AAR. October Solo Mission: A clean pair of keels. HEIC NOTTINGHAM.

[Bligh]

Preamble.

26126

The Marines overran the damaged French Frigate with ease, and very soon had ferried its remaining crew to join their wooding and watering party on the Island.


26127



Sorting out the Prize Crew took some time under the Second Lieutenant and Master's mate. Because some of the non French crew had signed on with the British, five of the Bombay Marines were also dispatched to the prize just to keep an eye on them.


26128

With all this finally sorted out just before dawn, Captain McBride had just issued the order to set sail, and the answer had come back from the Boatswain Anchor up and down. Almost on top of this shout caim a hail from the maintops.
"Sail sighted to the West North West Captain".


26129

Within a minute, Midshipman Hargreaves was up the Ratlines and using the Bring em near, reporting; A French Ship "o" the line making about five Knots and bearing to round the point."

26132


With no more to do. McBride ordered both ship to make all sail to the South East as soon as the anchor was free of the bottom.

Bligh.

[Bligh]

October Solo Mission: A clean pair of keels.





As both ships got under way, the French 74 came in sight around the headland and started to crowd on sails.

26153

Escorting the damaged prize, McBride could not outrun the 74, and taking a sight on its foremast decided that it was making a good three knots more than the pair of Frigates.

26154



Within the hour it would be up with them, and in range a good deal sooner than that.
To try and steal a march on the Frenchie he decided to come about, and then wear. The French Captain must have been observing the crew movements very carefully, for no sooner did McBride order the helm put over than the French ship came about in the opposite direction and opened fire with his forrard guns.


26155


Both Frigates replied and seemed to have the measure of the 74 as most of his shots whined overhead. The Frigates managed at least one hull shot in return, and several French sailors were felled by splinters.
Assuming his original course, both Frigates continued to run with the wind on their starboard beam.

26156


As the Genereux came about onto the same course to give chase, McBride's Signals Officer broke open a set of flags prearranged for such circumstances. His Second Lieutenant aboard the Courageous was on the ball and both ships came about on opposite courses, opening fire as they did so and confounding the French Captain, who had just settled his new course.


26157


Only his forrard guns could bear but poor old Courageous took a battering and a fire started on the main deck.
Genereux, did not escape unscathed either and took damage on the foremast and also damage to the Mainsail. slowing down her response to the change of direction of the two Frigates.




They now resumed their former course, which even allowed Courageous to get off a cheeky parting shot with her Starboard rear battery.

26170


Unfortunately doing no damage to the French ship.


26158


The French replied in kind at long range doing superficial damage to the Nottingham and killing two hands, and wounding a Marine.


26159


As the chase continued, McBride came right about to Port to cover the Courageous, and crossing the 74's bow at close range gave it a double shotted broadside.


26160


The firepower was very telling and steering, hull and masts were all damaged as men toppled from the yards.


26161


Coming right about as the 74 bore away, McBride was able to get in a parting shot with his stern Port side guns, doing even more damage to the hull. Many of the 74's crew were now struggling to keep down the influx of water in the hold by manning the pumps.

26162


With her sailing qualities now impaired by the loss of a mast, Genereux was at the mercy of the Nottingham, as the French crew hacked at the masts and sails which had formed a sea anchor on the Starboard side.
Nottingham fired again and more of the struggling French Crew fell as the mast at last came free.

26163


Meanwhile Courageous was making good her escape.


26164


McBride now decided to try conclusions with the 74 before it could gather way, and bore down upon its Starboard side. Both ships fired their now diminished forrard and stern batteries as they closed with no discernible result.

26165


Another flurry of fire from the Nottingham's forrard Carronades, and a crackle of musketry from the tops; then the grapples rattled as the two hulls came inexorably together.

26166


Boarders away!


26167

The Fighting was fierce, as McBride and his crew gradually forced the Frenchmen back towards the Poop deck.


26169


At last the pressure became too great for the demoralized French crew and they threw down their arms, leaving only a knot of Officers about the wheel to surrender the ship.

26168


As David sat down in his cabin later that evening and started to write his Dispatches, he reflected that in all it was not a bad day's work.

26171

Setting out to cut out a damaged French Frigate, and ending up with a 74 also in tow.

That should please his Lords and Masters at Bombay Castle. To say nothing of his crew, who had a deal of Prize money coming, and also his Second and First Lieutenants who as Prize Masters should eventually get a promotion out of it all.

Only another couple of months service, and he was due for English leave himself. Maybe his Number one would get the Nottingham, and the second the French Frigate if the HEIC saw fit to buy her in.

Bligh.

[Bligh]

The Butchers' Bill.


HEIC Nottingham. Captain David McBride. Hull 3 boxes. Crew 7 boxes but three returned due to the three Prize crew.

Prize money for 74. Recruit crew replacements for Nottingham.
Repairs completed.


26172


Prize, Genereux. Hull 8 boxes. Crew 10 boxes. Condemned to Prize Court.


26174


Prize, Courageous. Hull 4 boxes. Crew 9 boxes due to Prize crew being returned to Nottingham.
Ship condemned to Prize Court, and Bought in to Service.


26173


Bligh.

[redlancer38]

Some nice photographs Rob.

[Bligh]

Thanks Paul.
It makes doing these AARs all worth while when shipmates let you know that they enjoy them.
Rob.

[Union Jack]

Another cracking installment Rob. I thought the 74 had you, but your sailing skills more than equalled the uneven match.

UJ

[Hjl]

You took a sol with a frigate! Very impressive. Even admiral Pellew would have been impressed.

[Bligh]

Another cracking installment Rob. I thought the 74 had you, but your sailing skills more than equalled the uneven match.

UJ

What surprised me the most was how effective the prize was. I just intended to run with it, but when it got trapped, I decided to go down fighting. Then it got off that free shot and just about evened things up for HEIC Nottingham which is a 44 gun Frigate. The really sticky point was near the end when she was running out of crew. I decided to board and just got lucky by the one crew lost extra on Genereux.
Rob.

[Bligh]

You took a sol with a frigate! Very impressive. Even admiral Pellew would have been impressed.

Yes but Pellew managed to dupe two of them, and see off many more against all the odds in his career for real!
I am just an armchair Captain Hugh.
Rob.

[Bos'n]

Another great story about a part. of the world we don't normally hear about.

[Bligh]

It is really interesting in so far as it was the only place where the French really had the top hand, and gave the Royal Navy ships a real drubbing for some time.
It also has all the intrigue and machinations of the HEIC with which to contend.
Rob.