An Affair in Morocco part four ( The downside to the Sɪˈrɒkoʊ!)

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.

New Persona introduced for Sɪˈrɒkoʊ (Part four)
Captain of the USS Schooner Enterprise: Lieutenant Andrew Sterett.

Meanwhile at the other end of the blockade.

Lieutenant Andrew Sterett was in a truly foul humour. At the far western end of the American cordon, not only had he failed to apprehend any of the Moroccan pirates vessels, but during the storm he had not only lost his best anchor, but also contact with the next ship along the chain. Now in the fog his ship the schooner Enterprise had drifted and ended up on a sandbar off the coast.

As soon as the fog lifted he had put boats into the water with his best bower anchor in order to attempt to warp the ship off the bar.
Thus far he had been markedly unsuccessful.

Now the wind had finally picked up and Andrew was hopeful that the breeze would aid the toiling sailors as they rowed the anchor out once more.

The next attempt rocked the ship slightly, but the suction of the wet sand still held it fast.

David was about to call the boat in until the sand had dried out, when his attention was drawn to the distant sound of gunfire!
Grabbing the perspective glass, he ascended the ratlines as far as the crosstrees and focussed on the smoke cloud in the distance. As it cleared a ship came into view heading toward Enterprise.

It was obvious that the fire had come from a small island fort further down the coast, and had obviously been aimed badly as it was too far to hit Enterprise from where it was situated.

What it had done, however was alerted him not only to the fact that it existed, but also to the ship creeping up on him.

As the enemy closed, another effort was made to free Enterprise from the trap in which it was ensorcelled. Although the ship was felt to move, it did not escape the clutches of the sand.

With inevitability, The Enterprise's nemesis drew nearer, although a second salvee from the fort was closer to hitting the approaching ship than it was to Enterprise. With this second failure to battery ceased fire.

As it approached the captain of other vessel, which was now easily recognisable as a Lateen rigged Polacca, seemed to be shaping a course to pass between the sandbars and coming across the stranded sloop’s stern would rake it with devastating results for Enterprise and her crew.

Another effort at freeing his ship had just ended in failure, and David was just about to recall his crew to at least prevent their boat being run down by the enemy.

The enemy ship was just about to navigate the sandbar, when..........

........at the very last minute, with a final effort by the men on the bars of the capstan, the ship slipped off the bank which had held it imprisoned for hours.

David could not fathom what motivated the Polacca’s captain’s next move.
If it was a feeling that he could not clear the sandbar, or that he had seen Enterprise free itself, but he suddenly put his helm hard over to pass inside the sand bank, as if to cross the Enterprise’s bow before it could make headway.

His move came a second too late as David had already initiated the raising of the anchor and retrieval of his ship’s boat.

At this moment the wind also chose to veer; now coming from the South East, which helped both ships to shape a better course to avoid the shoals.

Having won her anchor, and with the boat’s crew safely aboard,
David ordered the sails set and for the ship to be brought hard a starboard.

Before this could be achieved, however, both ships had to endure each other’s opening broadsides.

Both ships sustained considerable damage, although Enterprise received slightly less, as she was provided more of a stable gun platform, not yet being underway.

Whereas, the Polacca was heeling and firing higher in order to avoid burying her broadside in the sandbank.

Nevertheless, at such close range both ships were severely hurt.

Enterprise finally managed to get steerage way and turned hard a starboard.

Not, before having the indignity of being stern raked from the Polacca’s forrard battery, which fortunately missed her.

Enterprise continued her turn to port, gathering speed in order to be able to tack across the wind.

This proved to be the seminal moment in the battle, as to avoid a bow rake, the captain of the Polacca mirrored David’s move.

Caught in stays, he was forced to let go all sails to prevent himself running onto the self same sandbar on which the Enterprise had spent so much of her day. David was quick to capitalise upon his opportunity. Ordering his guns to fire as they bear, he unleashed a devastating rolling broadside.

This reduced the Polacca to an absolute wreck, which had also caught fire.

Even so, in her death throws, her captain made a last defiant gesture by returning fire with those few guns which were still serviceable.

Inadvertently by this act the Polacca’s crew had sealed their own doom, as a lucky shot disabled Enterprise and destroyed her only remaining seaworthy ships boat, thus rendering her quite unable to render any assistance.

As a consequence of this final act of bravado, the Polacca was doomed, and very soon her charred stern was all that remained above the surface of the waves.

Enterprise, herself, was in a parlous state, and it was the following day before she could be jury rigged to limp away in search of her compatriots in the American squadron. Fortuitously, having observed the demise of the Polacca, no other vessels had the temerity to sally forth from the harbour to engage with captain Sterett’s brave boys.

BUTCHER'S BILL.

Excellent narrative Rob. I almost felt as if I was onshore watching the story unfold. A close thing indeed for the Americans. Well done sir!.

I feel sure that if the AI had not changed the Polacca's course at the last moment, ands it had passed through the sand bar to rake the stern of the Enterprise the outcome would have been very different for the US ship.

Rob.

Excellent AAR, Rob.

I like the spyglass pictures of the incoming ship the most.

Lucky outcome for the US sloop. :salute:

Thanks Sven.
After a year or so using Photoshop to turn those upside down, i suddenly realised that by taking them using the camera upside down I could save myself the trouble.

Rob.

Just spotted the Rep Anthony and Sven. Thanks very much.:drinks:

Rob.

Very nice to see an excellent AAR. Well done! :hatsoff:

Thank you Jonas.
Rob.

Excellent AAR...excellent ships...excellent terrain. :hatsoff: