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Thread: AAR: 2016 Campaign scenario 1, For Honour & Glory, by ShadiwDragon

  1. #1

    Default AAR: 2016 Campaign scenario 1, For Honour & Glory, by ShadowDragon


    For Honour & Glory

    My version of the 2016 Campaign scenario, For Honour & Glory, by Union Jack:

    https://sailsofglory.org/showthread....nour-amp-Glory

    It had been a long and boring voyage. Originally, it was a reasonable mission – a fast packet to England, personally deliver some dispatches to the Admiralty, a bit of home leave and then back to the Caribbean via another fast packet.

    It was the “oh, by the way…” that made the mission dreary. “There’s a ship that is just out of re-fit, the Leander. She is to be Henry’s new command. Would you mind, old chap, taking command of her for the Transatlantic crossing? Do some of the workups?”

    Horatio’s heart sank at that. Henry “Hotspur” Wellesley as the Admiral’s son and it would be a black mark to have refused the Admiral’s “request”. Hotspur had not made a good impression on the fleet when he had first arrived but at least he didn’t shirk from a fight like Cunningham. But the workups would make a longer voyage even longer.

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    The fat Yankee had been following the Leander for a day. She was low in the water which would have made her a target pirates. She was such a tempting target that he almost regretted turning down the privateer – well, really, pirate – Gabriel’s joking offer for Horatio to join his crew. Privateering was easy enough for Gabriel. He had “left” the French service and France didn’t rule the seas. It was different for one of His Majesty’s officer. A Royal Naval deserter’s days were numbered and would end hanging from a yardarm.

    This morning a French frigate hove into view. A few cannon shots across the bow of the Yankee and it lowered its flag and hove to for boarding. It would have been easy to just ignore the incident as it was between France and the United States of America, as the Colonies now called themselves, and had naught to do with Britain. However, tensions on the seas had been increasing between Britain and her former Colonies so a timely intervention might aid in that regard – and relieve the boredom.

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    The wind had shifted so “intervention” required a fair bit of tacking for the Leander to close the distance. Horatio hoped that the French ship would take their time taking the Yankee merchantman as their prize.

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    Blast! The two ships started to make sail before the Leander was in position. Horatio ordered a salvo from the front, starboard battery. In the hopes…well, really it was more out of frustration than any hope.

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    It got worse. The French ship, the Petit Hannibal, having the advantage of the wind, caught the Leander while tacking across the wind and delivered a devastating, raking broadside.

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    The Leander continued her tack and put some distance between her and the Petit Hannibal, while the latter re-loaded her guns.

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    The two ships exchanged fire, but the unscathed Petit Hannibal did more damage. The Leander was holed below the waterline. The workups had been tedious for everyone but it had been worth it. The crew, even while Horatio was delivering orders to repair the leak and man the pumps, were already responding to the emergency. It made Horatio wonder if a crack crew even needed a captain at times like this.

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    The captured merchantman with a minimal crew had been struggling to make way against the wind. Now was the time to re-take the Yankee ship. The Petit Hannibal was now leeward and would be unable to assist the prize crew.

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    A broadside at point-blank range took out most of the prize crew and convinced the rest to lower their flag which had been hoisted only moments before. Horatio ordered a only a few marines and sailors to take the prize with the intention that the released Yankee crew would allow the merchantman to be fully manned.

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    As the Petit Hannibal came into range – heading towards the re-captured merchantman, Horatio ordered the stern, larboard battery to fire and distract the Frenchman.

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    It worked. The French ship turned and delivered an ineffectual salute to accept the challenge. With the damage on the Leander, perhaps her captain was hoping for two prizes.

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    The two ships were now at close range. Only the Leander’s forward battery could be brought to bear but the flying bits of the Petit Hannibal cheered the Leander’s crew.

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    Horatio knew that, with the damage the Leander had suffered, an exchange broadsides would favour the Petit Hannibal. So it would have to be decided by musketry and cold steel. The Leander sailed into the path of the French ship. With the crunch the bowsprits of the two ships were entangled. Forward batteries of the two ships roared and musketry crackled from the Leander’s marines. Other than a few shots there was little return musketry from the Petit Hannibal. Horatio expected more. It seemed that the French captain had put a few too many marines on the merchantman. Horatio smiled. Perhaps he might win this fight after all and his rash action to intervene need not end up with a courts martial.

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    With little opposition the Royal Marines worked to clear the decks of the French ship while what few crew of the French ship would brave their fire attempted to keep the British from boarding. [Note: I forgot to remove the manoeuvre cards.]

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    The French fought bravely to keep the British from boarding, but the constant fire of the marines laid low more and more of them.

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    The Leander’s guns were reloaded and fired again. Together with the musketry of the marines the French ship was in dire straits. An easy prize for the French captain was proving a difficult proposition.

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    Finally, the British were aboard the French ship. After a sharp but brief struggle the French captained capitulated. Horatio wiped the sweat from his brow. It had been a close run thing.

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    Ship Logs
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    Last edited by ShadowDragon; 01-27-2023 at 18:53.

  2. #2
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    Nicely fought!

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dobbs View Post
    Nicely fought!
    Thanks, Dobbs....and for the rep. I have to admit that your AI chart put the fright into Horatio. The odds were that the Petit Hannibal would turn to larboard as it did was something like 1 in 6 but once it did and the Leander already having its planned manoeuvre cards it was an "oh, dear" as I saw that the Petit Hannibal would get a raking shot. Part of the joy of the game.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShadowDragon View Post
    Thanks, Dobbs....and for the rep. I have to admit that your AI chart put the fright into Horatio. The odds were that the Petit Hannibal would turn to larboard as it did was something like 1 in 6 but once it did and the Leander already having its planned manoeuvre cards it was an "oh, dear" as I saw that the Petit Hannibal would get a raking shot. Part of the joy of the game.

    I can't believe how successful I was whipping up the AI charts. It makes me laugh that some tables and a d6 sometimes demonstrates better strategies than I can do with my eyes and brain.

  5. #5
    Admiral of the Fleet.
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    Another enjoyable little encounter Paul. Please keep them coming. Yourself and Dobbs seem to be the mainstay of the Campaigns at present.

    Rule Britania.

    Rob.
    The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.

  6. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by Bligh View Post
    Another enjoyable little encounter Paul. Please keep them coming. Yourself and Dobbs seem to be the mainstay of the Campaigns at present.

    Rule Britania.

    Rob.
    Thanks...and for the rep, Rob. We are a small yet erratically dedicated group.

    I look forward to doing scenario 2 which will be as the pirate.

  7. #7
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    It looks like cold steel and muskets won the day. Well done.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Vagabond View Post
    It looks like cold steel and muskets won the day. Well done.
    It had to be cold steel and muskets. I didn't have enough ships for a "circle the wagons" tactic.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by ShadowDragon View Post
    It had to be cold steel and muskets. I didn't have enough ships for a "circle the wagons" tactic.
    I'm just playing scenario 4 or 5, can't remember which but My French line of 4 ships had to turn away from the wind and are in the process of circling the wagons or heading back to their river anchorage, I haven't decided which yet. All I can say is that driving a line of ships is way harder than 1 or 2 ships and indeed airplanes and I'm not very good at it.
    My line has turned into a gaggle and the British are looking very smart, I can see I'm going to have to be a very junior officer when I tell the tale to avoid the recriminations.

  10. #10
    Admiral of the Fleet.
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    At least that way you can point the blame a your superiors, especially if that superior happened to die in the action! The failure for the French battle line to cary out a change of heading without falling into disarray seems fairly typical of the period.

    Rob.
    The Business of the commander-in-chief is first to bring an enemy fleet to battle on the most advantageous terms to himself, (I mean that of laying his ships close on board the enemy, as expeditiously as possible); and secondly to continue them there until the business is decided.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bligh View Post
    At least that way you can point the blame a your superiors, especially if that superior happened to die in the action! The failure for the French battle line to cary out a change of heading without falling into disarray seems fairly typical of the period.

    Rob.
    Hi Rob I don't know if you remember the scenario it's called the Blockade everything is fine until the wind clocks round and hits the French on the nose. They have 2 options, tack and head for land which it looked like your guys did. Or tack and head off shore which is what I elected to do.
    I just signed on to see how everyone else coped with this and my reading of the AAR's is that no one did and the French/Spanish were soundly trounced. As you know C Flight don't like to get shot and neither does Capitaine Jean le Vagabond or probably Aspirant Vagabond if it all goes pear shaped.
    Anyway I've had another read at the scenario and might take the route of discretion. I know you will be horrified to hear that the cunning old sea dog le Vagabond would be anything other than bold, brave and courageous but I'm sure I can spin it so that's how I appear even if we run for home.

    Sorry Paul but just to give you a little encouragement I've played 3 of the 2016 games plus the one posted and I'm on the 4th now, I just need to write them. I'm hoping to get another one done before we sail for Spain - not that it's a competition of course.

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