HEIC. AAR. A WOLF IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING.

( Preamble)

After the action with the French 50, the two battered ships took several weeks to complete temporary repairs and escort their prize back to Bombay.

Once they had docked work could begin on repairs, and the processing of the prisoners, who were all to be interviewed separately at the castle.

One of the crew, who was a pressed man from Brittany, proved to be most enlightening, revealing that the intention was for French crewed trading vessels to provide men and equipment to the factions willing to help the French in their attempt to cause unrest in the area.

He explained that the ships would avoid the British cruisers by hugging the shore of the gulf and moving mainly at night to avoid detection.
After a discussion with the Governor of Bombay and the HEIC Board, Commodore McBride decided to intervene in these activities. With both the Bombay and Aurora requiring extensive repairs, and the rest of his Squadron deployed on other service, he decided to sail himself, at once, to stem the flow of munitions and equipment, bidding the other ships to join him as soon as they had been repaired.
Consequently two days later he set out in his flagship HEIC Nottingham bound for the Strait of Hormuz.

McBride had decided that was the only place a solo ship could survey both sides of the waterway at the same time. He was soon to realize the flaw in his plan.

He closed on ship after ship only to see them slip out of his clutches behind the sand bars flanking the coast in to the shallow waters where the draught of his ship would not permit him to follow.

On the few occasions when the Nottingham did come within range, loosing off a shot across the bows with his chaser had little or no effect on the runner.

By the time the Nottingham was as close as they could get, the shallows prevented them from coming within range of the quarry, and their broadside invariably fell short.

Commodore McBride concluded that a new strategy was urgently needed to solve this problem, and withdrew to Bombay to reconsider his options.

On his arrival , the first good news that the Commodore got was that the repairs and refitting of the Aurora had been completed by the Bomanjee shipyard in double quick time and he consulted with his Captains as to their next move. After taking onboard some extra ordinance and an extra Company of Bombay Marines in both ships they set off back toward the Gulf.

For a week or so after returning back onto their station both ships were busy arranging their operation and then separated to carry out their grand strategy. A few days later Aurora was lucky enough to run to ground a Merchantman running French uniforms and ammunition up the coast, and this ship with its supplies was soon dispatched to the Commodore.
It was several days later that Nottingham spotted a group of merchantmen slipping along the coast in the early dawn.

McBride gave chase and although the ships split up he continued after the ones heading for the coast, who were also joined by a third ship also running up the outer shoals.

The rearmost ship was now invited to heave too by a shot from Nottingham’s bow chaser.

The wind being favourable to the Lateen rigged ships they ignored the warning and ran for the shallows just as all the previous merchantmen had done.

Very quickly they were entering the area which Nottingham could not traverse and it seemed as if yet another plan had gone badly awry.

Reluctant to lose his quarry yet another time McBride followed them up as far as he dared, making play with his Bow chaser and one lucky shot ricocheted off the water and howling along the deck of the middle vessel did considerable execution amongst her crew.

This was to be Nottingham’s only return for the chase, as all three ships were now safe inside the shallows.

The disconsolate Commodore was forced to order Nottingham’s helm to be put up lest she run aground in the channel.

Meanwhile further along the shallows the Sloop Aurora with her slighter draught was gingerly picking her way through the narrows, and even though she was outgunned by about three to one, her commander, Lieutenant Isadore Cope was attempting to at least get off one broadside at the oncoming three enemy ships before they could overwhelm his small crew by sheer weight of shot and numbers.

Meanwhile McBride’s First Officer John Wilkinson, although out of range was heading Nottingham along the chain of sand bars to try and head off any escape route for the enemy ships.

With Arura’s continued progression up the channel between the sand bars what happened during the next few minutes were to prove critical ones as McBride’s real plan came to fruition.

The first part was revealed as a masked battery which he had built some days previously, using the extra guns taken aboard before sailing, suddenly erupted into action as the nearest French ship passed it at less than musket range.

The effect was devastating when the double shot arrived. The canister denuded the upper deck of crew and the hull was also breached whilst a fire also broke out amidships.

For all that she had been taken completely off guard, the return fire on the redoubt was commendable and did some damage to the hastily raised construction, tearing chunks of earth and sods from the facia of the revetment.

By this juncture, Lieutenant Cope had positioned Aurora squarely across the passage and dropped anchor fore and aft, thus effectively closing one avenue of escape

A peculiar incident now took place at the rear of the enemy ships as the hindmost seemed to panic and attempt a turn in the narrowest point of the channel. Failing to come about in the available space the captain was also forced to deploy his anchor.

The two remaining ships now attempted to come about themselves, either to bring broadsides to bear on the Aurora, or escape to the sea through the only remaining exit.

The wind which had remained steady throughout, now veered a few points to due North, which made the exit even more alluring, if the ships could just complete their tack successfully.

Matters now proceeded with increasing rapidity.
Firstly Aurora fired her first broadside and raked the undamaged French ship.

Although several shots missed, the Lateen’s mast was damaged.

She was simultaneously raked from the stern, as the full Machiavellian plan hatched by Commodore McBride was revealed.
The third ship was in fact a wolf in sheep’s clothing, having been captured some time earlier and apparently being pursued by the Nottingham into a position where she could close off the channel to the rear of the real targets. This rake succeeded in bringing down the already damaged mast, and most of the rest of the sails in its demise. The ship was now at the mercy of Aurora and its flag came down almost immediately.

McBride in Nottingham was already underway to closing the remaining loophole whilst the rest of the action was taking place.

The final act was concluded by the other ships captain, who panicked, missed stays and drove his bark ignominiously upon the sandbar at the entrance to the channel.
This act completed an extraordinary victory for the HEIC ships, with no damage whatever to any of their ships, and only a few marines killed or injured in the gun emplacement.

The ships dispatched their captures to Bombay, and remained on station to see if they could repeat their little conceit again. Following several more triumphs the flow of trade dried up completely, and both ships were recalled to the Indian Ocean.

Butchers Bill.

HEIC.

FRENCH.

A real twist in the tail, great stuff.

When the Arab ship turned and anchored I was thinking that you weren't getting the best out of the AI and should have used more I than A. Brilliant little twist and I should have known better.
Hurrah for the HEIC ships.:wink:

Not always easy to keep the reader guessing but i try to make it interesting within the game play, but sometimes when an AI does the unconventional, it takes a lot to make it plausible within the game. This time the plan was devised before the event. However it is steadily getting harder to come up with a new scenario after ten years of posting them.

Any ideas?
I love your own scenarios as you know and you have certainly raised my game with your anecdotal approach.

Rob.

I clicked this post without realizing it's a follow on AAR to another post, but I thought I better read it as the photos might disappear on me next time. LoL

I think your scenarios are well done and interesting, Rob. It seems you're having a lot of fun with your Arab and HEIC ships.

Looks as if this one is holding together OK. Paul. I have loaded them just the same way as the previous lot?
Rob.