Raid on Dunkirk (1800) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Raid on Dunkirk |
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| Part of the naval operations during the War of the Second Coalition | |||||||
 Capture of La Desirée, Thomas Whitcombe |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Great Britain |
 France |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Henry Inman |
Jean Castagnier |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 2 frigates 1 sloop 4 fireships |
4 frigates | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 18 killed and wounded 4 fireships destroyed |
100 killed and wounded 1 frigate captured |
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The Raid on Dunkirk happened on July 7, 1800. It was an attack by the British Royal Navy on the French port of Dunkirk during the French Revolutionary Wars. French warships were often trapped in their harbors by British blockades. To attack them, the British used special tactics.
One tactic was using fireships. These were old ships filled with flammable materials. They would be set on fire and sent into enemy harbors. Another tactic was "cutting-out" expeditions. Small boats with boarding parties would sneak into a harbor at night. They would capture enemy ships and sail them away. The attack on Dunkirk used both of these methods. It targeted a strong group of French frigates in Dunkirk harbor.
The British used some new weapons during this raid. Some worked well, like the heavily armed sloop HMS Dart. But the fireships didn't do much damage. Other British ships also had little effect. The French defense was messy and didn't work well. They lost one frigate, which was captured. Three other French frigates almost got destroyed. They escaped by cutting their anchor ropes and sailing into shallow waters. They ran aground there but were later refloated and repaired. The French suffered many casualties, while the British had very few losses. Many British officers were praised and received promotions and prize money.
Why the Raid Happened
By the late French Revolutionary Wars (1793–1802), the Royal Navy was very powerful. They had won many battles at sea. The French Navy had lost many ships. In Northern Europe, French ships were forced to stay in their own harbors. British ships kept them blocked in. Big ports were watched by large fleets. Smaller ports also had blockade squadrons. These smaller ports, like Dunkirk in French Flanders, were too shallow for big warships. But they were perfect for frigates. These frigates would try to attack British shipping whenever they could escape.
Dunkirk had four French frigates. These were the 44-gun Poursuivante, the 40-gun Carmagnole, and the 36-gun Désirée and Incorruptible. Dunkirk was well protected. It had gun batteries and gunboats guarding the harbor. Also, the port was surrounded by tricky shallow sandbanks. The frigates could hide there if attacked.
The British decided that a small group of ships could attack the frigates. Captain Henry Inman was in charge. He commanded the frigate HMS Andromeda. His force included HMS Nemesis and 15 smaller ships. These smaller ships included four fireships. Fireships were small brigs that could be used as warships. But they were meant to be burned and sent into enemy ships. The force also included the sloop HMS Dart. Commander Patrick Campbell commanded Dart.
Dart was a very unusual ship. It was small but had thirty powerful carronades. Carronades were short, powerful cannons. Dart's carronades were designed to have less recoil. This made them faster and easier to load.
The British ships gathered by June 17, 1800. But bad winds and tides stopped the attack for ten days. The French prepared for an attack. They anchored their frigates in a line across the harbor. Gunboats patrolled the harbor to help. The westernmost French ships could escape into the channels of the Braak Sands if attacked. Captain Inman knew his biggest ships, Andromeda and Nemesis, would be too large for the narrow harbor. So, they stayed offshore. Their crews were moved to the smaller ships that would lead the attack. These included the fireships HMS Wasp, HMS Falcon, HMS Comet, and HMS Rosario. Also involved were the brigs HMS Biter and HMS Boxer, and the hired ships Kent, Ann, and Vigilant. Inman himself sailed on Vigilant. Dart, led by Commander Campbell, was at the front. Its target was the French frigate Désirée.
The Battle Begins
Captain Inman's squadron entered Dunkirk harbor late on July 7, 1800. Dart slowly led the way. The rest of the ships followed in a line behind the powerful sloop. Inman had put men from captured smugglers on the hired ships Vigilant and Nile. These men knew the local waters and guided the British force.
At midnight, the French frigates appeared in the darkness. Dart slowly sailed past them. A French frigate called out, asking where Dart came from. A British officer who spoke French replied, "De Bordeaux" ("from Bordeaux"). Then he was asked what the small ships behind Dart were. The officer replied, "Je ne sais pas" ("I do not know"). The French seemed satisfied and asked no more questions.
Dart continued until it was next to the second-to-last French frigate. Lookouts on this ship recognized the strange vessel. They immediately opened fire. Dart quickly fired back. Commander Campbell knew his heavy carronades were very strong at close range. He had ordered them to be "double-shotted." This meant each carronade fired twice the usual number of cannonballs. The effect was immediate. The French ship suffered many casualties and severe damage. Dart's 15 guns could fire very quickly. This allowed them to keep up a steady attack. Dart then moved on to the last ship in the line, Désirée.
Commander Campbell used an anchor to hold Dart steady. He placed Dart right next to the French frigate. Dart's front was between the French ship's masts. This allowed a boarding party, led by Lieutenant James M'Dermeit, to jump onto Désirée. They fought hand-to-hand and drove the French sailors off the deck. M'Dermeit was wounded in the fight. He called for more men as the French gathered at the back of their ship. Campbell used his anchors to swing Dart even closer. A second boarding party, led by Lieutenant William Isaac Pearce, charged aboard. They defeated the French reinforcements coming from below deck.
With the upper deck secure, Pearce cut Désirée's anchor ropes. He steered the captured frigate out of the harbor. They sailed over the sandbars, which were becoming exposed by the low tide. With Désirée captured, Campbell turned Dart to help with the second British attack. This attack was against the front of the French line.
While Dart and Désirée fought, the British fireships attacked the front of the French line. The fireships had been emptied of useful items. They were ready for their original purpose. Small crews of volunteers set the ships on fire. All four fireships headed towards the three northern French ships. Dart and the British brigs also fired to support them. Smaller British boats picked up the fireship crews once the ships were burning.
The fireships were handled well. But the French were ready for this tactic. The French squadron cut their anchor ropes. They sailed into the channels around the Braak Sands. This move took them past Biter and Boxer. It also kept them under fire from Dart. But despite the damage, all three French ships reached the safety of the channel. The British could not follow without risking running aground. One French ship did get stuck at low tide. But it was out of range of the British ships and was not seriously damaged. The fireships drifted without direction. They exploded without hitting any targets. Two British sailors were wounded because their boat was too close to Comet.
While the frigates and fireships fought, many small French gunboats came out of Dunkirk. They were met by the British hired ships, which were armed like brigs. In a short, sharp fight, the hired ships had four wounded men. But they successfully held back the French gunboats during the battle.
After the Raid
With his main targets out of reach, Captain Inman stopped the attack in the early morning. He pulled his ships back. The British had lost one man killed and 17 wounded. All but six of the wounded were from Dart. French casualties were much higher. More than 100 French sailors were killed or wounded. Most of these were on Désirée, which had taken the full force of Dart's attack.
Inman realized he had no space for prisoners. Also, many French wounded needed urgent medical care. So, Inman sent the wounded men back to Dunkirk. It seems he later sent all the prisoners back too. By midday on July 8, 1800, the British ships were back in their position off the coast. Désirée was sent to Britain. It was later added to the Royal Navy as HMS Desiree. Captain Inman himself commanded it.
The British sailors received prize money for capturing the frigate. But they did not get "head money." This was a reward for enemy servicemen killed, wounded, or captured. It was probably not paid because the prisoners were returned. For their bravery, Commander Campbell and Lieutenant M'Dermeit were promoted. Commander Campbell moved from Dart to a smaller ship, HMS Aridane. The French ships returned from the Braak Sand that morning. Repairs were done in Dunkirk. In 1847, the British Admiralty gave the Naval General Service Medal with the clasp "Capture of the Desiree" to any surviving sailors from the raid.
