AAR: 2016 Campaign scenario 1, For Honour & Glory, by ShadiwDragon

[ShadowDragon]

For Honour & Glory

My version of the 2016 Campaign scenario, For Honour & Glory, by Union Jack:

https://sailsofglory.org/showthread....nour-amp-Glory

It had been a long and boring voyage. Originally, it was a reasonable mission – a fast packet to England, personally deliver some dispatches to the Admiralty, a bit of home leave and then back to the Caribbean via another fast packet.

It was the “oh, by the way…” that made the mission dreary. “There’s a ship that is just out of re-fit, the Leander. She is to be Henry’s new command. Would you mind, old chap, taking command of her for the Transatlantic crossing? Do some of the workups?”

Horatio’s heart sank at that. Henry “Hotspur” Wellesley as the Admiral’s son and it would be a black mark to have refused the Admiral’s “request”. Hotspur had not made a good impression on the fleet when he had first arrived but at least he didn’t shirk from a fight like Cunningham. But the workups would make a longer voyage even longer.




The fat Yankee had been following the Leander for a day. She was low in the water which would have made her a target pirates. She was such a tempting target that he almost regretted turning down the privateer – well, really, pirate – Gabriel’s joking offer for Horatio to join his crew. Privateering was easy enough for Gabriel. He had “left” the French service and France didn’t rule the seas. It was different for one of His Majesty’s officer. A Royal Naval deserter’s days were numbered and would end hanging from a yardarm.

This morning a French frigate hove into view. A few cannon shots across the bow of the Yankee and it lowered its flag and hove to for boarding. It would have been easy to just ignore the incident as it was between France and the United States of America, as the Colonies now called themselves, and had naught to do with Britain. However, tensions on the seas had been increasing between Britain and her former Colonies so a timely intervention might aid in that regard – and relieve the boredom.




The wind had shifted so “intervention” required a fair bit of tacking for the Leander to close the distance. Horatio hoped that the French ship would take their time taking the Yankee merchantman as their prize.




Blast! The two ships started to make sail before the Leander was in position. Horatio ordered a salvo from the front, starboard battery. In the hopes…well, really it was more out of frustration than any hope.




It got worse. The French ship, the Petit Hannibal, having the advantage of the wind, caught the Leander while tacking across the wind and delivered a devastating, raking broadside.




The Leander continued her tack and put some distance between her and the Petit Hannibal, while the latter re-loaded her guns.




The two ships exchanged fire, but the unscathed Petit Hannibal did more damage. The Leander was holed below the waterline. The workups had been tedious for everyone but it had been worth it. The crew, even while Horatio was delivering orders to repair the leak and man the pumps, were already responding to the emergency. It made Horatio wonder if a crack crew even needed a captain at times like this.




The captured merchantman with a minimal crew had been struggling to make way against the wind. Now was the time to re-take the Yankee ship. The Petit Hannibal was now leeward and would be unable to assist the prize crew.




A broadside at point-blank range took out most of the prize crew and convinced the rest to lower their flag which had been hoisted only moments before. Horatio ordered a only a few marines and sailors to take the prize with the intention that the released Yankee crew would allow the merchantman to be fully manned.




As the Petit Hannibal came into range – heading towards the re-captured merchantman, Horatio ordered the stern, larboard battery to fire and distract the Frenchman.




It worked. The French ship turned and delivered an ineffectual salute to accept the challenge. With the damage on the Leander, perhaps her captain was hoping for two prizes.




The two ships were now at close range. Only the Leander’s forward battery could be brought to bear but the flying bits of the Petit Hannibal cheered the Leander’s crew.




Horatio knew that, with the damage the Leander had suffered, an exchange broadsides would favour the Petit Hannibal. So it would have to be decided by musketry and cold steel. The Leander sailed into the path of the French ship. With the crunch the bowsprits of the two ships were entangled. Forward batteries of the two ships roared and musketry crackled from the Leander’s marines. Other than a few shots there was little return musketry from the Petit Hannibal. Horatio expected more. It seemed that the French captain had put a few too many marines on the merchantman. Horatio smiled. Perhaps he might win this fight after all and his rash action to intervene need not end up with a courts martial.




With little opposition the Royal Marines worked to clear the decks of the French ship while what few crew of the French ship would brave their fire attempted to keep the British from boarding. [Note: I forgot to remove the manoeuvre cards.]




The French fought bravely to keep the British from boarding, but the constant fire of the marines laid low more and more of them.




The Leander’s guns were reloaded and fired again. Together with the musketry of the marines the French ship was in dire straits. An easy prize for the French captain was proving a difficult proposition.




Finally, the British were aboard the French ship. After a sharp but brief struggle the French captained capitulated. Horatio wiped the sweat from his brow. It had been a close run thing.




Ship Logs