At age 17, as a
Knight of Malta, he fought his first naval battle on a frigate of the Order of Malta. At 25, he joined the French Royal Navy and began an active career, fighting the 1673 campaign of the
Franco-Dutch War on the
Sans-Pareil, at the
Battle of Augusta where he was in command of the
Syrene, and later in command of the
Sceptre. He served under
Abraham Duquesne during the campaigns of 1676, and became a commander in 1690 during the
Nine Years' War. He flew his personal flag on the
Soleil Royal, where it would stay until the
battles of Barfleur and La Hougue in 1692. At the
Battle of Beachy Head in 1690, he defeated an
Anglo-
Dutch fleet, sinking, destroying or capturing seven enemy ships. Three days later he led a fleet of galleys which
raided the town of Teignmouth but this proved controversial and Tourville was relieved of command by Louis XIV for failing to take advantage of the naval supremacy in the English Channel. Tourville was eventually reinstated, and on 29 May 1692, at the
action at Barfleur, with only 45 ships he fought against an Anglo-Dutch fleet of 97 ships, but was forced to retreat. His fleet suffered heavy losses after the battle when English and Dutch
fire ships attacked several French ships of the line which were immobilized for repairs in port at
Cherbourg-en-Cotentin. On 27 June 1693, he defeated an Anglo-Dutch convoy led by
George Rooke during the
Battle of Cape St. Vincent. ==Honours and tributes==