard Strachan, 6th Baronet

Sir Richard John Strachan, 6th Baronet GCB was a British officer of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, eventually rising to the rank of Admiral.-Childhood:...

's squadron on 4 November 1805, leading to the Battle of Cape Ortegal

Battle of Cape Ortegal

The Battle of Cape Ortegal was the final action of the Trafalgar Campaign, and was fought between a squadron of the Royal Navy and a remnant of the fleet that had been destroyed several weeks earlier at the Battle of Trafalgar...

. Berrenger sustained a serious injury at the leg, and the French ships had to strike their colours.

Released and returned to France, Berrenger commanded the Aréthuse

French frigate Aréthuse (1805)

The Aréthuse was a 40-gun frigate of the French Navy.Started as Aréthuse, she was renamed to Elbe while still under construction...

 and the Majesteux

French ship République française (1802)

The République française was a first-rate 118-gun ship of the line of the French Navy, of the Océan type, designed by Jacques-Noël Sané and built by Pierre Rolland....

.

Sources and references

• Dictionnaire des capitaines de vaisseau de Napoléon, Danielle & Bernard Quintin, SPM, 2003, ISBN 2-901952-42-9