Charles de Mengaud de la Haye facts for kids

Charles de Mengaud de La Haye was a brave officer in the French Navy. He played an important part in the War of American Independence, helping France support the American colonies.

Who Was Charles de Mengaud de La Haye?

Charles de Mengaud de La Haye was born into a family connected to the Parliament of Toulouse, an important court in France. He began his naval career very young, joining the Navy as a Garde-Marine on 1 July 1756. A Garde-Marine was a young officer in training, learning all about ships and the sea.

Early Commands and Explorations

Mengaud quickly started commanding ships. In 1768, he was the captain of a ship called Écluse in Brest, a major French port. In 1772, he took command of the small, fast ship Sauterelle. This ship had only six guns. He sailed Sauterelle all the way to Isle de France, which is now known as Mauritius. During this time, he also joined the First voyage of Kerguelen, an important journey of exploration.

On 1 October 1773, Mengaud was promoted to Lieutenant. This meant he was moving up in the Navy ranks. From 1774 to 1776, he commanded a supply ship called Gros Ventre back at Isle de France.

Fighting in the American Revolutionary War

As the War of American Independence began, Mengaud took on more active roles. In early 1778, he commanded the 16-gun corvette Perle. A corvette is a small, fast warship. On 26 February 1778, he was ordered to patrol the waters between Ushant and The Lizard, important shipping lanes.

Mengaud was very concerned about British privateers. These were private ships allowed by the British government to attack French merchant ships. On 28 May, he wrote a letter to the Navy Minister. He suggested invading Jersey and Guernsey, two islands near France. His idea was to stop the privateers from attacking French trade.

Capturing a British Warship

In 1779, Mengaud became the captain of the 32-gun frigate Gentille. A frigate is a medium-sized warship, faster than a large battleship. He took part in an important battle on 17 August 1779. In this fight, his ship Gentille and another French frigate, Junon, worked together. They managed to capture a much larger British ship, the 64-gun HMS Ardent. This was a big victory for the French Navy.

By 1780, Mengaud moved to command another frigate, the Charmante.

The Sacrifice of the Protée

On 16 February 1780, Charmante was part of a group of French ships. This group included two larger warships, Ajax and Protée, and a supply ship, Éléphant. They were sailing together when they met a strong British force. This British force was led by George Rodney, a famous British admiral.

In the battle that followed on 24 February 1780, the French ship Protée made a brave sacrifice. She fought the British ships alone to protect the other French ships. This allowed Ajax and Éléphant to escape and continue their journey to the Indian Ocean. Charmante returned to Lorient, France, to deliver the news of the battle. She arrived on 3 March.

The Shipwreck of the Charmante

Sadly, the Charmante's journey ended soon after. On 24 March 1780, a powerful storm hit the ship. The gale pushed her onto the rocks of the Chaussée de Sein, a dangerous area near the coast. The Charmante was wrecked.

Mengaud and 82 other men were lucky. They managed to escape the sinking ship using the ship's longboat, a smaller boat carried on board. However, 210 men from the Charmante tragically lost their lives in the shipwreck.