A Naval Biographical Dictionary/Laroche, Christopher
LAROCHE. (Captain on Retired Half-pay, 1800. f-p., 22; h-p., 43.)
Christopher Laroche is second son of the late Henry Laroche, Esq., of Halburton, Devon.
This officer entered the Navy, 22 Feb. 1782, as Captain’s Servant, on board the Trusty 50, Capt. Jas. Bradley, on the Home station, where, and in the West Indies and Mediterranean, he further, until Sept. 1793, served, as Midshipman and Master’s Mate, in the Alexander and Powerful 74’s, both commanded by Capt. Thos. Fitzherbert, Europa 50, flag-ship of Admirals Gambier and Innes, Porcupine sloop, Capt. Herbert Sawyer, Orion, Powerful, and Orion again, Capts. Hyde Parker, Andw. Sutherland, and Chas. Chamberlayne, Berwick 74, Capts. H. Parker and Roger Curtis, and Victory 100, bearing the flag of Lord Hood. While in the latter ship, Mr. Laroche, whose promotion to the rank of Lieutenant took place 11 Sept. 1793, was intrusted, during the investment of Toulon, with the command of a floating battery, in which, rendering intermediately the most important services, he remained until that implement of destruction was nearly knocked to pieces, and he himself severely wounded. He was then sent to direct a battery on shore. His appointments, subsequently to the evacuation of Toulon, appear to have been – in Jan. 1794, to the Poulette 28 – in April following and Jan. 1796, to the St. George 98, and Britannia 100, bearing each the flag of Sir Hyde Parker, under whom he took part in Hotham’s partial actions in 1795 – 30 Aug. 1796, as First, to the Saturn 74, Capt. Jas. Douglas – in Jan. 1797, to the Proselyte 32, Capt. John Loring, for passage to the West Indies – in April following,, again as Senior, to the Queen 98, bearing the flag on that station of his friend Sir H. Parker – and in the course of 1798 (so great was the confidence reposed in him by the latter officer) to the acting-command of the Drake 16, Pelican 18, Proselyte 32, Swallow 18, Adventure 44, and Stork 18. From the last-mentioned vessel (to which he had been confirmed by commission dated 18 Aug. 1798) Capt. Laroche was promoted, 11 Nov. 1799, to the acting-captaincy of the Abergavenny 64, on the Jamaica station, where, on 29 Jan. 1800, he was officially posted into the Surprise 32. He returned to England in June, 1801, and was afterwards appointed – 25 Aug. 1804, to the Texel 64, flag-ship at Leith of Rear-Admiral Jas. Vashon – 24 Mov. in the same year (during the temporary absence of Capt. Robt. Dudley Oliver), to the Melpomène 38, in which ship, while commanding a squadron of observation off Havre de Grace, he received the thanks of Lord Keith for effecting the capture of two privateers, each of 17 guns, which had hitherto, to the great prejudice of trade, baffled the vigilance of the British cruizers – 1 March, 1805, for a very short period, to the Ajax 74, in which ship he proceeded to join Sir Robt. Calder off Ferrol – and, 27 Dec. following, to the Uranie 38. In that frigate, an old one of very inferior pretensions, whose long 18-pounders had been exchanged, for a battery of long 12-pounders, Capt. Laroche was at first employed in cruizing among the Channel islands and on the north-west coast of France. It being afterwards understood that the enemy had fitted out at Cherbourg and equipped for sea a frigate, La Manche, rated at 40, and a brig-corvette, Le Cigne, mounting 16 guns, our officer was deputed, on 30 April, 1807, to keep a rigid blockade on that dangerous and intricate port. Such were the energy and perseverance he evinced in the execution of this onerous and responsible duty, that he frustrated every attempt on the part of the French to escape, nor woudd they ever allow him to entice them out of the reach of their batteries. Nevertheless, on returning to Spithead in July, to refit [errata 1], the officers applied for a court-martial on their Captain, on the ground that he had not done his utmost to bring the enemy to action, particularly on 15 May and 22 June. In regard to the former of those days, 15 May, it was assorted that La Manche, with the brig and five launches, had been discovered standing out and steering towards the Uranie. Although, however, Capt. Laroche protested that he never saw the vessels, – notwithstanding, too, that the ship at the time was enveloped in fog, and in spite of very conflicting evidence on the side of his accusers – the court was of opinion that the charge had been in part proved, and in consequence sentenced him to be dismissed from the command of his ship. Now, as far as concerns the charge we have here detailed, it very fortunately happens that we have it in our power to refute the whole of it on the authority of two official documents which have passed through our hands, the first, bearing date Cherbourg, 23 March, 1841, signed by M. Kedon, surveyor of the port, and authenticated both by the Rear-Admiral Superintendent, Martineng, and the French Minister of Marine, Admiral Duperré, declaring the fact that the frigate La Manche (so far from making towards the Uranie) was Jying in the roads of Cherbourg on 15 May, 1807, and did not sail until 15 of the following Nov.; and the second (dated Cherbourg, 21 July, 1842, and authenticated by the signature of M. Parsenof, then Rear-Admiral Superintendent) proving, from further research into the archives of the port, that not only was the French frigate in the roads on the day in question, but that a man was actually sent on shore to the hospital, and that several embarkations and debarkations took place. It thus is manifest that, unless Capt. Laroche had had the rashness to enter Cherbourg, it was perfectly impossible for him to have come to an engagement. The light now therefore thrown on the testimony by which the gallant officer was convicted of the first part of the charge brought against him gives so very doubtful an appearance to all the consecutive evidence, that, had the fact been earlier known, he would neither, we may presume, have been suffered to pass the remainder of his days in inactivity, nor have been deprived of his flag.
In 1841 (prior, unfortunately, to the arrival of the documents above quoted) Capt. Laroche’s case was brought before Parliament by the then Member for Hertford; but so strong were the objections entertained by Ministers to any control being exercised in the House over the decisions of courts-martial, especially after such a lapse of time, that the motion was withdrawn. Capt. Laroche served as an Esquire at the installation of Sir Thos. Graves, 16 May, 1803. While afloat, we may add, he made capture of a more than ordinary number of privateers and other vessels. Agents – Messrs. Stilwell.