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COMTE DE LUC URBAIN DE BOUEXIC GUICHEN (1712—1790) , FrenchSee also: admiral, entered the See also: navy in 1730 as " garde de la Marine," the first See also: rank in the corps of royal See also: officers
.
His See also: pro-motion was not rapid
.
It was not till 1748 that he became " See also: lieutenant de vaisseau," which was, however, a somewhat higher rank than the lieutenant in the See also: British navy, since it carried with it the right to command a See also: frigate
.
He was " capitaine de vaisseau," or See also: post captain, in 1756
.
But his reputation must have been See also: good, for he was made chevalier de See also: Saint See also: Louis in 1748
.
In 1775 he was appointed to the frigate "Terpsichore," attached to the training
See also: squadron, in which the duc de See also: Chartres, afterwards notorious as the duc d'See also: Orleans and as Philippe Egalite, was entered as volunteer
.
In the next
See also: year he was promoted chef d'escadre, or See also: rear-admiral
.
When See also: France had become the ally of the Americans in the War of Independence, he hoisted his See also: flag in the Channel See also: fleet, and was See also: present at the See also: battle of See also: Ushant on the 27th of See also: July 1779
.
In See also: March of the following year he was sent to the West Indies with a strong squadron and was there opposed to
See also: Sir See also: George Rodney
.
In the first meeting between them on the 17th of See also: April to leeward of See also: Martinique, Guichen escaped disaster only through the clumsy mariner in which Sir George's orders were executed by his captains
.
Seeing that he had to See also: deal with a formidable opponent, Guichen acted with extreme caution, and by keeping the weather gauge afforded the British admiral no chance of bringing him to close See also: action
.
When the See also: hurricane months approached (July to See also: September) he See also: left the West Indies, and his squadron, being in a See also: bad See also: state from want of repairs, returned home, reaching See also: Brest in September
.
Throughout all this See also: campaign Guichen had shown himself very skilful in handling a fleet; and if he had not gained any marked success, he had prevented the British admiral from doing any harm to the French islands in the See also: Antilles
.
In See also: December 1781 the comte de Guichen was chosen to command the force which was entrusted with the duty of carrying stores and reinforcements to the West Indies
.
On the 12th Admiral See also: Kempenfelt, who had been sent out by the British See also: Government with an unduly weak force to intercept him, sighted the French admiral in the See also: Bay of Biscay through a temporary clearance in a See also: fog, at a moment when Guichen's warships were to leeward of the See also: convoy, and attacked the transports at once
.
The French admiral could not prevent his enemy from capturing twenty of the transports, and driving the others into a panic-stricken See also: flight
.
They returned to See also: port, and the See also: mission entrusted to Guichen was entirely defeated
.
He therefore returned to port also
.
He had no opportunity to gain any counterbalancing success during the See also: short See also: remainder of the war, but he was present at the final See also: relief of See also: Gibraltar by See also: Lord See also: Howe
.
His See also: death occurred on the 13th of See also: January 1790
.
The comte de Guichen was, by the testimony of his contemporaries, a most accomplished and high-minded gentleman
.
It is probable that he had more scientific knowledge than any of his See also: English contemporaries and opponents
.
But as a See also: commander in war he was notable chiefly for his skill in directing the orderly movements of a fleet, and seems to have been satisfied with formal operations, which were possibly elegant but could See also: lead to no substantial result
.
He had none of the combative instincts of his country-See also: man Suffren, or of the See also: average British admiral
.
See vicomte de See also: Noailles, Marins et soldats See also: francais en Amerique (1903); and E
.
Chevalier, Histoire de la marine francaise pendant la guerre de l'independence americaine (1877)
.
(D
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