|
HMS Alceste (1806)
HMS ''Alceste'' was built at Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, Rochefort in 1804 for the French Navy as ''Minerve'', an . In the spring of 1806, prior to her capture, she engaged , then under Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Lord Cochrane. During the duel she ran aground but Cochrane had to abort his attack when French reinforcements appeared. The British captured her in an action on 25 September 1806, and the Royal Navy took ''Minerve'' into service as ''Alceste'' in March 1807; ''Alceste'' then continued to serve throughout the Napoleonic Wars. On Action of 29 November 1811, 29 November 1811, ''Alceste'' led a British squadron that captured a French military convoy carrying more than 200 cannon to Trieste in the Balkans. After this loss, Napoleon changed the direction of his planned eastward expansion in 1812 from the Balkans to Russia. The British historian James Henderson has suggested that the two events were linked, and may have changed the course of the war. In 181 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort (; ), unofficially Rochefort-sur-Mer (; ) for disambiguation, is a city and communes of France, commune in Southwestern France, a port on the Charente (river), Charente estuary. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Charente-Maritime Departments of France, department, located in the administrative regions of France, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes). Geography Rochefort lies on the river Charente (river), Charente, close to its outflow into the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 30 km southeast of La Rochelle. Rochefort station has rail connections to La Rochelle, Nantes and Bordeaux. History In December 1665, Rochefort was chosen by Jean-Baptiste Colbert as a place of "refuge, defence and supply" for the French Navy. The Arsenal de Rochefort served as a naval base and dockyard until it closed in 1926. In September 1757, Rochefort was the target of an ambitious Raid on Rochefort, British raid during the Seven Yea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst
William Pitt Amherst, 1st Earl Amherst (14 January 177313 March 1857) was a British diplomat and colonial administrator who served as the Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William from 1823 to 1828. Background and education Born at Bath, Somerset, Amherst was the son of William Amherst and Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Paterson. He was the grand-nephew of Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst, and succeeded to his title in 1797 according to a special remainder in the letters patent. He matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford on 13 October 1789, receiving a BA in 1793 and an MA in 1797. Ambassador extraordinary to China In 1816 he was sent as ambassador extraordinary to the court of China's Qing dynasty, with a view of establishing more satisfactory commercial relations between China and Great Britain. On arriving at Pei Ho (Baihe, today's Haihe), he was given to understand that he could only be admitted to the Jiaqing Emperor's presence on condition of performing the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ÃŽle-d'Aix
Île-d'Aix () is a communes of France, commune in the departments of France, French department of Charente-Maritime, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Poitou-Charentes), off the west coast of France. It occupies the territory of the small Isle of Aix (), in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a popular place for tourist day-trips during the summer months. Location Île-d'Aix is located at the mouth of the river Charente (river), Charente, between Oléron Island and the coast of mainland France. The island is also close to Fort Boyard (fortification), Fort Boyard. File:Aix island Fleuriau de Bellevue 1823 detail.jpg, Map of Île-d'Aix, by Fleuriau de Bellevue, 1823 File:Ile daix satellite.png, Satellite photograph of ''Ile d'Aix'' File:AixMainStreet.JPG, The main street in the village. File:AixWoods.JPG, A forest road in the north of the island. File:AixIsland.JPG, Île-d'Aix, as seen from the south-west, from Fort Boyard (fortification), Fort Boyard. History During the Roman p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ships-of-the-line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed during the Age of Sail from the 17th century to the mid-19th century. The ship of the line was designed for the naval tactic known as the line of battle, which involved the two columns of opposing warships manoeuvering to volley fire with the cannons along their broadsides. In conflicts where opposing ships were both able to fire from their broadsides, the faction with more cannons firingand therefore more firepowertypically had an advantage. From the end of the 1840s, the introduction of steam power brought less dependence on the wind in battle and led to the construction of screw-driven wooden-hulled ships of the line; a number of purely sail-powered ships were converted to this propulsion mechanism. However, the rise of the ironclad frigate, starting in 1859, made steam-assisted ships of the line obsolete. The ironclad warship was predecessor to the 20th-century battleship, whose very designation is itself a contr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zacharie Allemand
Vice-Admiral Zacharie Jacques Théodore, comte Allemand (1 May 1762 – 2 March 1826) was a French Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Biography Early career Allemand was born to a captain of the French East India Company. Orphaned at an early age, he started his sailing career at 12 as an apprentice on ''Superbe'', an East Indiaman. In 1778, at the outbreak of the American War of Independence, he volunteered for Navy service of ''Sévère'', in Suffren's squadron. By the end of the war, Allemand had risen to lieutenant de frégate and served on ''Annibal''. He later went on to serve on the fluyts ''Baleine'' and ''Outarde'' in the Indian Ocean. In late 1786, Allemand returned to France to benefit from a reform of the Navy by which he could obtain a permanent commission of ''sous-lieutenant de vaisseau'' for his service. In this capacity, he served on a number of frigates in the Caribbean and off America. French Revolution and First Empir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Contre-amiral
Counter admiral is a military rank used for high-ranking officers in several navies around the world, though the rank is not used in the English-speaking world, where its equivalent rank is rear admiral. The term derives from the French . Depending on the country, it is either a one-star or two-star rank. In modern navies that use it, counter admiral is generally, although not always, the lowest flag officer rank. In the German Navy, for instance, ranks below ; in the Royal Canadian Navy, (rear admiral in English) ranks above . French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries' navies the rank of is used as the lowest flag officer. It is usually placed above ship-of-the-line captain () and below vice admiral (). Germany is a NATO OF-7 (two-star rank) of the (German Navy), equivalent to the ("major general") in the German Army and the German Air Force. Nordic countries The rank of counter admiral is used in all the Nordic countries. Denmark and No ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
War Of The Fourth Coalition
The War of the Fourth Coalition () was a war spanning 1806–1807 that saw a multinational coalition fight against Napoleon's First French Empire, French Empire, subsequently being defeated. The main coalition partners were Kingdom of Prussia, Prussia and Russian Empire, Russia with Electorate of Saxony, Saxony, Franco-Swedish War, Sweden, and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Great Britain also contributing. Excluding Prussia, some members of the coalition had previously been fighting France as part of the War of the Third Coalition, Third Coalition, and there was no intervening period of general peace. On 9 October 1806, Prussia declared war on France and joined a renewed coalition, fearing the rise in French power after the defeat of Austrian Empire, Austria and establishment of the French-sponsored Confederation of the Rhine in addition to having learned of French plans to cede Prussian-desired Electorate of Hanover, Hanover to Britain in exchange for peace. Prussi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naval Long Gun
In historical naval usage, a long gun was the standard type of cannon mounted by a sailing vessel, so called to distinguish it from the much shorter carronades. The long gun was known for its increased range and improved mobility in comparison to its larger precursors. This allowed the long gun to establish itself as the best form of artillery to pursue an enemy. In informal usage, the length was combined with the weight of shot, yielding terms like "long nines", referring to full-length, 9-pounder guns. Firing a long gun Cannons are fired through a laborious process that involves the help of many people. It begins by cleaning out the barrel of the cannon with a wet swab. This helps to ensure that any left over embers from the last firing are extinguished before the gunpowder is put in. Once the barrel is clean, the gunpowder is put into the base of the cannon, either loosely or in cloth bags. A piece of cloth or rope is put in after the gunpowder to assure that it stays tightly p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hold (ship)
120px, View of the hold of a container ship A ship's hold or cargo hold is a space for carrying cargo in a ship or airplane compartment. Description Cargo in holds may be either packaged in crates, bales, etc., or unpackaged (bulk cargo). Access to holds is by a large hatch at the top. Ships have had holds for centuries; an alternative way to carry cargo is in standardized shipping containers, which may be loaded into appropriate holds or carried on deck. Holds in older ships were below the orlop deck, the lower part of the interior of a ship's hull, especially when considered as storage space, as for cargo. In later merchant vessels it extended up through the decks to the underside of the weather deck. Some ships have built in cranes and can load and unload their own cargo. Other ships must have dock side cranes or gantry cranes to load and unload. Cargo hatch A cargo hatch or deck hatch or hatchway is type of door used on ships and boats to cover the opening to the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beam (nautical)
The beam of a ship is its width at its widest point. The maximum beam (BMAX) is the distance between planes passing through the outer sides of the ship, beam of the hull (BH) only includes permanently fixed parts of the hull, and beam at waterline (BWL) is the maximum width where the hull intersects the surface of the water. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship (or boat), the more initial stability it has, at the expense of secondary stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position. A ship that heels on her ''beam ends'' has her deck beams nearly vertical. Typical values Typical length-to-beam ratios ( aspect ratios) for small sailboats are from 2:1 (dinghies to trailerable sailboats around ) to 5:1 (racing sailboats over ). Large ships have widely varying beam ratios, some as large as 20:1. Rowing shells designed for flatwater racing may have length to beam ratios as high as 30:1, while a cora ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ceremonial Ship Launching
Ceremonial ship launching involves the performing of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back millennia, to accompany the physical process with ceremonies which have been observed as public celebration and a solemn blessing, usually but not always, in association with the launch itself. Ship launching imposes stresses on the ship not met during normal operation and in addition to the size and weight of the vessel represents a considerable engineering challenge as well as a public spectacle. The process also involves Sailors' superstitions, many traditions intended to invite good luck, such as baptism#Boats and ships, christening by breaking a sacrificial bottle of champagne over the bow (ship), bow as the ship is named aloud and launched. Methods There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching". The ol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pierre-Jacques-Nicolas Rolland
Baron Pierre-Jacques-Nicolas Rolland (17 June 1769 – 9 December 1837) was a French naval architect and engineer. Pierre-Jacques-Nicolas Rolland was born on 17 June 1769 in the harbour town of Brest, into the family of Pierre Nicolas Rolland, engineer-constructor of the Brest Port. He followed his father's footsteps and in 1785, at the age of 16 entered the service at Rochefort Port. In 1795 he fought the British fleet at the naval battle of Genoa on board the French ship ''Sans Culotte''.Better known as ''Orient'', as she was named at the Battle of the Nile Ten years later he was already an established engineer and shortly thereafter chief engineer. In 1802 the launching (under his direction) of two major ships, the ''République-Française'' and the ''Magnanime'', drew the attention of Denis Decrès, Minister of the Navy, and of Napoléon Bonaparte himself to the young engineer. In 1808, Bonaparte visited Rochefort's naval dockyard and was highly satisfied with Rolland's work ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
