AAR: When the Fog Lifts - The other way Mr. Collins

[TexaS]

His mission, searching for a messenger's ship, would by some frigate captains be considered boring work, but for Commander Peter Harrington it was a welcome change from his blockade duty. It was a frigate called Courageuse, a 32 gun ship as his own HMS Castor, and it had been sighted sailing for those waters. But the weather had worsened and before the sun set a heavy fog had rolled in. Despite a steady wind, the fog had stubbornly clung to the ship all night, but as the first rays of the sun fell upon the main top it finally started to give way. Harrington thought that it looked like the golden rays set the fog on fire. His thoughts were interrupted by a call from the top.

- "Frigate to larboard!" came from above. As all landsmen's heads turned to stare, the able seamen started for their stations even before the order came.
- "Beat to quarters! Run out the larboard guns!" and with a little calmer voice he continued "I do believe it is our prey, the Courageuse." Turning to the man at the wheel he added "Bring us to bear, if you please."


I rolled a 2 on the D8 and 11 on the D12

The ships started a circling motion.


Turn 1

- "She's too far off for any effective fire for the gunners, sir" It came from the first lieutenant Brandon, lowering his glass.
- "Very well. Take us into the wind. I see he tries to beat us to it. Hard starboard!"
Castor turned impressively quick. Harrington gave the order "Tack ship and take us closer." adding a little more thoughtful "I want to make sure she won't get away from us."


Turn 2

Both ships tacked and turned to close with each others. The enemy frigate came around setting course straight for the Castor. Not much elegance in his dance, Harrington thought to himself. Let's change the beat of the music.


Turn 4

- "That's better, now hard larboard and bring the guns to bear. I believe we can rake her."
Using all the nimbleness of his ship the wheel turned and she came around.

- "Aim high. Aim for the sails. On the up roll. FIRE!"


Turn 5, I miscalculated the bonus for raking. It should have been 2 instead of 1, but I had a good draw anyway.

- "We've brought down his foremast, sir. And made large holes in his mains'l too, sir. He won't get away now." the lieutenant said cockily.
- "Steady as she goes. Reload guns."

[TexaS]

- "Reload, damn you! Reload as if the devil was at your backs!" he roared at full lungs. Disappointed he muttered to himself, "Damn! I fired to early. A close range raking now... but it's that dragging mast that turns her. We wouldn't have got this chance if it hadn't been brought down, I'm sure of it."

[TexaS]

Turn 6, I wish I had had Reloading Captain. Short range rake!

- "They can't manoeuvre dragging that mast.", lieutenant Brandon remarked.


Turn 7, Oups...

- "She's tacking again! Watch out! Fire broadside! Where's those damn marines." as Harrington said it, there were crackling from the tops, almost immediately drowned by the broadside and the answering fire from the french frigate turning slightly to starboards as she lay on a collision course."
- "Brace!" was heard as the bowsprit of the Courageaux entangled itself in the forestays.


Firing turn 7, I had forgot to plan muskets for the AI, but I let them fire them anyway, as I let them fire the forward arc broadside. It was that kind of situation you don't save it for a better position.

- "Prepare boarders! We must carry her by boarding!" Harrington shouted, adding "Baddeley, fetch my pistols!"
- "Already 'er, sir."
- "She's burning, sir" Are you sure we should board her?" the lieutenant said but he was ignored.
- "All hands follow me!" he shouted, running fore, "We're boarding her!"


Turn 8, muskets preceded the boarding and did one crew damage each, but I forgot to take a photo...

Charging over to the Genereaux There were hard fighting, but when the french men saw their captain hiding in his cabin their hart left the fight. As the ship struck it's colours the fight died down and Harrington hurried into the captains cabin. There he found the captain trying to burn all his papers on a small candle, making sure the fire wouldn't spread.
- "Cease burning those paper and hand over your sword, sir. We have your ship."

HMS Castor was lazily running on just topsails to accompany her price, the Courageuse with the jury rigged foremast and a small price crew led by Castors first lieutenant Christopher Brandon.
- "I wonder how big a price that good frigate will catch..." Baddeley pondered in a murmur as he approached Commander Harrington standing unusually straight on the quarter deck. "Your tea, sir" he said loudly holding out a tray.

[TexaS]

The french captains wound rolls were 6, 6 (musketry), 12, 10 and finally 6. I took that as when I rolled 12 he went to his cabin. I noted that there's no modifier to risk of wound when boarding, only by musketry. If there had been the french captain would have been wounded. But he was captured so I guess it doesn't matter.





Commander Peter Harrington (P) / Returned to Port / Victory, captured 1 ship
Capitaine de frégate Pierre Treville (AI) / Captured / Lost

[Union Jack]

Way to go Jonas. In the fine fighting tradition of the senior service.

[Mycenius]

[John Paul]

Jonas,

You're making me very, very jealous!! I've got to figure out how to start posting photos around here before I get too green with envy!!

So much to do, and so little time!!

[TexaS]

Thank you.

I find that I forget to take photos when the game heats up. I want to play on instead.

And taking photos and writing down what happens takes a lot more time than you think. Choosing photos, trimming them and writing up the text takes even longer.

[Mycenius]

yeeeppp!

[TexaS]

But it's fun to read old reports one wrote a year ago, so it's not just for others.

[Bligh]

It is also fun for some of us who have been kept out of the fog of war for a couple of years.
On the beach on half pay is no fun. Antone would think I had been involved in a mutiny or something, the way the Admiralty has passed me over for a commission.
Any way that was a superb action Jonas. I just read your log.
Bligh.

[Mark Kaiser]

Very nice subject in the requirement sir, I really like your ships rigging, i'm currently in the middle of a repaint and rig up of the HMS SURPRISE, and will follow your example (looking much better than mine).

[TexaS]

Thank you!

The Surprise? What are you using as the base? An Amazon-class?

I'd like to make a Surprise too in some distant future, but I have a few other ships to paint up before that.

[Coog]

The small 32-gun Amazon class would probably be the closest to HMS Surprise. They are about the same length although the Amazon class is a bit wider. Surprise has 24 guns on her gun deck with 2 guns on her forecastle and 10 guns on her quarterdeck. The Amazons has 26 guns on their gun decks with 4 guns on their forecastles and 8 on their quarter decks. The biggest problem, for game play, is figuring the stats for her all carronade armament with the exception of two small chasers.

[Coog]

This is the plan for the actual HMS Surprise, the captured French corvette Unité.

[Mark Kaiser]

Thank you!

The Surprise? What are you using as the base? An Amazon-class?

I'd like to make a Surprise too in some distant future, but I have a few other ships to paint up before that.

Actually i'm using the UNITE from the starter, I ordered the Concorde for this purpose and the SYRENA, but on inspection the latter itself was just a repaint, and my Concorde/HMS UNITE' is still sailing the lost postal seas after more an a week. I couldn't wait, so I checked specs, and even thought about shortening her hull with a hot craft blade, but the difference was too small (by a few feet, 134 to 139, something like that) to warrant the headache. Now I own the official hand made deluxe version replica from the film (have it sitting atop my saltwater 90 gal. fishtank), came with diagrams, certificate of authenticity, number etc., and the miniature is almost dead on. She was an a-ged corvette class frigate with her secret being stoutness and speed. A little shorter than most frigates of that class gave her less weight therefore she drew less water. Although the French rated her fifth class, the English rated her sixth, they felt she was of an out dated design compared to the newer ships being built and launched at the time. I dare say if the shipwrights could have V'ed her hull with a bow breaker design, she would have been REALLY FAST. If I can get my s--t together i'd like to print up her card, though lacking the ability to carry a few more guns, she makes up for it in speed, and thats the special ability i'll give the end result, maybe one less crew as well, however as I also have a miniature of Jack I painted from Captain Hawkins of A Touch Of Evil-Something Wicked Expansion (turned out Perfect) he will rest on the ship log card giving further ability to the crew ,ie, better boarding, quick thinking,etc. Should be quite nice.

[Coog]

I'm not sure if you realize that the 32-gun HMS Unite is not the same as the 28-gun French corvette captured by the British and renamed HMS Surprise. The Amazon class is a small 32-gun frigate close in size to 28-gun frigates/corvettes. I use the sculpt for circa 1800 28-gun American frigates. The French 32 sculpt used for Concorde/Unite is a quite larger 32 comparable to the large 32-gun USS Essex. If you look at the two sculpts you can see the difference. Here's a comparison:

HMS Surprise
Rated: 28 guns
Weight: 578 tons
Length: 129' 0"
Beam: 31' 8"
Armament: 24 x 32-pound carronades, 10 x 18-pound carronades, 2 x 4-pounders (2 guns Fc, 10 guns QD)

Amazon Class
Rated: 32 guns
Weight: 682 tons
Length: 126' 0"
Beam: 35' 1"
Armament: 26 x 12-pounders, 6 x 6-pounders, 6 x 18-pound carronades (4 guns Fc, 8 guns QD)
Actual Ares sculpt: 24 ports gun deck, 2 guns forecastle, 8 guns quarterdeck

HMS Concorde/HMS Unite
Rated: 32 guns
Weight: 888 tons
Length: 142' 11"
Beam: 37' 6"
Armament: 26 x 12-pounders, 6 x 6-pounders, 8 x 24-pound carronades (4 guns Fc, 10 guns QD)
Actual Ares sculpt: 28 ports gun deck, 2 guns forecastle, 12 guns quarterdeck

However, if you are happy with the substitution that's all that matters.

[Comte de Brueys]

Another (short &) nice ARR.

[Mark Kaiser]

I'm not sure if you realize that the 32-gun HMS Unite is not the same as the 28-gun French corvette captured by the British and renamed HMS Surprise. The Amazon class is a small 32-gun frigate close in size to 28-gun frigates/corvettes. I use the sculpt for circa 1800 28-gun American frigates. The French 32 sculpt used for Concorde/Unite is a quite larger 32 comparable to the large 32-gun USS Essex. If you look at the two sculpts you can see the difference. Here's a comparison:

HMS Surprise
Rated: 28 guns
Weight: 578 tons
Length: 129' 0"
Beam: 31' 8"
Armament: 24 x 32-pound carronades, 10 x 18-pound carronades, 2 x 4-pounders (2 guns Fc, 10 guns QD)

Amazon Class
Rated: 32 guns
Weight: 682 tons
Length: 126' 0"
Beam: 35' 1"
Armament: 26 x 12-pounders, 6 x 6-pounders, 6 x 18-pound carronades (4 guns Fc, 8 guns QD)
Actual Ares sculpt: 24 ports gun deck, 2 guns forecastle, 8 guns quarterdeck

HMS Concorde/HMS Unite
Rated: 32 guns
Weight: 888 tons
Length: 142' 11"
Beam: 37' 6"
Armament: 26 x 12-pounders, 6 x 6-pounders, 8 x 24-pound carronades (4 guns Fc, 10 guns QD)
Actual Ares sculpt: 28 ports gun deck, 2 guns forecastle, 12 guns quarterdeck

However, if you are happy with the substitution that's all that matters.

Agreed, I think what I should have clarified is the 'SURPRISE' from M&C or the HMS ROSE. As many 'SURPRISES' are documented, then the novel set and films, caused alot of confusion, myself included. But the movies "SURPRISE" is 179ft sparred and 135 ft deck length, 500 tonnage, 28 gun. That was what I was shootin for, you're right though, I believe the historical one was like 108 ft deck, making it more of a fat clipper ship than a frigate.

[TexaS]

Thank you Sven!