An Affair in Morocco. Part five. “A wolf in wolf’s clothing.”

Characters introduced into the story thus far.
Algerine and Moroccan Persona.

The Dey of Gizzanoffa: Kamel Mudanyaei.
His Vizier: Amin Giffar.
The Dey’s: Admiral Kulin Bey.
The late Captain of the Al Mukabir: Camel Mujadine
The new Captain of the Al Mukabir: Rashid Suleiman

American persona.
The Squadron commander: Commodore Silas Goldberg.
The captain of USS Constitution: David Frazer.
The captain of USS Essex: Andrew Millington.
First Officer: Paul Swift.
Sailing Master: Hezekiah Bramley.
Essex’s Captain of Marines: Davy Weiss.
Essex’s Master Gunner: Hamish Fyffe.
Essex’s Master Carpenter: Amos Grady

The captain of USS Syren: Lieutenant Gregory Hardman.
Lieutenant Guy Falconer.
Sailing Master: Simeon Prentice.
The Captain of USS John Adams: Cyrus Gregory
John Adam’ First Officer: James Stone.
John Adams’ Gun Captain: Will Bridewell.

Captain of the USS Schooner Enterprise: Lieutenant Andrew Sterett.
New Persona introduced for “A Wolf in wolf’s clothing”.
Captain of an unknown Algerine ship: Mustapha Kamil.
Sterett’s second ic: Lt. Jim Prentiss.
Ships Master: George Varley.
Master Gunner: Jim Cowley.
Ship’s carpenter: George Temple.

Schooner: Captain Richard Glover (nicknamed Iron fist amongst the hands.)
His ships Master Gunner : Ralph Watson.(“ Old deaf head” to his mates.)

The damage to Enterprise had been horrific and it was incredible that more of her crew had not perished in the action with the Alsaqr.

By working all night the ships Carpenter George Temple and his team assisted by the rest of the crew had a last plugged all the shot holes after a fashion and managed to jury rig the ship to the extent that she could at least claw her way off the shoal ridden coast and make some headway out to sea.

The result was that she could make headway but only had some very limited firepower.

It was mid afternoon by the time Enterprise had sufficient sea room to attempt to weather the largest of the outlying headlands, and it was at this point the lookout in the top of what passed for the mainmast reported a sail to the east.

Captain Sterett. immediately joined him in the tops and brought his telescope to bear on the newcomer. As he focussed his lens, his worst fears were realized.

It looked like another Polacca of the type that he had encountered the day previous, only this time Enterprise was in an even worse position to defend herself. Even though she had a favourable wind.



Very few of her guns had been remounted, and the Jury rig would not enable her to outrun the enemy much less manoeuvre against her. It looked like an impossible task to do anything save sell their lives as dearly as possible against an enemy who did not know the meaning of the word mercy.

As she attempted to escape the enemy drew inexorably nearer until it was able to try a long range shot with its bow chaser.

Fortuitously the shot fell short, and Enterprise was able to make a few more yards before the enemy was ready to fire her next shot.

The polacca continued to eat away the distance and her next shot fell perilously close to the stern of Enterprise, soaking those standing on deck near to the helmsmen with water.
Another cry from the lookout, brought Captain Sterett even more problems with which to contend, for this sighting disclaimed what appeared to be a black enemy schooner closing from a southerly position and thus closing any door to escape in that direction.

Now totally hemmed in with the coast to the North, ships to the East and South and the headland to the West there was no room for any escape. The Enterprise was stuck between two rocks and two hard places.

With no change in the wind direction all Captain Sterett could do was run before it and hope.

Inexorably the range gradually decreased, and as Enterprise continued her flight the Polacca finally found her range, and landed a shot which did the worst damage imaginable for a ship under jury rig by holing the mainsail.

Enterprise’s speed was immediately reduced still further.

As the chasing Polacca fired its next shot, which fortunately missed, the schooner closed in for the kill.

Andrew was forced into the position where he had to give it his best shot and so ordered his Master Gunner Jim Cowley to prepare his few guns with double shot and a prayer. As he watched, the enemy bore down on him intent on closing and boarding with its overwhelming superiority of seamen, which all Barbary ships carried for just such an action as this. Preparing to be bordered, Andrew instructed the men stationed in the tops with the only two working swivels to direct them at the poop of the oncoming ship in an attempt to decimate her Officers and steersmen, and for the rest of his crew to prepare to repel boarders. At least he need not worry about clearing for action as the bulkheads had never been re-erected after yesterday’s battle.


https://www.sailsofglory.org/image/p...AAAElFTkSuQmCC

At almost the last moment, just as Sterett was about to deliver the order “to fire as you bear” and rake the bow of the enemy ship, she bore away.
It was then that he saw its ensign flutter forth, which up to that moment had been masked by the schooner’s mainsail.

The schooner was British.

An audible sigh of relief could be heard emanating from the hands, as the captain quickly gave the order to belay the order to fire.
As the wind still held steady, he then gave the order to port the helm and take sanctuary behind their saviour.

As the Enterprise commenced her turn all hell let loose. As she crossed the pursuing enemy’s foredeck her broadside crashed out.

The Polacca took no real damage but several of her crew fell to splinters.

Return fire, instead of being directed at the obviously wounded Enterprise was directed towards the British schooner in a broadside from her forrard battery.

Damage was minor.

Captain Richard Glover of the Armed Merchantman Rose instructed his master gunner George Watson to retaliate with the bow chasers, and the effect was much more effective than that received from the Polacca’s full broadside.

As the smoke cleared Glover could see the Algerine Captain dancing up and down on the after deck and shaking his fist at the British ship.
Ignoring the histrionics of her Captain, with the Enterprise now safely tucked in behind Rose’s stern, Glover ordered a turn to Starboard and presenting his full double shotted broadside to the Polacca treated Captain Mustapha Kamil to a mixed bag of grape over ball, hoping to winnow down the host of boarders massing on her upper deck.

At such short range, the fire was most telling, as the grape decimated the crew and the ball wrecked sails and cut down even more crew.
It was now the British tars turn to jump up and down, with joy rather than frustration.

Following this coup de main by the British gunners, Andrew Sterret had managed to bring Enterprise about, and was intent to add what little he could to aid his new found saviour.

When Enterprise finally got off her first broadside, it was all that her Master gunner Jim Cowley could wish for. In addition to hull damage, even more crew fell to the well directed fire from the ships 18 pounders and long nines.

Unfortunately, the return fire when it eventually came put paid to any further attempts at heroics from the Enterprises crew.

The few guns still intact not only damaged the upper works, but also took out the remaining part of the mainmast, rendering the ship unmanageable.

She did, however,succeed in getting off a parting shot with her stern chaser hitting the stern deck and neatly decapitating Mustapha Kamil.

Command now devolved onto the shoulders of Kamil’s second in line Anjim Suleiman who with great perspicacity decided to withdraw from the frey with all alacrity as his ship was in no state to resist the Rose now turning rapidly onto his stern quarter.

Suleiman made a slight adjustment in his sailing line in an attempt to gain the best out of his ships sailing qualities.

He then made his bid for freedom by trying to cut as close as he could to the nearby headland, knowing that once clear of the bay he could change course onto his best point of sailing and would then be able to outrun the Rose, who on the present course was gradually overhauling him and testing out the range with his bow chaser.

The chase was now well and truly on as the Polacca jinked to try and put off the aim of Rose’s gunners, losing even more ground in the attempt but still intention weathering the headland as closely as possible

Rose attempted another shot with her chaser, but still failed to pin down the chase.

With Captain Sterret finally out of options he was forced to give up the chase as the Polacca drove ever nearer to the rocks at the foot of the headland.

At last the chaser had some luck and hit the stern of the fleeing Polacca as it shaved the rocky headland.

More damage was done, but not enough to disable the enemy ship, as it rounded the headland and escaped from the persuing British schooner.

Captain Sterret and his crew could do no more than go about and return to render assistance to the stricken Enterprise by passing a tow rope and escorting her to the nearest friendly port for repairs.

With the wind holding fair, during the voyage

they did at least manage to equip her with a spare mast from their supplies so that she could at least enter port under her own power.

The Butcher's bill.

Truly a case of "The Kindness of Strangers"... :)