Jean François Renaudin Jean François Renaudin ( 13 July 1750 in Le Gua - 29 April 1809 , Le Gua ) was a French Navy officer and Rear - Admiral . He is mostly known for captaining the " Vengeur du Peuple " at the Third Battle of Ushant . Career . Early life . Renaudin was born to a modest family of Saint - Martin du Gua , and joined the merchant navy before enlisting in the French Royal Navy as a suppleant frigate lieutenant in 1779 . He served on the fluyt " Dorade " , on which he took part in four battles . He was promoted to Sous Lieutenant de Vaisseau on 1 May 1786 . At the French Revolution , Renaudin was promoted to Lieutenant de Vaisseau on 1 January 1792 , and to Captain on 1 January 1793 ; he was appointed to command the 20 - gun corvette " Perdrix " , cruising off Belle - Ile and Rochefort . He later transferred to the frigate " Andromaque " , on which sustained a fight against a ship of the line and four Spanish frigates . The " Vengeur du Peuple " at the Glorious First of June . Renaudin commanded the " Vengeur du Peuple " in the fleet of Admiral Villaret - Joyeuse . Exiting Brest , " Vengeur " was separated from her fleet , which prevented her from taking part in the Action of 29 May 1794 ; on the next day , however , she sustained fire from ten British ships while preventing them from cutting the French line of battle . On the next day , at the Glorious First of June , Renaudin led a fierce battle against HMS " Brunswick " , in which " Brunswick " and " Vengeur " disabled each other . As " Vengeur " could not be rescued by French frigates , Renaudin asked for help from the British . Renaudin was rescued by HMS " Culloden " and abandoned his ship with the first British boat , leaving his men behind in disregard for military customs and the 1765 standing order that Captains had to be last to abandon ship . Though his account of the event insinuated that he was on a boat close to " Vengeur " when she foundered , he was in fact dining in the mess of " Culloden " at the moment of the sinking . Taken in captivity in Tavistock , he wrote an account of the fight of " Vengeur " on 1 Messidor an II ( 19 June 1794 ) , signed and had it co - signed by his staff , comprising , Jean Hugine , Louis Rousseau , Pelet , Trouvée , Lussot and others . In France , Renaudin was assumed to be dead , and posthumously promoted to contre - amiral on 29 August 1794 . His return astonished the Convention on 10 September 1794 , when Jean - Jacques Bréard stated : Nevertheless , in 1847 , Lamartine wrote a description where Renaudin was killed , cut in half by a cannon shot like Dupetit - Thouars , and Thiers later wrote an account repeating Barère ' s version , where " Vengeur " refused to surrender . Remarkably , neither the national Archives , nor the archives of the Navy , nor the archives of the War Council nor Renaudin ' s personal file mention any court - martial that should have been held automatically for the loss of the ship , in accordance with French law . Later life . Renaudin was promoted to Rear Admiral on 29 August 1794 , purportedly a postumeous honour , before being exchanged . He was put in command of " Jemmapes " before obtaining command of the 3rd Squadron of the naval army of the Ocean ( the Brest fleet under Admiral Martin ) , a 6 - ship division , on 29 October 1794 , with his flag on " Jemmapes " . In late February 1795 , Renaudin ' s division left Brest to reinforce the naval forces of Toulon , where it arrived on 3 April 1795 . On 24 March 1798 , Renaudin was appointed to the 2nd squadron of the Brest fleet , succeeding Admiral Lelarge . From 21 March 1799 , he commanded the naval forces of Napoli , before moving to Toulon to become the senior officer of the garrison on 25 May 1799 , replacing Jean Gaspard Vence who had fallen in disfavour after an altercation with Bruix . On 23 September 1799 , Renaudin became general inspector of oceanic harbours from Cherbourg to Bayonne . He retired on 4 April 1801 , and died in Le Gua .