Sidney Smith (admiral)

Sir William Sidney Smith KCB (21 June, 1764 – 26 May, 1840) was the British admiral of whom Napoleon Bonaparte said, "That man made me miss my destiny".

Service in British waters

On his return to England in 1801 Smith received some honours and a pension of £1,000 for his services but he was overshadowed again by Nelson who was being acclaimed as the victor of the Battle of Copenhagen. During the brief Peace of Amiens, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Rochester, Kent in the election held in 1802. There is strong evidence that he had an affair with Princess Caroline of Brunswick, the estranged wife of the Prince of Wales. Although she became pregnant, she was notorious for having a number of other lovers at the same time, such as George Canning and Thomas Lawrence, so it is unlikely the child was Smith's.

Related Topics:
1801 - Battle of Copenhagen - Peace of Amiens - Member of Parliament - Rochester, Kent - 1802 - Caroline of Brunswick - Prince of Wales - George Canning - Thomas Lawrence

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With the resumption of war with France in 1803, Smith was employed in the southern North Sea off the coast between Ostend and Flushing part of the forces gathered to prevent Napoleon's threatened invasion.

Related Topics:
1803 - North Sea - Ostend - Flushing

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Smith, who was interested in new and unusual methods of warfare, in 1804 and 1805 worked with the American inventor, Robert Fulton on his plans to develop torpedoes and mines to destroy the French invasion fleet gathering on the French and Belgian coasts. However, an attempt to use the new weapons combined with Congreve rockets in an attack on Boulogne was foiled by bad weather and the French gunboats that came out to threaten the attackers. Despite this setback, suggestions were made that the rockets, mines and torpedoes be used against the Combined French and Spanish Fleet in Cádiz. This was not necessary as the combined fleet sailed to defeat at the Battle of Trafalgar in October 1805.

Related Topics:
1804 - 1805 - Robert Fulton - Congreve - Boulogne - Cádiz - Battle of Trafalgar

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