Claude Touffet
Encyclopedia
Captain Claude Touffet was a French Navy officer.
, the frigate Junon
, the 74 Aquilon
and the Généreux
in Brueys' fleet.
On Généreux, Touffet took part in the Battle of the Nile
, escaping to Courfu. In March, Généreux set sail to escort a convoy bound for Corfu, but her captain decided to attack Brindisi on the way. He was killed in the ensuing exchange of fire, and Touffet, taking over, forced the city to surrender after a two-hour gunnery battle. He was consecutively promoted to captain.
He later served as first officer on Patriote
, and took part in the Battle of Algeciras Bay
on Indomptable
, again taking over command after his captain was killed. After the battle, he was maintained as captain of Indomptable and promoted.
In 1802, he commanded the Héros and, from 1805, the Dugay-Trouin
in Vice Admiral Pierre Dumanoir le Pelley
's squadron. He took part in the Battle of Cape Finisterre
, and in the Battle of Trafalgar
.
He managed to escape the battle, but fell upon Admiral Sir Richard Strachan
's squadron on 4 November 1805, leading to the Battle of Cape Ortegal
. Touffet was killed during the fight, while Dugay-Trouin lost 150 men.
Biography
Born to a family of sailors, Touffet started sailing in the merchant Navy before joined the Navy as an auxiliary ensign in 1792. He served on the 74-gun TéméraireFrench ship Téméraire (1782)
The Téméraire was the lead ship of the Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She took part in the Bataille du 13 prairial an 2, battling HMS Russell....
, the frigate Junon
French frigate Junon (1778)
The Junon was a 32-gun Charmante class frigate of the French NavyShe took part in the Battle of Ushant under Admiral d'Orvilliers. She captured HMS Fox on 11 September 1778....
, the 74 Aquilon
French ship Aquilon (1789)
The Aquilon was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She served off Italy under Brueys, and took part in the Battle of the Nile, where she fought HMS Vanguard, HMS Minotaur and HMS Theseus. She was captured and recommissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Aboukir.- External links...
and the Généreux
French ship Généreux (1785)
The Généreux was a French Téméraire class ship of the line.She was launched in 1785 at Rochefort. With the Guillaume Tell, she was one of only two ships to escape the British attack at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798....
in Brueys' fleet.
On Généreux, Touffet took part in the Battle of the Nile
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
, escaping to Courfu. In March, Généreux set sail to escort a convoy bound for Corfu, but her captain decided to attack Brindisi on the way. He was killed in the ensuing exchange of fire, and Touffet, taking over, forced the city to surrender after a two-hour gunnery battle. He was consecutively promoted to captain.
He later served as first officer on Patriote
French ship Patriote (1785)
The Patriote was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.She was one of the French ships which had their hull doubled with copper....
, and took part in the Battle of Algeciras Bay
Battle of Algeciras Bay
The Battle of Algeciras Bay refers to two separate battles in July 1801 between an allied French-Spanish fleet and the British near Gibraltar. In the first battle, the French drove off an attack by the larger British fleet and captured one ship of the line...
on Indomptable
French ship Indomptable (1789)
Indomptable was an 80-gun ship of the line in the French Navy.She took part in the Glorious First of June on 29 May 1794, engaging the English Barfleur and Orion simultaneously, after which the Indomptable, having lost her masts, was towed to Brest by the Brutus .In 1795, she served in the...
, again taking over command after his captain was killed. After the battle, he was maintained as captain of Indomptable and promoted.
In 1802, he commanded the Héros and, from 1805, the Dugay-Trouin
HMS Implacable (1805)
HMS Implacable was a 74-gun third rate of the Royal Navy. She was originally the French Navy's Téméraire-class ship of the line Duguay-Trouin, launched in 1800....
in 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 :...
's squadron. 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 in 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 ....
.
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...
. Touffet was killed during the fight, while Dugay-Trouin lost 150 men.
Sources and references
- Dictionnaire des capitaines de vaisseau de Napoléon, Danielle & Bernard Quintin, SPM, 2003, ISBN 2-901952-42-9