George Bridges Rodney

On February 13, 1719, Admiral George Bridges Rodney was born.

character brief introduction

George Rodney was born on February 13, 1719 in Walton on Thames, Surrey, England. He was the second son of Henry Rodney. Henry Rodney joined the British Army early in his life and served in Spain as a subordinate to the Earl of Peterborough. Henry Rodney later transferred to a naval regiment as a colonel, but the regiment was disbanded in 1713.

George Rodney entered Harrow College in his early years. During his studies, he volunteered to join the army on June 21, 1732 and served as a volunteer on the Sundeland. During his service in the Mediterranean, he served on board the Dolphin and was awarded the rank of captain on February 15, 1739. In 1742, Rodney was further promoted to junior captain and was dispatched to service on the USS Plymouth on November 9 of the same year. After serving for some time in native waters, Rodney was transferred to command the Eagle, during which time he participated in the naval battle led by Edward Hoke, defeating the French Navy at Wessant on October 14, 1747. Rodney performed well in that war and was awarded military honors, and has since launched his outstanding achievements.

Main achievements

¡ñ Seven Years 'War

During the Seven Years 'War, Rodney was repeatedly entrusted with important responsibilities. In 1757, he commanded the warship "Dublin" and participated in the Long March attack on Rochefort. In the following year, he used the same warship to obey Edward Boskorn and successfully occupied Lewisburg (now Cape Breton Island). On May 19, 1759, Rodney was promoted to Rear Admiral and was soon assigned to command a small detachment to the French coastal town of Le Havre to prevent the French warships gathered there from marching towards England. Rodney's fleet bombarded Le Havre for two consecutive days, successfully causing serious losses to the enemy. In 1760, he led another small squadron, successfully capturing many enemy warships and successfully blockading ports around Dieppe. Rodney was elected to the House of Commons for Penryn in 1761 and became commander-in-chief of the Leeward Islands in October of the same year. In 1762, Martinique was captured in less than three months, and Saint Lucia and Grenada also pleaded for surrender. In addition, during the attack on Fort Royal (present-day Fort de France), Rodney's army performed well on shore.

¡ñ American Revolutionary War

On January 8, 1780, he captured a Spanish frigate at Cape Finisterre; eight days later, on January 16, 1780, Rodney was leading a 22-ship ship towards the West Indies when he encountered a Spanish squadron that was blocking the British naval base at Gibraltar at Cape Saint Vincent (off the coast of Portugal). At night, Rodney launched the "Moonlit Sea Battle" without waiting for the two sides to line up. Although Clark's principle of dividing the enemy fleet was not followed, the traditional one-column tactics were not followed. He finally defeated the Spanish fleet, sank 7 and captured 11. He became a nationally famous hero and was knighted.

¡ñ Create a new era for the Navy

Rodney served as British commander-in-chief in the West Indies before the North American Revolutionary War, returning to his original position in 1779. He is a defender of line tactics tactically, but he is also an open-minded person. Rodney got a manuscript of Clark's "On Naval Tactics" from a friend and studied it carefully. In the Battle of Sant Channel, Rodney ushered in a new era in the history of naval warfare. British naval generals had followed the century-old line tactic of "one column" and was replaced by the new tactic of "breaking through the enemy column."