19 Attachment(s)
May 2015 solo mission - 'Who fired the first shot.....': By Vagabond
Attachment 52454
I wasn’t even an Aspirant back then but my Father had managed to get me a passage on the Commerce de Bordeaux a fine 74 gun ship of the line in the magnificent French Navy, I believe I mentioned some time in the past that he was the Doorman at Madame Fifi’s and seemed to have some influence with the Admiralty and for a reason unknown to me at the time thought that a life at sea would be good for the family.
No Baptiste you don’t have to listen to another of my interminable tales of my life at sea, you can go and sit with the Blacksmith and reminisce on how you spilt his beer. I’m sure that Hermione would be more than happy to chew the lardons with me, we can sit here by the fire on our own but before you go I believe it is your turn to buy the drinks again and I’ll have a 98 brandy, and if you are going to sit with your friends all night you had best make it a double.
Shall I continue Hermione, of course, well as I was saying we were on patrol in the Atlantic and had been shadowing a squadron of Johnny Rosbif’s finest ships. The situation was tense in Europe, war was inevitable again, it was only a question of when and who would start it. Our instructions were clear, we should not start a war by firing first on our smug enemy but we should not let him do the same to us.
Attachment 52455
They had four ships of the line including one of their 1st rate ships the Royal George, she was a great big lumbering thing and a ship with a male name is an abomination to Neptune the Sea God but we can discuss that some other time.
Attachment 52456
We were up wind of the Rosbifs but their lead ship started to turn, to cut across our line just as we saw a sail in the far distance.
Will that be a messenger and will it be a glorious French messenger or a dastardly Rosbif one and what would she have to say. Is war declared and are we to be fighting our first battle against the odds? We were not afraid Hermione, don’t think that for a moment, we wanted to bring glory to France but the Rosbifs had a superiority in the number of ships even though we had the superiority in élan.
Attachment 52457
She drew closer but her sails were obscuring her colours, she had the fine clean lines of a French built ship but there were many of our ships serving in the old enemies fleet, taken by subterfuge and occasionally in a straight fight, but not many of the latter. She looks like the Artésien muttered our Premier Lieutenant, I’d recognise the lines of a ship built by Joseph-Louis Olliver, am I not his nephew. I looked at him in awe. The Nephew of Olliver, I’ve served with some great men in my time Hermione, I will tell you of them if we can keep your aged Father from falling asleep, but first I will tell you of this action.
Attachment 52458
As she drew near we could see she was flying signal flags but we could not discern the signal. Every ship in the 2 small fleets was prepared for action, slow matches burning, shot and charges prepared, marines up in the tops, the Captains cabin squared away, the stern guns rolled out, and the galley stoves doused.
Attachment 52459
As the ship drew close enough to recognise her I heard various hands confirming what our premier Lieutenant had already said “it’s the Artisan” and just then, before we could make out what signal she was flying, she fired a broadside into HMS Defence the leading British 74.
Every gunner dropped their slow match to the touch hole, no one waited for the command, everyone was at fever pitch and the sound of cannonades blasting out in the still afternoon air shattered the silence.
Attachment 52460
At the head of our column Artisan and my ship the Commerce de Bordeaux fired into HMS Defence who returned our fire most effectivly. The noise and smoke was unimaginable, many of our crew were laid low but I could see we had struck Defence below the waterline but beyond her, flames shot up in the air from Artisan.
Attachment 52461
Further down the line and just to our rear I could see HMS Impeteux taking a severe battering from the Ville de Varsovie our flagship and further in the distance, right at the rear of our line Genereaux was brutally struck by the enemy flagship Royal George.
Attachment 52462
In response Genereaux turned to larboard with the intention of breaking the British line between Royal George and the last ship in the line HMS Bahama, if this works it could win the battle but she had a long way to go before she would be able to pour a volley from either side into their weak stem and stern’s.
Artisan made a similar move to try and sail behind Impertuex but their steering must have been damaged because she came to close to Impetueux who fired a devastating broadside down the length of Artisan and she dropped her colours, too badly damaged to continue the fight.
Attachment 52463
The Hulk of Artisan can be seen bottom right but HMS Impetueux didn’t have time to send a prize crew on board, the battle was raging and there would be the opportunity to do that later. She fired a full starboard broadside into the Ville de Varsovie who was reserving her fire, in a bold move she sail in to get to a closer range before firing her salvo in retaliation and I thought she would then board Imperteux.
At the head of the line our ship Commerce de Bordeaux and HMS Defence were slugging it out out, toe to toe and we were getting the better of the exchange.
Attachment 52464
Back at the rear of our column Genereaux continued to turn to larboard but HMS Bahama was turning to starboard, there was the sound of splintering wood as they collided with each other, but not as big as the explosive broadside from Genereaux blasting Royal George at close range, although the return volley from Georges forward battery started a fire and did some damage to her rudder.
Attachment 52465
I know that the rules don’t call for collision damage between enemy ships but I’ve included it and used A tokens rather than B because it’s a bow to bow collision and so will cause potentially less damage than bow to beam.
Attachment 52466
In the distance the Ville de Varsovie fires her close range broadside into Impetueux this causes Impeteuex to pull out of the line to make repairs but in retaliation HMS Royal George poured a withering fire into Ville de Varsovie who strikes her colours.
As Genereaux and Bahama drift apart they fire into each other and the Bahama comes off substantially the worse from the exchange losing her foremast which falls to the deck killing a number of the crew before it topples overboard.
Attachment 52467
This doesn’t stop her marines from inflicting heavy crew casualties on Genereaux.
Attachment 52469
And then they fire again causing even more casualties as they break away from each other.
The smoke from the gunfire obscures my view and I can no longer see their valiant fight.
Attachment 52468
The capitulation of our Flagship allows HMS Impetueux to make repairs but we continue to hammer HMS Defence who finally has had enough and strikes but with the Royal George foaming through the waves closing the gap to the battered Commerce de Bordeaux’s our Captain decides discretion is the better part of valour and so with 3 of the French Fleet out of action he decides four is too many and shouts the order to raise full sails and we make our getaway.
Attachment 52470
It was a sad sight Hermione, our glorious fleet battered into submission but my ship the Commerce de Bordeaux had defeated her opponent, even though we could not put a prize crew on board and sail her home in triumph.
I can tell you Hermione, I have known great glory and victories in my life and as you now know the occasional sour taste of defeat. This was one of the low points for me. Yes I know you are right I was not in command or even on the books of the Commerce de Bordeaux and so no one could ascribe blame to me and as you say, we defeated our opponent HMS Defense but as a man of honour, I share in the sad day for my fellow countrymen and comrades in arms.
We were able to avenge this day and sooner than Johnny Rosbif would have liked but it’s late and I must take my leave.
Your sorry father has fallen asleep over his glass of wine, luckily he has not spilled it, pass me the glass and I will see if this can not warm my poor body enough to tackle the cold and snow outside.
Adieu Hermione, until next time.
Attachment 52471
Attachment 52472
Well my poor French fleet took a pounding, but on the bright side my British Fleet won a famous victory.
