Characters introduced into the story thus far.

Algerine and Moroccan Persona.
The Dey of Gizzanoffa: Kamel Mudanyaei.
His Vizier: Amin Giffar.
The Dey’s: Admiral Kulin Bey.
The late Captain of the Al Mukabir: Camel Mujadine
American persona.
The Squadron commander: Commodore Silas Goldberg.
The captain of USS Constitution: David Frazer.
The captain of USS Essex: Andrew Millington.
The captain of USS Syren: Gregory Hardman.
Syren’s Sailing Master: Simeon Prentice.

New Persona introduced for Sɪˈrɒkoʊ!

The new Captain of the Al Mukabir: Rashid Suleiman

The American Navy.

First officer of USS Essex: Paul Swift.
Essex’s Sailing Master: Hezekiah Bramley.
Essex’s Captain of Marines: Davy Weiss.

Introduction.

Following Captain Hardman’s mauling of the prize ship in Kamel Mudanyaei’s fleet it had to return to Gizzanoffa for repairs, whilst Kulin Bey thought up a good reason for the failure. To this end he was now looking for a replacement captain for Camel Mujadine who now decorated one of the Citadel’s walls. The lucky job fell to one Rashid Suleiman who immediately began on the repairs to his ship.
Thus from the point of view of Commodore Goldberg’s blockading squadron the next few weeks passed very quietly with the dreary daily round of seeking enemy ships that failed to materialize.

Then came the day of the great Sɪˈrɒkoʊ blowing with a vehemence that no ship could withstand. It howled out of the South across the desert bringing with it a stinging maelstrom of sand. Goldberg’s ships were all forced to run before the gale in order to survive. Within hours the wind faded to nought but a breeze. The damage was already done though. As the battered ships made running repairs and the headed back toward the port of Gizzanoffa, the Dey’s vessels had already slipped out of harbour with a favourable wind, and were now at large in the vast reaches of the Mediterranean ready to bring death and destruction to any hapless merchantman that they encountered.
Commodore Goldberg had no option, but to abandon the blockade and dispatch his squadron in penny packets to search for the Algerine ships.