The Battle of Les Fours, Quiberon Bay

The Battle of Les Fours, Quiberon Bay

Hex 45
Forenoon watch: 0800 to 1200
H.M Brig of War Fearless has suffered damage to her rigging and crew in the battle with the French Naval Directory's Citizen Camembert and Breton Privateers.  Fortunately several of the crew have actually emerged from the Orlop, and the terrible medical care of Sam Saw, Ships Surgeon. 
The crew is back to 37 men, 13 short of establishment.  

Commissioned Officers
Commanding: Lieutenant "Flash" Harry Farthingdale 
Midshipman  Lucky Jack Quilp "Half-mast"
Midshipman  Young Quentin Whitemoore (Slighly deaf, Old naval family, Patronage) Absent commanding prize crew

Warrant Officers
Masters mate Parker Sweedlehulme Promoted acting master.
Gunner's Mate,  The Ancient Nell McTurk
Carpenter's mate Willie Wood
Surgeon's mate Sam Saw 

Petty Officers
Sail maker  Sye Stitch
Rope maker  Henry Hemp 
Clerk: Preserved Catchmole "Which it is."
Quartermaster  Walter Wheel
Quatermaster's Mate Sammy Spoke
Bosun's mate  Kev Kosh (wounded)
Coxswain  Larry Launch

Marine Sergeant, Rod Ram,
Corporal Sid Shout  Killed
Stevie Screamer promoted A/Cpl
and Eleven men.

Seamen
Able Seamen  x 8 (2 ready for promotion to Petty Officer) 1 Killed, 1 promoted to Master's mate)
Ordinary Seamen  x 7  (1 Drunkard) 3 Killed

Landsmen  x 3  (1 King's Bad Bargain) 7 Killed

Heading SE towards the La Croisic anchorage Fearless has the waters of Quiberon bay to herself.  What could go wrong?

Afternoon watch: 1300 
Hex 49
Heading for Les Bayonets, the sharp ridge of rocks marking the entry to the La Croisic anchorage, an eddying wind begins to blow across Biscay.  Fearless must contend with random wind changes each watch, strength 3 +d6.
The wind builds to an unhealthy strength eight, and shifts to a Northerly.
Fearless turns due south running before the wind under storm sail.

Afternoon watch: 1500
Hex 53 
A French merchant ship, Le Charcuterie is seen anchored in  hiding under the coastal battery of the Fort at La Turbelle.  My satellite image of the anchorage in 2016 shows that the ancient harbour at La Croisic has now silted up, but Le Charcuterie is anchored in the bay itself.

Clearly Fearless cannot cut the merchantman out in these winds or during daylight so I proceed, with the possibility of returning at dusk to attempt a boat action.

First dog watch: 1700
Hex 51
Sighting HMS Cheddar, A Royal Naval frigate captured by the villanous Republican Henri Epoisses and his frigate Muenster.  The prize crew of 50 men is commanded by Lieutenant de Marine Pont l’Eveque, but has had half of its guns go overboard to lighten the ship.

Fearless has passed between Croisie point and the Fours rocks.  She sights the Frigate as it close hauls to attempt the passage into Quiberon from Biscay.
Captain Farthingdale notices that this is an RN Frigate and that she is riding high.  He also sees the French prize flag at the fore and that she is missing canvas from many of the yards.  Cheddar has had a hard time out in Biscay.  As the Brig approaches the French attempt to bluff it out.

Action near Le Fours shelf

Le Cheddar sends her crew parties to the guns, loads and runs out.

Cheddar is a fifth rate, of 32 x 18 pdr guns.  She has only a quarter of her crew boxes and one Officer.

Fearless powerful bow chasers are the same calibre as the ordinary armament of the frigate.  That's a lot of flying metal.  Captain Farthingdale and his men are overmatched this time.  Despite this he wants to deal with the frigate before dusk so that he can double back and send the boats away to capture the French merchantman hiding in the La Croisic anchorage.

My Frigate is the basic build Black Seas 1:700.  I have yet to rig her or set the sails, but these models are a joy to paint.

The Game

And that's a problem!  The Frigate is a big model with four times the gun power of the Brig. 

Fearless challenges, but the Frigate is clearly a French prize.  The range closes.

I send the Gunner sand his crew party to the bow chasers.  I can only fire one, but he gets a hit.  The Ancient McTurk knows his trade.

And another good hit from the bow chaser, but the French are almost ready to unleash the Frigates broadside.

One hit on Fearless.

And Fearless own carronades produce two hits on the up roll.  The Frigates rigging takes a battering.

With Fearless being far more manoeuvrable I repeat the trick of turning around her stern.  Two hits and one a critical, hammering the rigging and cutting stays.

But Fearless is also being hit hard.  The carronades have once again come as a shock to the French, but the Frigate is big.  Some good hull shots into the Brig.  I send a repair party under ships carpenter Willie Wood.

I get into one of those twisting turning fights, with the Brig coming off ahead, especially since she can fire the bow chasers when they bear.

I even get another rake in (but no hits)  The sails on Fearless are the thin paper from a till receipt.  They bear up to scrutiny and I prefer them to the paper sails Warlord provide.  I better get that frigate rigged some time soon. 

Can`t avoid the Frigate's broadside all of the time, and she hits me twice more, but the Carpenter repairs one of the hull boxes.  I send Sye Stitch the Sailmaker to make rigging repairs.

It`s getting serious for Fearless pinned between the shoals and the Frigate.

But the Frigate takes one risk too far and fails the dice test for being too near the shoals.  She goes aground at the bow. This was really lucky for fearless since she was losing this one.  Of course the brig was of far less draft, and at an advantage in shallow waters like these.

After another broadside of the carronades the Frigate strikes.  Fearless sends the crew to repairs, and Mr Quilp across to the Frigate with the Marines.

During the historical Campaign in Biscay the British frigate HMS Castor was captured and, with the Officers removed to the French Flagship she sailed back from Cape Clear under a prize crew.  She was recaptured by HMS Carysfort and the crew that remained aboard liberated.

HMS Cheddar is my equivalent to Castor and therefore Midshipman Quilp discovers and frees the British crew.  Since Captain Farthingdale is the Senior Officer he reassigns a Midshipman and twenty trained hands from the Frigate to Fearless.  Placing the Frigate under the command of the Ships Sailing Master they begin the operation to kedge the frigate off the shoal with the tide change in the middle Watch.

Fearless will now anchor off the Fours to support the frigate, and continue the patrol in the Morning watch.

I`m not sure if the Admiralty will award prize money on a recaptured ship!  Historically an awful row ensued over the issue of Castor being a legitimate prize, so probably not!

Sworn into the Muster book and added to the Ships Company:
Midshipman Quigly Whitemoore (old naval family, suffers from dreadful toothache - dear me but it's another one!)

Four Able Seamen 
Fourteen Ordinary Seamen
Two Landsmen
Seven men over establishment.