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The Treasure Galleon: Better Late Than Never At All
Chapter 1: The Surrender of Unite
As he scanned the western horizon, Chef d'Escadre Esprit-Tranquil Maistral must have reflected to himself that the Dons made fickle friends. Ostensibly allies of the government in Paris, his orders revealed that the Spanish were actually planning to place their New World silver at the disposal of France’s mortal enemy, Britain. Maistral was well aware that only the only chance to avert this dire development lay with the two frigates of his meager squadron, and their mission to intercept the Spanish treasure ship.
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Maistral flew his pennant from the mast of Hermione, while his good friend, captain Douville commanded Unite. Maistral’s orders dictated that when the Spaniard was sighted, his frigates would take up a loose battle line, and attempt to intern the ship before it closed the range. If the galleon determined to fight, however, one or the other of Maistral’s frigates would endeavor to take up a raking position, while both maneuvered to prevent the Spanish from employing both broadsides simultaneously. Once the firepower of the mighty two-deckers had been diminished, both would close to musket range to secure her compliance.
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The frigates were wearing on their patrol lines when the lookouts on Hermione shouted with excitement—sail on the horizon. Signaling frantically, Hermione got the attention of Unite and both Maistral and Douville set to work, putting their plan into action. Running before a brisk sea breeze, the Spanish galleon, Buca de Plata quickly came hull-up and closed the range. As Hermione turned up into the wind, and the two commanders came within hailing distance, Maistral realized that if the Spanish meant to give battle, then he was at risk of bringing his frigate into a vicious head-on rake. He decided, therefore to keep Hermione’s bow to the wind, and allow her to make sternway. It was at this point that the battle plan started to unravel.
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Faced with the unexpected maneuver, Douville was forced to turn downwind, exposing his own stern quarter, rather than Hermione’s bow, to the defiant Spanish broadside. It landed heavily on Unite, reducing her fighting capacity significantly before the battle had even properly commenced. As Douville frantically tried to retake his position in the line, he found his counterattack screened by Hermione. Even worse, the full broadside that was launched by Hermione was poorly timed, and fell harmlessly into the ocean.
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As the Spaniard began to wear and pursue Hermione, another key element in Maistral’s orders went by the wayside, for the galleon prepared to cut between the two frigates, allowing all her guns to be worked. Although Hermione missed the moment for a clean raking shot, the converging fire of both frigates landed the first telling blows on Buca de Plata. In return her starboard volley missed a rapidly withdrawing Hermione, but the port broadside created further havoc on Unite.
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As Maistral urged his flagship into a tacking maneuver to bring it back into the fight, he could only watch in horror as Unite launched another, much diminished, broadside against the nearly intact might of the Spanish vessel. Once more, crashing blows rained down on Unite in return, dismounting guns, staving in planks and toppling the masts. No ship could survive such a pounding and continue the fight, and so it was with sadness but not censure that Maistral watched as Douvilled lowered the tricolor and hoisted the white flag of surrender.
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Maistral knew that his own mistakes had contributed to the disaster, and that it now fell to him alone to try to redeem the situation against near impossible odds...
