1806: RN use rockets for the first time

[PeterMacD]

1806: Royal Navy uses rockets for the first time, in a bombardment of Boulogne.

 

The successful wars fought by the British against the Indian princes, especially Tipoo Sahib, introduced the British to rockets. The rockets had not proven particularly effective and did not impress a young Arthur Wellesley, who later became the Duke of Wellington, but captured samples were returned to Woolwich Arsenal in 1804. William Congreve was the eldest son of an official at the Royal laboratory at Woolwich. Congreve had served in the Royal Artillery briefly in 1791 before being attached to the laboratory staff himself. Congreve worked on improving the propellants and inventing warheads for the rocket. Congreve’s own story of his work on rockets begins.

‘ In 1804, it first occurred to me that….the projectile force of the rocket…….might be successfully employed, both afloat and ashore, as a military engine, in many cases where the recoil of exploding gunpowder’ made the use of artillery impossible. Congreve bought the best rockets on the London market but found they had a greatest range of only 600 yards. He knew that the Indian princes had possessed rockets that would travel much further than this. After spending ‘several hundred pounds’ of his own money on experiments he was able to make a rocket that would travel 1500 yards. He applied to Lord Chatham to have a number of large rockets constructed at Woolwich Arsenal, these achieved ranges of up to 2000 yards. By 1806 he was producing 32pdr rockets, which flew 3000 yards. The great advantage of Congreve’s invention was that it possessed many of the qualities of artillery but was free from the encumbrance of guns; wherever a packhorse or an infantryman could go, the rocket could go and be used to provide artillery support.

 

 

The first service trial took place at sea on the night of 7-8 October 1806. Eighteen boats equipped with rockets on launching frames, rowed into the bay of Boulogne to attempt to destroy the French invasion barges within. Two hundred rounds were fired in thirty minutes. The damage to the fleet was minimal but although the damage to the town is not certain, it was probably very heavy as Lord Lauderdale passing through the next day as he returned from a diplomatic mission, was only allowed to proceed through the town in his coach with the blinds pulled down. Further, during his overnight stop in the town, he was confined to his hotel, to stop him observing any of the damage. Napoleon immediately offered a reward to any French inventor to rival Congreve’s rockets, none succeeded.

 

 

 

 

[Tony B]

Actually gets a mention the American National Anthem, 'The rockets red glare'. Used to work at the Arsenal just as it was closing. Funny thing is over history the rockets did a lot more damage to Woolwich than they ever did to the enemy. :-D

[Snapper]

Another quality item. Is this not the same family Congreve as the later father and son who achieved high fame?? Tony B will know. He is a guru.

 

MB

[Tony B]

Snapper you do me to great an honour :bow: I was working at Woolwich when it was closing. Especially on night shift not a lot going on, I got friendly with the enviromental investigation team. Thier job was to study the history and work out where the bodies were buired. After 300 years of miliatry presence the ground was very contaminated. I voluntered to go through many of the books archives and diarys they had to pass the time. Fascinating. One of the useles bits of info was about the Congreve family, they seemed to hold a number of key posts at the Arsenal through the years. The football team, Napoleons nephew's body landing there after his death in South Africa, 120 miles of railways. Honestly it fills volumes. As to the rockets, they were the responsobility of the Artillery. There are several versions Congreve didn't invent them he came up with a design that had angled vents to spin them in flight and stabilise them.

[Snapper]

Yes the poor old Prince Imperial, son of the deposed Napoleon III. His mother, the Empress lived in exile in Chiselhurst and they named a road after the hapless Louis after his untimely brush with an assegai.

 

I have a similar situation here at News Int helping care for a 15-20 million image archive of glass plates and prints and all manner of other negatives/transparencies/autochrome that nobody in a suit could give a stuff about. It breaks my heart. Computers rule.

[Tony B]

Your right, for years there was a plaque on the guard house at Woolwich commemorating this. It was one of the two now just down from firepower. the plaque seems to have dissapperd.