View Full Version : Sounding out the enemy part two.
Captain Smithers duly arrived yesterday, recovered from his mal de mare and sailed his part of the above action, which will be regaled here as soon as I get chance to download the pictures and write it up, as the next couple of days seem to have suddenly filled up with things that have nothing to do with the war with Tripoli.
Rob.
I’ll sing you a song, tis a song of the sea
Away Rio!
The Anchor is weighed and the sails they are set
Away Rio!
The girls that we’re leaving we’ll never forget,
And we’re bound for the Rio Grande, and it’s
Chorus:
Away Rio! Away, away Rio!
Sing fare thee well, my pretty young girls, and
We’re bound for the Rio Grande
American persona.
The captain of USS Essex: Andrew Millington.
First Officer: Paul Swift.
Sailing Master: Hezekiah Bramley.
Essex’s Captain of Marines: Davy Weiss.
Essex’s Master Gunner: Hamish Fyffe.
Essex’s Master Carpenter: Amos Grady
Schooner: Nautilus: Lieutenant Richard Somers.
Dawn broke with a South Westerly weak breeze blowing as USS Essex and Nautilus picked their way into the approaches to Tripoli.
As agreed, Nautilus having the shallower draft took the inner shoals to sound and survey, whilst Essex covered her from the already well documented outer shoals and rocks with her longboat now surveying the inside of these .
Before true dawn had fully arrived Nautilus, and the Longboat from Essex had begun their survey.
Nautilus was just beginning her first tack when it became obvious that the Tripolitanians had also been busy during the night, as two of the ships in port from the previous day were now fully rigged and in the approaches to the harbour.
The ships appeared to be an armed galley and a corvette of some kind.
Captain Andrew Millington in the Essex immediately hove too, dropped the fore and aft anchors and fitted a spring to the cable.
Lieutenant Somers in Nautilus shortened sail and began taking soundings.
Even as they did so, the two Tripolitanian vessels weighed anchor and started to gain headway.
Aboard Essex Captain Millington gave orders to his First Officer Paul Smith to instruct the Master Hezekiah Bramley and Master Gunner Hamish Fyffe to adjust the spring to range in on the approaching ships and load with ball.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Somers began his first tack across the bay.
This job of sounding was made easier to accomplish because the wind remained constant and light.
Millington now noticed that the enemy ships were taking divergent courses as if one was intent on the Nautilus whilst the other had Essex as its target. The factor of which he was unaware was that they were both navigating around a large submerged sandbank in the middle of the bay and roughly in line with the small fort. Both were in fact intent on the Nautilus as their prey.
This divergence, however, brought the larger of the ships within range of Essex, and Millington had no qualms, when he ordered Hamish to give them a welcoming broadside.
At medium range the opening salvee was telling.
Although few men were hit, the damage to the structure of the lightly constructed Corvette was considerable and one mast was almost cut completely through.
fire from the Corvette’s forrard battery was paltry at best.
As the smoke drifted away, Captain Millington and Hamish decided to take up the spring whilst the guns were being reloaded so as to present another broadside at the point they expected the enemy to be once they had sorted out the damaged mast. They debated about double shotting, but doubted that there would be sufficient time.
From across the bay they heard the sound of gunfire suddenly erupt, and saw that the Nautilus had now completed her first pass across the bay, and as she tacked through the eye of the wind had provided a raking opportunity for the enemy Galley which was closing very rapidly on her bows.
Its large calibre bow gun packed a substantial punch.
And the fort then added its own firepower to the onslaught.
Fortunately doing little more damage.
Essex now came into its own again as the Hissan tried to turn away from its deadly fire.
He rolling volley as it passed, holed it below the waterline and took out the damaged mast completely.
The mast went by the board, and acting as a drogue stopped the ship in its tracks. As the survey boat drew nearer to Essex the crew could see a boat being launched from the starboard side of the Tripolitanian vessel, and other crew members tossing themselves over the side rather than being taken by the Infidels.
After one last defiant cannon shot the ship was abandoned.
Having boarded the abandoned vessel, the survey crew were given orders by Captain Millington to burn the ship in the bay in full view of the port as a lesson to the Pasha Yusuf Karamanli that the US Navy was not to be trifled with.
Very soon flames could be seen climbing up the masts and sails as the ship was consumed among a series of explosions as her stocks of powder went up.
Soon nothing was to be seen but a few charred floating fragments, and the bow and stern as they settled on the sandbank under the surface.
Record that sandbar if you please Mr Bramley, Andrew remarked caustically, as he saw the two halves of the ship ground on the bottom.
On the other side of the bay, both Captains had decided that discretion was the better part of valour. Richard Somers’ ship Nautilus had been hit again by the fort, and sustained severe damage this time, whilst the Alrube was so hard hit that it hardly had steerage way.
Both ships limped away, but after running repairs, the Nautilus was able to continue its survey, until coming under further fire from both the fort and harbour defences Captain Millington decided to call it a day and signalled Nautilus to withdraw.
Both ships then withdrew to the safety of deeper water, whilst conferring on how to further confound the Pasha Yusuf Karamanli of Tripoli.
The successful captains celebrate their success.
Having struggled through the springing epesode with Captain Smithers, i decided I needed something more positive as a chit for this action so devised this one to indicate on the ship log what was on the cards.
It depicts laying out the anchor from a boat.and fits into the style of the anchor and capstan chits.
Rob.
I also did a direction indicator card so that it could be placed on the ship mat when playing that as a move.
More cards for the next mission.
This thread is now open for comment.
Rob.
Vagabond
08-22-2021, 02:24
Thanks for more chits and cards and another entertaining episode in the Campaign.
You may have discussed this and I've either not seen it or more likely forgotten it but how are you putting your scenarios together. Is it along a set storyline or are you taking a previous action to drive the next idea. I'm particularly curious about where the idea of conducting a naval survey of an enemy port came from. I know this sort of survey was common practice but setting that as the basis of a game is in my view very innovative. I know it ended in a fight but it could just as easily been the whole reason for a solo game.
Good idea.:thumbsup:
The actual idea came up when we were discussing the game for Doncaster, and we decided that instead of risking the Allied captains running aground on uncharted shoals we would try and survey the harbour approaches. This should have taken only two games, but with more enemy being generated than expected, we did not get the actual work finished. hence you will find us still at it in the next episode before taking a break and doing a bit in the long neglected Indian Ocean HEIC games, to fill in up to Doncaster. For that game the shoals will still be there some of them submerged, but each captain will have an up to date chart. how he uses it or not is up to him once the game starts. If he has read these preambles it will also be to his advantage!
Rob.
Vagabond
08-23-2021, 02:40
That makes a lot of sense, hope you have a good time in Doncaster, I'd hoped to make it this year but we are away at the time.
Poor planning on my part :(
Cheers
With the Covid spectre hanging over us it is a wonder anybody took a punt on Donny actually taking place. People have to make arrangements as best they can.
Hope to see you next year John.
Rob.
ShadowDragon
08-31-2021, 10:31
I suspect I've now reading this in random order....my bad for being away from the forum for so long. But lovely setups for the games - terrain, ships, storyline, scenario, etc.
The posts are out of order because of the comments added at various times Paul.
I hope it has not spoilt your enjoyment of the action.
Rob.
ShadowDragon
08-31-2021, 13:53
The posts are out of order because of the comments added at various times Paul.
I hope it has not spoilt your enjoyment of the action.
Rob.
Not spoilt my enjoyment at all. In the end it didn't matter if the damage on the ship at the start of the scenario was due to a previous AAR or just specific to the scenario.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.2 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.