Briefed personally by Lord Anson, the newly promoted rear admiral took a force of ships of the line, frigates, and six mortar-armed bomb vessels to Le Havre. His captains included Samuel Barrington, Hyde Parker, Samuel Hood, Thomas Graves, and other officers who later reached flag rank. The bomb vessels fired roughly 3,000 shells over more than fifty hours against 337 invasion barges. Rodney maintained the blockade through the rest of the year, captured prizes, and spent much of the next three years on small-squadron and blockade duties. These operations supported the wider strategy of containing French naval activity and economic power.
Chapter · 1:26:37-1:34:45
Bombarding Le Havre and suppressing an invasion threat
In his first independent flag command, Rodney used bomb vessels and a strong cadre of future admirals to bombard invasion preparations and blockade Le Havre.