All three galleys and the two gunboats were now leaving harbour and the leading Galley captain was looking to clear the shoals in order to make a course change which would enable him to set his sails.
All three galleys and the two gunboats were now leaving harbour and the leading Galley captain was looking to clear the shoals in order to make a course change which would enable him to set his sails.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Captain Millington knew that his timing was going to need to be precise in order to work, and the strong wind was pushing him closer to the enemy than he had anticipated. They were also moving faster under oars against the wind than he was progressing with it on his quarter.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
Suddenly a transformation seemed to take place on the two American ships. The leading Galley’s captain saw an upsurge in activity on the two ships as the towing cable seemed to come adrift. Essex ploughed ahead setting more sail, and the Richard dropped a series of false painted canvas sides displaying its real firepower, as seamen hacked through the dummy Mizzen mast to reveal its standing mast and rigging being unfurled. The speed of the Essex carried it across the bows of the leading Galley, and almost simultaneously both exchanged fire.
The Galley got off its shot first and he trap had been sprung, but it was the biter which had been bitten, as Captain Millington mad a slight course correction to Port and closing on the Galley raked it with his opening broadside.
Last edited by Bligh; 11-22-2020 at 12:40.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
In one fell swoop the Smak’ abu saye had been totally disabled and started to drift away toward the shoals, her decks a scene of devastation and wreckage.
Not content with this Essex’s bow chasers delivered a punishing blow to the first of the oncoming gunboats whose forward firing smasher could not be brought to bear on Essex’s prow.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
As the gunboats surged forward, Essex struggled to deal with a damage mast caused by the first exchange of shot and completing its slow turn exchanged a broadside with the second gunboat, from its as yet unused cannon, wiping it out in a single exchange. The gunboat also started to drift away.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
At last Captain Maynard in the Richard got in on the action as he began his turn to follow the Essex. With his forrard guns he continued the destruction of the Al Mutaraqa damaging its steering and maiming crewmen with splinters from the smashed gun-ports.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
the wind now took a hand in events, having been blowing strongly into the harbour mouth throughout the night, although it did not lessen in strength, it veered two points to the North.
The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.
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