The Channel Islands Patrol
The Petain's once again go into action in a Naval game. Since I am the Umpire in this one I intend to blog the course of the game. For Channel Islands Patrol we will be using the Post Captain rules, and a 1793 chart of the English Channel and the Islands.
Not for the feint of heart!
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Admiralty Orders for the attention of
Commander Quincy Whitemoore.
The Snug
Colliery Inn
Pelton.
You are requested and Required by Order of the Board of
Admiralty to repair onboard His Majesty's Sloop of War Lark, Naval Dockyard, Plymouth Sound, as Commander, and proceed
to sea with all despatch, on 1st April this year of 1793. You are to look into all ports from St
Brieuc westward and then North to Cape La Hague. Report any French vessels of war you sight,
and sink or capture any French shipping abroad in the area of the Channel
Islands.
Any Captures will be sent into St Hellier, Jersey, and
you will follow the orders of the Governor.
You will find secret orders aboard, to be opened only
when your vessel stands out into the English channel.
You may appoint any Officer you see fit as your Junior,
and select a sailing master from those now available. Crewing and Supply will be your
responsibility, to occur at Naval Dockyard, Plymouth Sound.
God Save the King
Uriah Quilp, Naval Clerk for
Vice
Admiral The Hon Quincy Whitmore, RN, MP, Kb, Txs Rgr.
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Admiralty Orders for the attention of
Commander Christmas Quilp.
The taproom
Colliery Inn
Pelton.
You are requested and Required by Order of the Board of
Admiralty to repair onboard His Majesty's Sloop of War Hornet, as Commander, at Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth, and proceed
to sea with all despatch, on 1st April this year of 1793. You are to look into ports from Cape La
Hague, to St Brieuc. Report any French
vessels of war you detect, and sink or capture any French shipping abroad in
the area of the Channel Islands.
Any Captures will be sent into St Helier, Jersey, and
you will follow the orders of the Governor.
You will find secret orders aboard, to be opened only
when your vessel stands out into the English channel.
You may appoint any Officer you see fit as your Junior,
and select a sailing master from those now available. Crewing and Supply will be your
responsibility, to occur at the Naval Dockyard, Portsmouth.
God Save the King
Uriah Quilp, Naval Clerk for
Vice
Admiral The Hon Quincy Whitmore, RN, MP, Kb, Txs Rgr.
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You begin the game
with 30 guineas to spend on attracting Officers and recruiting your crew. You
may also generate some influence that
would help in the crewing by taking Officers with connections, or Officers
others just don’t want. Unspent guineas
and unused influence may be useful in the cruise you have been ordered to take.
These will cost
guineas and influence according to the table below. If you take only a few Officers, the
Admiralty will appoint as needed, but then you will have no choice but to
accept whomever the Admiral appoints.
A Cormorant Class
Sloop of War requires a complement of 121 Officers and men. 1 Commander, 2 Lieutenants, 1 Ships Master,
ten Warranted Officers, and 108 men. You
will need some Prime seamen to work the ship, but can fill up on Landsmen,
hoping to train them to be sailors during your cruise.
You can apply to the
port Admiral to embark two files of ten Marines, One Sergeant, and One
Officer. If you do not appoint the
Sergeant or Officer the Admiral will send you a random Officer who is bound to
have some issues.
You must also
actively recruit your crew, by various means.
Choose any of:
- Handbills for volunteers,
- Recruiting parties, under a Naval Officer
- Press gangs, under a Naval Officer
- Warrant to remove prisoners from hulks,
- Impressment from merchant ships,
- Admirals Authority for transfer _ other ships,
- Local Magistrates Assises.
- Admirals Authority for a Marine Detachment.
Select the recruiting
methods you will use, using cost in guineas or influence.
1.
Naval
Officers and Warranted Officers seeking employment, and the cost of recruitment.
Mr
Kit Barrington, Naval Lieutenant 5
Guineas add 2 influence
a well connected socialite,
and dancer of the Spanish fashion.
Mr
Berjerac Nettles, Naval Lieutenant 5
Guineas
A Guernseyman, who knows the
waters and is a qualified master too.
Mr
David Milliband, Naval Lieutenant 3
Guineas, a raconteur.
M.
Jean du Picard, Naval Lieutenant, an
Emigre and St Malo man. 1
Guinea 1 influence.
Mr
Horatio Pipesmoker, Naval Lieutenant 5
Guineas An earnest young gentleman who has a reputation as a firebrand as well
as luck. 2 influence
Mr
Josiah Pickwick, Naval Lieutenant 1
Guinea, has a reputation.
Mr
Ed Milliband, Marine Lieuteant, 1 Guinea, a ditherer. 3 Influence.
Mr Richard
Bean, Marine Lieutenant 3
Guineas. A sportsman.
Sgt
Patrick Finnigan, Marine Sergeant 1 Guinea,
keeps discipline well.
Josiah
Mudge, Trinity Qualified Ship Master 2
Guineas.
The Oldest man in King George’s Navy, he can smell weather.
Anthony
Bookbinder, Qualified Ship Master 2
Guineas. A channel coaster
Dick
Talbot, Master Gunner 1 Guinea
Brags he can shoot the
whiskers off a Spaniard with his 12pdrs
Mathias
Wigg, Surgeon 1 Guinea An
Oxford University Doctor and cellist, fascinated by bugs.
William
Hood, Midshipman Admiral’s Son add 3 influence
Jack
Farthingdale, Midshipman Politician’s son add 3 influence
Judas
Quilp, Midshipman add 1 influence
Charles
Furious. Midshipman. One of Admiral
Quincy’s illegitimate by-blows. Add 2
influence.
Mr
Gordon Brown Ships Purser
Mr
Edwin Balls, Ships Purser
Mr
Georgio Osbourne Ships Purser
Crewing.
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Crewing the ship
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Costs
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Will recruit 6D6:
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May also recruit 1:
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Handbills for volunteers,
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2 Guineas
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Officer Material, Prime seamen
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Idle Criminal
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Recruiting parties, under a Naval
Officer
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5 Guineas
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Warrant Officers
Prime Seamen
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Landsmen
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Press gangs, under a Naval
Officer
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5 Guineas
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Trained sailors, landsmen, idlers
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A woman posing as a man
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Warrant to remove prisoners from
hulks,
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2 Guinea bribe
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Landsmen, idlers
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Brawler, Criminals
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Impressment from merchant ships,
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2 Guinea bribe
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Prime Seamen
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Seditious Irishman
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Admirals Authority for transfer _
other ships,
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Requires 3 Influence
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Trained sailors/Jacks
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A mutinous dog
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Local Magistrates Assises.
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Requires 3 influence
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Transfers only landsmen.
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A troublemaker
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Admirals Authority Marine
Detachment.
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Requires 5 Influence
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Section of 10 plus Sergeant
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Two or more sections add 1 Lt. of Marines
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NAVY BOARD
RETURN
Officers Offered a
Position aboard HM Sloop of War
Lark/Hornet
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Cost in Guineas
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Influence
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Name:
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Name:
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Name:
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Name:
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Name:
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Methods of crewing
the ship that will be employed
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Once you have a purser appointed complete the fitting out
requisition for the Dockyard. These are
the supplies you will need for Sea duty. Select what you want from the list
below. This will be on the Dockyard
accounts, but the more you ask for the more it annoys the Clerks. It is seen as bad form to ask for more than
half of the Maximum stowage, since you are on a local patrol not a
passage. You may however spend some of
your own remaining cash on higher value items such as a quality Captain’s table
wine.
The Purser will offer you a daily report throughout the
game. These are an amalgamation of the
historical reports, such as the Carpenter’s and Sailmaker’s, Gunners, and are
in effect the game logistics. There are
21 shillings in a guinea, but you are dealing with a Purser here!
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Purser Accounts in
Shillings
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Max Stowage space
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Your Requisition.
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spare cordage
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@10
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30
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sailcloth
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@15
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30
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yards and spars
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@40
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Up to 10.
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Meat casks
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@5
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90- at 45 each tier
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Ship’s biscuit
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@1
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90
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Animals
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@5
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10
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Rum and ardent spirits
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@5
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12
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Captains wine,
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Quality @1 Guinea, @10s,
@1s
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20 cases
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Powder,
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@20 in Powder Room
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20
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Shot,
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10@1, in Shot locker
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1000
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Mixed weapons,
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Pistol/Muskets, Cutlass, Boarding pike. @10
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50/100 equivalent
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Water casks
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1 per 50 men per Day
@1
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50
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Slops
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10@5 Shillings
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50
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Bow or stern chaser 12pdr
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5 Guineas each
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2
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Gold leaf for stern Guilding
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20 Guineas
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1
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Yellow paint for stern
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3 Shillings
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2 tins
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How to sail a ship
using a chart and bearings.
Ships have variable
speed depending on the sail set, the wind strength and the bearing to the wind.
Ships also have a
“Top speed” based on the length of the keel, displacement of water and beam of
the vessel. HMS Victory was reckoned to
achieve 9 kn in strong winds. Smaller vessels
could achieve this in lighter airs.
As Commander you can
order various sail settings.
Full Sail with
Studding sails set. Basically the lot.
Full Sail Every sail on the yards in use.
Plain Sail The heavier sails for stronger winds
Storm sail The minimum sail, courses reefed up.
Battle sail Usually only topsails and jib.
The ships speed is
calculated in knots – 1NM per hour is a knot.
Taking a reef into the sails reduces speed by 1 kt. I will generally give you a logged estimated
latitude and longitude, but please note that this will not be accurate. The Royal Navy deliberately calculated a
nautical mile short, the idea being that this made running ashore more
unlikely.
I will give you
headland sightings, and sea bed composition in the ship’s log where these are
available. A picture of my game on the
map will have only the detail that your ship could see, and may therefore be
useless for navigation, especially in a squall, fog or at night.
On the subject of
night time I would refrain from full sail around these waters in poor
visibility.
A lookout can
theoretically see about 10NM, but note that around the Channel Islands there
are many places ships may suddenly appear from, as well as sea mist and
squalls.
I will be on hand to
give you advice from the Ships Master on Navigation, the 1st
Lieutenant on shipboard matters, the Gunner on firing and the Carpenter on your
leaky bottom. (all via the ships log)
For example the
Sailing Master should inform you if your course is likely to run the ship
aground. The First Lieutenant will
report disciplinary matters...
The game is played in
“watches,” with movement every 4 game hours, but
Orders are daily, as
the Commanders orders for the day.
Ships Log
Captains orders for
the day of ........................ Wind
(Direction wind coming from)
.......................
Course, sail setting,
Actions to be taken.
Watch Officers will
then report back with Any Item of Interest occurring during their watch.
Further orders may be
required if other vessels are sighted, or if the captain intends something like
a cutting out expedition.
Some advice:
Based on the advice
Drinkwater was given for the Channel Islands as well as Moore’s observations.
Beware the sudden
Squall. Have at least one good deck
Officer.
An anchor has a 100
fathom cable, measurement is in terms of cables (1/10 NM) and Nautical
miles. The channel islands are shallow
water, so don`t be afraid to get the anchor down.
The French have shore
batteries that will lob a shot out at least a mile. The typical Frenchie trick is to anchor off
these.
If you sail off the
map (ahem...) I have other charts that will allow you to complete a chase, but
your patrol area is that of the channel islands and you risk censure for being
off it.
If you take a prize
you must send an Officer, Warrant Officer or Midshipman with a number of crew,
to sail the prize into Jersey. Don`t
forget to pick them up later, or you will have an empty ship.
The Rewards
Pellew was given his
Knighthood and later his Peerage for Frigate actions around this area. As Treasurer of the MPGC I will nominate a
Knighthood for your fictional character for a worthy victory over the French.
Naval slang in the age of sail was to call any Captains with a knighthood the
“Chevalier,” (Pellew, Warren and Sydney Smith were all called this) so I will
seek to promote you to a Chevalier of the MPGC.
If there is no great
victory against the French I will judge the winner in terms of Prize money.
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