Raid on Le Havre

The Raid on Le Havre was a two-day naval bombardment of the French port of Le Havre early in July 1759 by Royal Navy forces under Rear-Admiral George Rodney during the Seven Years' War, which succeeded in its aim of destroying many of the invasion barges being gathered there for the planned French invasion of Great Britain.

Rodney's squadron consisted of the 60-gun ship of the line Achilles as flagship, four 50-gun ships, five frigates, a sloop, and six bomb ketches. The squadron sailed from Spithead on 2 July, arriving off Le Havre the next day to attack the flat-bottomed boats and supplies which had been collected there. Rodney anchored off Le Havre, and stationed his bombs in the channel leading to Honfleur. These threw shells into the town, magazines, and boats for fifty consecutive hours, and did immense damage, without receiving any in return. Rodney, with some of his frigates, remained off the port for the rest of the year, and captured numerous prizes.

Line of battle

 * Ships of the line
 * HMS Achilles (1757) (60), flagship, Captain the Hon. Samuel Barrington
 * HMS Chatham (1758) (50), Captain John Lockhart
 * HMS Deptford (1732) (50), Captain John Hollwell
 * HMS Isis (1747) (50), Captain Edward Wheeler
 * HMS Norwich (1745) (50), Captain George Darby
 * Frigates
 * HMS Brilliant (1757) (36), Captain Hyde Parker
 * HMS Juno (1757) (36), Captain Henry John Philips
 * HMS Vestal (1757) (32), Captain Samuel Hood
 * HMS Boreas (1757) (28), Captain Hon. Robert Boyle
 * HMS Unicorn (1748) (28), Captain Thomas Graves
 * Sloop
 * HMS Wolf (1754) (16), Commander Hugh Bromedge
 * Bomb ketches
 * HMS Furnace (1740), Commander Jonathan Faulknor
 * HMS Firedrake (1741), Commander James Orrok
 * HMS Basilisk (1759), Commander John Clarke
 * Mortar, Commander Joseph Hunt
 * HMS Carcass (1759), Commander Charles Inglis
 * Blast, Commander Thomas Willis