Skirmish in the South Pacific

[Craig]

Battle report

Early morning in the South Pacific; the British to the north are already in full daylight, while the French further to the south are just seeing the sun rise. Courageuse and Generaux represent Le Republic, while HMS Terpsichore and HMS Defence stand for the King. A narrow passage through an island chain separates the forces, while the wind blows from the east.




Both fleets aim for the upwind passage.




Just as the fleets connect, a wind shift!






The British are taken aback.




While the French charge in.




But then the wind drops!




Courageuse is caught under the guns of HMS Terpsichore, while Generaux follows convention and saves its fire for HMS Defence.




A raking broadside from double-shotted guns turns out to be dramatically effective.






HMS Terpsichore and Generaux pass within feet of each other. Shocked by the demise of Courageuse, the captain of Generaux decides that he's had enough of being conventional. However, good luck and poor firing angles combine to protect the bold British frigate.




Meanwhile, plans disrupted by the shifting winds, HMS Defence runs aground, sustaining heavy damage.




However, even when reduced, the double-shotted broadside of HMS Defence still packed a punch. This, a few rounds of continuous fire, plus the persistently accurate harassment of HMS Terpsichore combine to send the French 74 to the bottom...






...leaving the battered but defiant HMS Terpsichore free to assist in hauling HMS Defence back into deeper waters, before both ships limp back to port.

--
Craig