Lieutenant Examination
Gosport June 1776
Candidate Mr Midshipman "Jack" Quilp
"You're close-hauled on the port tack, beating up the channel with a north-easterly wind blowing strong, with Dover bearing north two miles. The wind veers four points, taking you flat aback. What do you do, sir?"
"Err, well sir, well... well... haul the main and mizzen braces back, and ease the spanker sheet, leaving the foresails and headsails backwinded. Once the wind is quartering and the ship is well before the wind, square the fore braces to to return steerageway to the helm. Wear ship and bring her up to the wind close hauled on a port tack, heading roughly south and as close to the wind as possible and a porter in the Dover Arms before nightfall, Sirs..."
To our Well Respected Servant Mr Jack Quilp RN.
Sir,
You are hereby promoted Lieutenant, and appointed as third into HM Post Ship Ariel of 20 guns.
Report back aboard to Captain Farthingdale and deliver him these sealed orders. Good luck in the Bahamas Mr Quilp.
Yours etc...
Sir Portly B'Stard
Rear Admiral of the White
Sealed Order Missions
1. Guns to Georgetown Carolina
2. The Georgia coast
3. The Carolinas blockade
4. The Capes of Delaware
5. The Brig gone aground on a key
6. The missing sloop
7. Marsh Harbour. The traitor to the crown
8. Nassau and the Yankee trader
9. Treason at Governors Harbour.
10. Blue mountain coffee Plantation
11. The King's Agent at Georgetown
12. The Governor's Niece is missing
13. Bring me the head of Diego Maradonna
14. Checking on the Trade at Clarencetown
15. Patrol the Windward passage
16. Visit Georgetown harbour
17. Anti Privateer cruise
18. Convoy to the Windward Passage.
19 Convoy from the Windward passage
20 Convoy to Boston
Encounter Missions
The escaped slave
Spanish pirates in canoes
The Slave Trader
A pirate anchored
Rumour of a Privateer off West End
Black Jack Starling and the rum smugglers
The Rum Town Militia
Up Standard Creek with a paddle
The Plantation Owner at Old Bight
The dismasted Slave Trader
A Spanish ship inshore at Matthew town
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| Encounter off the Matamilla reef. A Privateer from the Carolinas in the Florida Passage. The waters north of Matamilla were long considered to be an extension of the rocky outcrop due to the extensive breakers north of the reef. By the time of the revolutionary war it had been recognised that this was due to colliding currents between the Florida passage and the Atlantic proper over the edge of the Bahamas Banks. Where de Mayne's contemporary French chart shows submerged rocks there are actually "severe" breakers and currents that pull a ship into the Maelstrom. Ariel has a SE force five blowing straight into this. |
An American Privateer Savannah of eighteen guns,
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| Otis during his "Opera" days. |
The sight of a British ship and possible prize overcomes his caution, until he realises that this enemy is a 20 gun 6th rate, and she is a sprinter...
It sets up an interesting tactical problem for Otis, and an enemy with a similar number of guns for Ariel
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| Battle 2 Easy 5 Full 7 |
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| Ariel opens the game, bow chaser hit, but it's negligible. |
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| Otis turns and manages a broadside. The advantage of a large crew. A hit to Ariel's rigging. |
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| A hammering duel. Ariel gets a critical on Savannah's rudder and she turns to windward drifting into those breakers... the repair parties are busy... |
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| But a second critical 9 on the up roll and a fire breaks out. Otis refuses to strike. |
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| The end, with Savannah on fire among the breakers. |
I roll a d12, giving Otis and his crew a chance for a miraculous escape. A 10, close enough. Savannah drifts over the reef and grounds on sand. Otis swears revenge on the Ariel, but it will be weeks (d6 - 3) until he can get repairs made.
Captain Farthingdale meanwhile resumes his patrol confident he has destroyed the Savannah.
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