AAR - July 2015 Mission: The Fire Ship by ShadowDragon

[ShadowDragon]

The Fire Ship

My version of the 2015 Campaign scenario, The Fire Ship, by Union Jack:

https://www.sailsofglory.org/showthr...aign-Scenarios
https://sailsofglory.org/showthread....you-want-to%29


Captain Horatio Attenbridge had been waiting somewhat impatiently for over half of an hour, when the Admiral’s door opened and the Executive Officer poked his head through.

“The Admiral will see you now, Captain Attenbridge.”

Took the briefest of moments to Horatio compose himself. It would not do for Admiral Wellesley to see that he was irritated to be kept waiting.

“Ah, there you are Horatio. How is the Agamemnon?”

The Agamemnon was Horatio’s ship that had been badly damaged in a fight with the Spanish ship, the Santa Ana – a prize for His Majesty’s Royal Navy courtesy of the pirate, Gabriel de Bergerac.

“She’ll be ready in three weeks, sir.”

“Capital, Horatio, capital! A good showing on the part of the Agamemnon, assisting the Zealous in capturing the Santa Ana.”

“But…”

“No ‘buts’, Horatio. I have Cunningham’s report with all the details. A pity about the Bellona, but the court martial will get to the bottom of things, but from what I read in the report it will not go well for Seaton.”

Seaton was the captain of HMS Bellona, and had to strike her colours in the fight with the Spanish. The Agamemnon was late on the scene so Horatio could not vouch for Seaton, but from what he heard Cunningham had led his squadron into a trap for which the Bellona paid the price. Seaton had asked that the pirate Gabriel provide testimony at the court martial, but the Admiral would not have a pirate’s word gainsaying that of a captain in the Royal Navy. Horatio did not see it that way – from what he knew of Alan Cunningham and Gabriel de Bergerac, he readily believe the pirate.”

“I have a special task for you, Horatio. We have intelligence on the location of the haven for the pirate, Longshanks. The Spanish frigate, the Diana, that was damaged in Gabriel de Bergerac’s attack was captured when the Spaniards were towing her for repairs, but it seems that she’s not fit for action. So the idea, Horatio, is that you command a squadron with the Diana as a fire ship to burn Longshank’s fleet. The Leander has just arrived to join our fleet, she’s a good ship with a good captain and crew. You’ll command the Leander and the Diana. The Diana will enter the pirate harbour and ram the pirate fleet at anchor. The Leander will follow the Diana to pick up the Diana’s crew – who will have to come from the Leander’s crew. It should all go well. I’m sure a dawn attack will catch the pirates asleep in a drunken stupor. There are two old Spanish forts that guard the harbour – perhaps their garrisons will be was alert as their comrades. Do you have any questions, Horatio?”

“Sir, isn’t Longshank’s an ally of Gabriel de Bergerac?”

“That Is precisely why this mission is critical, Horatio. We have need of de Bergerac and that devil woman of his – at least until the Lords of the Admiralty see fit to reinforce our fleet so that we can meet the French and Spanish on fair terms, but after that we must make it clear that the age of the pirates is over and that piracy will not be tolerated. This will serve as a useful demonstration of His Majesty’s government’s resolve on this matter.”

Horatio had his doubts about the wisdom in the Admiral’s strategy but what he said was true to everyone, so he kept his concerns to himself.


A week later the Diana and Leander approached the pirate haven. Horatio peered through the telescope for activity – none could be seen. Excellent, the pirates were unaware of their impending doom. He listened as the Leander’s ropes sang in the onshore breeze as the ship tacked towards the harbour. It would be challenging for the Diana with her small crew to work its way towards the three pirates sloops at anchor, snuggled deep in the harbour. From his time on the Leander, Horatio had no doubts about the ability of its captain, Kent Barham, but would the midshipman, Cecil Forester, he pick to command the Diana be up to the job.




Horatio could see the two forts, of which he had been warned, and he hoped that the garrisons were as unaware as the crews of the sloops. If they weren’t and Forester wasn’t up to the job, the wind would hold the Diana – crammed with combustibles – under the fire of their guns. Boom…clearly one garrison was not in a drunken stupor.




The shots from the (southern) fort had mostly gone wide, but a couple of cannon balls had hit the Diana’s hull, but other than that, the damage was tolerable. Let’s hope the larboard fort is no better, thought Cecil. [Note: I think I had just forgotten to take away the cotton in this photo and that no firing had occurred – as wouldn’t since the fort’s battery was reloading.]




But it was not to be, the larboard (or northern) fort’s battery was on well aimed and cannonballs raked the Diana – one slicing the helmsman in two. A ghastly way to go, thought Cecil, as he instinctively grabbed the wheel until another crewman could take over.




The Diana did her best to make way against the wind – hoping to sail past the forts before they could reload. The starboard fort’s second battery now fired – doing better than it’s sister battery. Another couple of crewmen were injured. We can’t take much more of this, thought Cecil. He was shaken but did his very best to look cool and composed so as to instill courage in the Diana’s small crew. Whether he succeeded or not, the Diana’s crew went about their business, but it was difficult since the lacked the ability to respond. Then their heard the booming of a broadside from the Leander. Something critical was hit in the fort as flames could be seen over the fort’s parapet.




The larboard fort’s battery barked again and again with deadly effect. Half the Diana’s small crew were dead or injured, but at least the Diana had help. The Leander’s larboard battery replied, with equal effect, on behalf of the Diana.




Suddenly the Diana was past the forts. Now, thought Cecil, let’s hope the sloops aren’t prepared for action. He was worried since the path of the Diana would take it straight towards the nearest sloop. If the sloop’s crew was ready, it would be an easy, raking shot that would finished the beleaguered Diana. Meanwhile the Leander continued to play on the southern fort. Hopefully the garrison was busy fighting the fire and not reloading the fort’s batteries, thought Cecil.




The Diana worked its way against the anchored sloops – still there was no sign of activity. Behind the Diana the Leander was reducing the northern fort to rubble.




On the Leander, Horatio was admiring the handling of the ship by Captain Barham and his crew. Those are certainly crack gunners, the thought, as another broadside found its mark. The fort’s reply was gallant but did only modest damage to the Leander.




The Leander veered to larboard to deliver another telling broadside – if it were not a pirate fort it would have struck its colours but, since pirates cannot expect leniency, it did not. Still the northern fort was put out of action. Horatio did not notice, he was too busy peering through his telescope at the Diana. She’s nearly there, he remarked to Captain Barham.




Suddenly, the nearest pirate sloop burst into flames. Horatio could see three small boats that contained the surviving crew of the Diana. Forester had done a worthy job.




The Leander picked up the Diana’s survivors. Four dead were left behind but the rest, including the wounded, were safely aboard. Cecil was beaming.

“You might be expecting congratulations, Mr. Forester,” called out Horatio. “Well, you shan’t expect congratulations for merely doing your duty.”

Cecil was crestfallen. Horatio turned and smiled to himself. There’ll be time enough to congratulate the midshipman later, but for now they needed to get past the southern fort before the pirates could get the northern fort back into action.




The southern fort fired as the Leander came back into range, but the garrison had been shaken by the earlier fire of the Leander and the shots went wide.




The Leander delivered another of its signature broadsides that silenced the southern fort – and with that the Leander was on the open sea and heading for its home port. The admiral should be pleased, thought Horatio – and so was Horatio since he had no particular affection for Longshanks, but he might just have a word later with Gabriel.




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Ship and Fort Logs