# The Secret Plot to Rescue Napoleon by Submarine In 1820



## Timeshifter (Apr 26, 2021)

I came across this just now Here

But the story is from 2013.

Is this another rouse at hiding real truths, or simply hiding THE truth it in plain sight? 


'In 1820, one of Britain’s most notorious criminals hatched a plan to rescue the emperor from exile on the Atlantic isle of St Helena — but did he try it?'

Perhaps some of you have heard this story before ( I did search here but found nothing)

Given our investigations into mysterious ships & subs, I wondered if this had any merit?




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## KD Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: KorbenDallasDate: 2019-09-18 19:04:58Reaction Score: 1


Are there any 19th century pubs referencing this story?


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## Timeshifter (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: TimeshifterDate: 2019-09-18 19:10:42Reaction Score: 1




KorbenDallas said:


> Are there any 19th century pubs referencing this story?


Not yet, all links lead back to the smithsonian...


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## Archive (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: jd755Date: 2019-09-18 19:21:59Reaction Score: 1




KorbenDallas said:


> Are there any 19th century pubs referencing this story?


Smithsonian published a chap called Mike Dash's article but the references to this very interesting article might reveal some contemporary publications. _The attempt to rescue Napoleon with a submarine: fact or fiction?_


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## Timeshifter (Apr 26, 2021)

> Note: This post was recovered from the Sh.org archive.Username: TimeshifterDate: 2019-09-18 19:25:04Reaction Score: 3


I have found an accademic paper which investigates this story, I have not read it yet, however the below passage and conclusion are very interesting...

'According to Johnstone’s sole biographer, sometime in late 1819 Johnstone received enough money to start building a submarine in a shipyard at Blackwall Reach on the Thames. The shipyard workers were told that the vessel would be used for smuggling. The cost of building the submarine was estimated at £15,000, a considerable sum at the time.
Another piece of this puzzle is Colonel Francis Maceroni, another picturesque character who was involved in plots to rescue Napoleon. Besides being a spy and an intriguer, Maceroni also dabbled as an inventor and even wrote a book on steam powered carriages, predecessors to the automobile. In his memoirs, published in 1838, three years after Bayley’s account, he briefly described one of such plots, which also involved “his worthy, honourable, warm-hearted, lately departed friend,” Barry O’Meara. Unless the Irish doctor was involved in two separate plots at the same time Maceroni must have been referring to the submarine plot although he made no mention of Johnstone or a submarine. “I was made privy to, and was to have taken part in, the operation,” Maceroni claimed. He also said that to rescue Napoleon “means of no insignificant character were insured” and that “the mighty powers
of steam were mustered to our assistance.” When I read this sentence many years ago, I suspected
that Maceroni was referring the Rising Star, a steamboat commissioned by Lord Cochrane, which by late 1820 was still docked on the Thames. For a long time the British government had suspected Cochrane of intending to use the Rising Star to rescue Napoleon.  But Johnstone’s description of a steam-powered submarine puts these comments in a different light. Maybe Maceroni wasn’t referring to Cochrane’s steamboat but Johnstone’s submarine"

Conclusion.

'So what can we conclude about this amazing story? First, despite the various not totally trustworthy, and at times conflicting versions, *it appears that some of Napoleon’s supporters seriously entertained the idea of rescuing him with a submarine and actually spent considerable money building one. *Second, Johnstone was involved in this project. Third, we don’t know how close the plan came to being executed
and whether the submarine was actually launched. Fourth, and more importantly, we also don’t know if Napoleon would have ever agreed to escape from St. Helena aboard a submarine. Finally, one thing we do know is that the British government took this and other rescue plots seriously enough to derail them and to increase vigilance at St. Helena. From an historical standpoint this is more important than
whether such plots seem harebrained to us today.
As to Johnstone, he continued to peddle his submarine ideas to a variety of potential clients without much success. In 1823 he proposed to use one to destroy the French fleet then blockading Cadiz. According to the Nautical Magazine, “the Spanish Committee, after having favourably rewarded the projects, made an offer to the Cortes to execute it at their own expense; but the dissolution of that body put a stop to the enterprise. Five years later he reportedly again approached the Admiralty to engage him to build a submarine, hinting at the interest of foreign powers in the project. He was rejected and tried to promote the idea of using a submarine to recover sunken treasures without much success. He died at his home by the Thames in 1839'

1820's, Submarine... to rescue whoever NB was...

Interesting, I have attached the pdf if anyone would like to peruse.

Edit to add. Waki believes he also captained the 'first' submarine the Nautilus in 1800...

Nautilus


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