Destouches, Charles-Renédominique Sochet, Chevalier

DESTOUCHES, CHARLES-RENÉDOMINIQUE SOCHET, CHEVALIER. (1727–1794). French admiral. Born in Luçon, he joined the navy in 1743, becoming lieutenant in 1756, commander in 1765, and ship's captain in 1767. On 27 July 1779 he participated in the Battle of Ouessant. Succeeding Admiral Ternay as commander of the French squadron at Newport after the admiral's death in December 1780, he quickly dispatched a cutter to protect coastal traffic in the New London area. He also sent a force southward to support Lafayette in Virginia. After the action off Chesapeake Bay on 16 March 1781, he returned to Newport, carrying back the British frigate Romulus. Governor Hancock of Massachusetts asked him to undertake a combined operation against Fort Penobscot, but it was cancelled in April when Washington expressed misgivings. Destouches was succeeded by Admiral Barras in May 1781. The former served on the Neptune during the Yorktown siege and participated in the capture of Saint-Christophe (February 1782) but was taken prisoner with his superiors by Rodney on 12 April 1782. He was awarded the rank of squadron commander in 1784 and promoted to rear admiral January 1792, but he soon retired. He was arrested in 1793 but was freed by the royalist army at the point of his trial.

SEE ALSO Chesapeake Bay.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gourhand, J. "Destouches." In Dictionnaire de biographie française. Edited by J. Balteau et al. 19 vols. to date. Paris: Librairie Letouzey et Ané, 1933–.

Kennett, Lee. The French Forces in America, 1780–1783. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1977.

                            revised by Robert Rhodes Crout