As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.....
If I were to ask you in which war, the use of iron clads arose, most of you would think the Civil War or come up with something out of European war, but in reality, the necessity of tin clads came about in the American Revolution, when Captain Hyde Parker, then in command of the British naval expeditionary forces into Georgia, realized that he needed some musketry on inland creek ships in order to maintain British rule in that country from Florida to the Carolinas.
The naval battles of the American Revolution are a unique puzzle of the Lakes small water craft, to the apparent river craft of the south, to the immense ocean riding battleships of the line in 72 to 90 gun craft.
It is I presume an act of God in the naval operations in America were first conducted by a somewhat sympathetic, yet brilliant, Admiral Lord Howe. He slowly constricted the Americans, with the only misstep seeming to be in capturing Rhode Island and then giving it up.
Howe was brilliant though in defense against the superior French when they entered the war, for the express purpose as the French were usually about as stated in the Treaty with America, that they could not take American lands, but they could seize British Islands in the West Indies.
Yes after Admiral d'Eistang did not fight in 1788, he set sail for the Indies as war was one in which you fought in the south in the winter and in the north in the summer. The French Admiral though accomplished little as a land soldier on the sea.
His one feat of victory was against the worst officer apparently in the British Navy in Byron.
Byron had been dispatched with a flotilla at the outset of the French inclusion in the war, who had dispatched a squadron under d'Eistang to America.
On the way, Byron's ships were all scattered, which gave Admiral Howe almost no help when he needed it most. That was the waymark for Byron apparently, as when he sailed south to the Indies, the British did some island battle, but it was under Barrington that they checked the French and under Byron, a most unorganized battle took place, where d'Eistang, actually drubbed the English.
It was an odd thing as Byron attacked without knowing the French were superior in number. Some of his ships were in the rear and of these the French mauled them. Byron never did get organized and after the drubbing, went into port and there he sat.
Admiral d'Eistang though was handed this gift, but did not crush the 4 ships he disabled and all he really did accomplish was to sail in front of the English ships as they lay in dock to rub salt in the wounds.
So for every Howe, the English did have a Byron who prosecuted battle worse than the French. If d'Eistang had simply cut out the crippled British ships, Byron would have most likely come to their aid and a battle engaged in, in which the British fleet would have been wiped out.
That would have gained France her West Indies completely, and left America in a most open position for a 1779 campaign to make the British quit America.
Instead what took place by God's intervention, was the mistake of General Howe in dividing his forces under Burgoyne in 1777 for defeat, found General Clinton in a complete battle with Lord Cornwallis in the British army divided again, and this time one thousand miles separated them and led to their defeat.
d'Estaing though did provide service before being recalled. He decided to attack Savanah to liberate it, but it was another failure, except that Lord Clinton upon seeing his exposed positions in the north knew he could not hold New York and Rhode Island, so the British evacuated the best port in the Americas.
In the West Indies two squads operated under de Grassse which would prove important for America, and La Motte Picquet.
The French would hand command in North America over to Rear Admiral de Guichen, while the British would in 1780 hand over their sea battle to Rodney.
Rodney though was early in 1780 cutting his teeth, in a most remarkable situtation, as while the focus of this is always in American eyes their hardships, a great come uppance took place in England in that year, in King George issued orders that all horses and cattle be driven from the coast to the inward.
What could cause such a thing? Assembled before England, blocking their coasts in numbering two to their one, was a combined French host and Spanish host of line ships.
This was the stage set in England in 1780 as they who ruled the seas, suddenly had their 74 gun Ardent captured in the English Channel by the American allies.
Admiral Charles Hardy was in command of the Channel Fleet and orders from the Admiralty were to sink ships across Plymouth Harbour in order to stop an invasion.
The French though ........again misstepped as Admiral d'Orvilliers was ordered to cruise off Spain to await the Spanish squadron, but if he had just entered the Channel, he would have picked off hundreds of British merchant prizes in two flotillas from the American West Indies.
The French had assembled 50,000 men, and intended to seize the Isle of Wright, for a secure operating base against the English. If it had been God's will, England would have ended as much as England tried to end France in which Joan of Arc saved her country.
The Spanish wanted Minorca and Gibraltar and the French wanted the West Indies. To the English credit a man appeared named Rodney who was brilliant.
Rodney would leave Plymouth with a squadron for the West Indies. His mission was to get stores for Gibraltar which was under seige.
Arriving in the West Indies, he parted his fleet and immediately gave chace and caught a Spanish merchant fleet bound for Cadiz for the Spanish military. This he secured for Gibraltar.
Rodney continued his cruise and made for battle with a Spanish squadron of 11 ships, and these were line ships. The Englishman made for battle at 4 pm, and by 4:40 pm, the 80 gun Santo Domingo blew up with all on board. At 6 pm another struck.
As this was winter, darkness came early, but Rodney pressed on the attack until 2 AM, where only 4 ships escaped and he had captured the Spanish flag ship of the Fenix.
The 4 who escaped apparently were recaptured and subsequently brought into the British Navy.
Rodney was about as great as anti hero as there could be, as he was 62 years old, suffered from gout in hands and feet, and yet in one operation as the Admiralty gave credit, Rodney had captured more war ships than had been taken in any single battle in the last two wars, one of which was a world war.
It is one of the oddities in this that the Spanish ships were not coppered, or the use of sheets of copper on the hulls which made them faster in water. The Spanish ships were slower due to this, but their ships even to the time of Lord Nelson were superior to what the British had afloat.
Copper was not on all ships, but copper was the ultimate weapon under a ship, and it is of note that tin ships on the top were advocated for the inland waters of America.
George Brydges or Lord Rodney, was the force which stayed the French and Spanish in the West Indies, and supplied the seiged outposts of Gibraltar and Minorca.
In this, as other British officers were busy losing America, he was busy at saving the British Empire.
It is a most interesting oddity in what are the edges of metal in men and ship hulls.
The turning point in the American Revolution was when Clinton and Cornwallis lost America and Rodney saved the empire.
Odd.
Odd in all the efforts Rodney made early that in 1781, his failure would be what would hand Americans their freedom. For while he was busy looting Dutch interests, he had sent Admiral Hood to be out of the way, and the French under Admiral de Grasse arrived in the West Indies under convoy.
Hood attempted battle in being out gunned, but the French held their seas.
In a island chess match, Rodney would return to the squadron, but in a series of island combats and watching nothing fomented into battle.
On July 9th, 1781, Admiral Rodney and Admiral de Grasse would meet in full convoy. Rodney declined battle due to ocean currents and the problems with submerged obstacles. It was the battle which if Rodney had taken the chance would have kept America for the British, for de Grasse would sail to America on George Washington intelligence, and that was the battle which captured General Cornwallis.
Odd is Lord Rodney saved the British Empire, but while others received the blame for losing America, it was his greed and later desiring to manage his West Indian riches, which was the factor that caused America to be lost.
agtG
