Battle of Trafalgar at Toulon on the Mediterranean coast. Other ports on the French Atlantic coast harboured smaller squadrons. France and Spain were allied, so the Spanish fleet based in Cádiz and Ferrol was also available. The British possessed an experienced and well-trained corps of naval officers. By contrast, some of the best officers in the French navy had either been executed or had left the service during the early part of the French Revolution. Vice-Admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve had taken command of the French Mediterranean fleet following the death of Latouche Treville. There had been more competent officers, but they had either been
French destroyer Frondeur "Frondeur" was laid down on 9 November 1927, launched on 20 June 1929 and completed on 20 October 1931. After France surrendered to Germany in June 1940 during World War II, "Frondeur" served with the naval force of Vichy France. She was at Casablanca, French Morocco, when Allied forces invaded French North Africa in Operation Torch in November 1942. Resisting the invasion, she was sunk by gunfire from United States Navy ships off Casablanca during the Naval Battle of Casablanca. French destroyer Frondeur The French destroyer "Frondeur" was one of 14 s built for the French Navy during the 1920s.