Flottille de Boulogne facts for kids

This picture shows how the French fleet was set up for Napoleon's plan to invade England.

The Flottille de Boulogne was a huge fleet of small boats. These boats included gunboats, brigs, and barges. They were built in a place called Boulogne because Napoléon Bonaparte, who was the leader of France at the time, ordered them. This happened starting in 1801. The flotilla was a very important part of Napoleon's big plan to invade England.

Why the Flotilla Was Built

France wanted to invade England, but the French Navy wasn't strong enough to fight the powerful British Navy directly. The French Navy had been weakened in earlier battles. So, the idea came up to quickly cross the English Channel using many smaller boats. This way, they hoped to surprise England.

On December 25, 1797, Napoléon Bonaparte was put in charge of the "Army of England." This army was meant to be part of the invasion plan.

What the Flotilla Was Like

John Bull viewing the preparations on the French coast!, an old drawing from 1803.

In July 1801, the flotilla was organized into nine groups. It had different kinds of ships:

• Bateau canonnier: This was a small gunboat with two masts. It carried one large gun.
• Chaloupe canonnière: This was a small brig, also known simply as a "canonnière."
• Balancelle: Another type of boat in the fleet.
• Prame: This was a flat-bottomed barge.

During the summer, the British, led by Horatio Nelson, tried to attack Boulogne. They tried on August 4, and again on August 15–16. But the French admiral, Latouche-Tréville, did a great job defending the port, and the British attacks failed.

A peace agreement called the Treaty of Amiens was signed on March 25, 1802. This stopped the work on the flotilla for a while. But when the War of the Third Coalition started in May 1803, the flotilla was made active again. Napoleon reorganized it.

The British often attacked the flotilla, but these attacks usually didn't do much damage. There were many small fights between French and British ships. The French flotilla even had some small wins against bigger British ships. For example, they captured a British ship called HMS Minerve on July 2, 1803.

This map shows the British attack on Boulogne in October 1804. You can see the flotilla lined up along the coast.

On October 3, 1804, a British force led by Lord Keith tried to destroy the flotilla. They used 25 fireships, which are ships set on fire and sent to crash into enemy ships. But the French pushed them back. The British tried again on October 9, 1806, using Congreve rockets, and then with gunfire. But these attacks also had no effect on the flotilla.

This picture from 1805 shows Boulogne Harbour with the flotilla. You can also see the army camps in the hills behind, ready for the invasion.