He notably captained the 40-gun frigate Pourvoyeuse and the 50-gun Petit Annibal in Suffren's squadron during the Anglo-French War.
Fantasque was part of the squadron under Admiral d'Estaing supporting the rebels in the War of American Independence.
[8] Ruyter departed Brest on 22 March 1781, as first officer of the 74-gun Héros, flagship of a division under Captain Suffren bound for the Dutch Cape Colony and from there to Isle de France (Mauritius).
[12] In the run-up to the Battle of Sadras, [13] tasked with escorting a convoy, Ruyter failed to maintain formation and, when the British attacked it, to come to its rescue.
Ruyter lost contact with Suffren's squadron and returned to Puducherry, which had been chosen as a rendez-vous point in case ships got separated.