Fearless landing in the Room

At Sea off the Glenans Islands Captain Farthingdale opens his sealed orders.  Actually he rolls an event and its secret orders which means another roll of the dice against the "secret orders table."  It's a landing party game!

Whitehall, London.

10th April 1794

To Captain Harald Farthingdale, Esq.

Farthingdale Hall, Lancashire.

Sir, you are hereby directed and required to open the accompanying instructions on board His Majesty's Brig of War Fearless on approach to the Glenans Islands not later than the Fourteenth Day of April in the year of Our Lord 1794. You will thereby follow said orders, requiring her officers, warrants, and men to act in strict accordance, and in accordance with the Admiralty Regulations and Instructions, and the Articles of War. 

Said Brig is to land a party ashore in the Room, the sound between Cignone and the St Nicholas Isles, amid this archipelago and take control of the Cigogne battery, commanding the room and destroy said battery.

Not you, nor any of you, shall fail in the execution of these orders except at your peril.

I have the honor of being,.

Judas Quilp,

First Secretary to the Board.

The Landing Party

Having anchored off the Glenans Fearless sends her boats into the Room, the shallow anchorage within the islets.  They pull for Cigogne, landing to discover a stong French garrison in the village and a lone sentry at the battery.

The battery and it's single French sentry.

Down in the village Lieutenant Pommesfrittes of the 22nd Du Ligne and his men.

The Landing Party arrive

The French sentry looses off his musket (lucky dice)

Sergeant Baggette rouses his men and begins forming them up.  No sign of the Lieutenant.

Farthingdale and his men reach the battery.

The Midshipmen lead a second group of sailors around the hill.

The battery is occupied.

The Marines can see the French forming up below.

The Marines give a volley, killing two.

Baggette sends a man to rouse the Lieutenant.  Where is the Fellow? 

Baggette looses his own volley and it's a killer.  Seven hits.

One kill one shock is a poor result.

Finally Pommesfrittes turns up.

The Marines shooting deteriorates.  Very poor show

The French hit back.  It's warm work for the Marines. 

The Marines break, too many lost.

But the Midshipmen lead a charge into the flank of the French. 

The charges are set.  Farthingdale leads his men in a charge towards the French.

But the Midshipmen continue the fight.  

It's a carve up.  Three French killed.  Pommesfrittes doesn't stand.

The French run away.

The fuse burns down.

It's a big bang.

The battery is blown, and their Lordships will be happy

Ships log

Glenans islands.

Ships company participated in a landing party.   The Cignone battery was destroyed with powder by Master Gunner McTurk. French garrison put to flight.  Midshipmen Whitemoore and Quilp noted for bravery in the face of the enemy.  Fearless to up anchor and beat Due West before dawn.

Destroying the Houat shore battery

Fearless has received intelligence that a ship has been seen off the Northern point of the Isle Houat.  Capitaine Jules Cazu of the Marzu, a Mediterranean merchantman, has his ship under the guns of a new shore battery, having seen Fearless batter two French Naval vessels a few hours ago.
Cheese enthusiasts will see what I did there, although I'm not sure I would be so enthusiastic about that particular cheese.

Marzu is carrying vital supplies for the French Fleet blockaded in Brest.  She also has dispatches from the Rochefort Squadron.

Second Dog Watch 
1900, Hex 36. Wind Southerly Force Two.
Fearless encounters a French fisherman, Petit Billy a proud Breton, who reveals that "La Commission mixte d'armement des côtes de la France, de la Corse et des îles" de 1794 commandé la création d'une batterie à la pointe d'Er Vachif, sur Isle Houat."

A Historical note
In the mid 1790s the French Coastal Armaments Commission established a shore battery on the northern Cape of Houat Island.  This was part of its defence of Quiberon bay against British Naval involvement in the ongoing Vendean rebellion.


On the northern cape of Houat Island the "Benuiguet Redoubt" is a reminder of the battery, but in 1794 it would have been a work in progress.

Citizen Camembert, now a "guest" aboard Fearless works, for La Commission mixte d'armement des côtes de la France.

Captain Farthingdale orders a boat action.  He will send Midshipman Whitemoore and the Marines against the battery on Point d'Er Vachif.  The gunner will accompany him and will destroy the French cannon.  At the same time Farthingdale will lead two boats in an attempt to cut out Capitane Cazu's Marzu.  (What is that smell aboard?)

Petit Billy, not so Petit!

As thanks to Petit Billy for his information we take his boat for the action against the battery, and press him aboard Fearless.  Midshipman Whitemoore will take Billy ashore as a guide.

Commanding the Coastal Commission's battery is Lieutenant Etienne Saint-Paulin, and supporting him the redoubtable Sergeant Merzer.   These pungent worthies have sixteen men and three guns.  Saint-Paulin is a heated shot expert, so Fearless better be gone by dawn!
Old Ma Finnigan's Almanac reveals that tonight is the full moon (guess what... I rolled a one!)  The French may well see us coming!  The sea state is calm.  Fearless moves into position at dusk and anchors down.

Houat looking towards
 the battery

"Flash" Harry Farthingdale ensures all muskets and pistols are unloaded.  The boats are lowered and crewed.

Fearless might be biting off more cheese than she can chew here.

I select Gurc beach beside Île Gurc as my landing point.  legend has it that this is the ancestral home of the Gurc clan and that only heroes of the Gurcs may be buried on the Île.  I may have exaggerated this since locals now insist that this island is Île Guric, but that's Breton pronunciation for you!

The satellite image clearly shows the strength of the current running from the Beniguet passage.  The bay behind Isle Guric is the only sheltered area.  Marzu is directly under the guns of the redoubt. 

Midshipman Whitemoore and the Royal Marines have a straightforward row due East to the beach.  The captain has a long hard pull North East around the Île Gurc, to the Marzu, but scurrilous lower deck humour asserts that the Captain is more accustomed to a short swift pull.  The current from the Beniguet passage runs at 2 knots to the south-west.

Gurk Island appears to be made from felt!

Whitemoore steers for the beach whilst his Captain heads for the Prize! 

Lieutenant Etienne Saint-Paulin in his best wig has a tryst with local girl Fleur Bonqué on the cliff top.  He spots the British boat approaching.

Sergeant Merzer brings up his men as the Marines form up.  It is the midshipman who gets the first volley, only two hits, but one is a kill, and I roll a 1.  Lieutenant Etienne Saint-Paulin falls with a ball to the leg.  Fleur Bonqué will be inconsolable but Sergeant Mecer will try his best.   

Sergeant Merzer fights back.  His Militia get a few shock onto the Marines. 

Out on the water the Captain fights his way aboard.  A bloody business. 

The Marines batter away at the French Militia.

I use the Marine Sergeant to remove shock.

And a bayonet charge sees them off.  

After the Tiffin break the crew of the Marzu fight back.  Three tars die, but six crew are killed.  Farthingdale now holds the stern and bow. 

 Capitaine Cazu's crew hold out in the waist, but it is looking bad.

The Ancient McTurk, Fearless' Gunner needs a 6 on two dice to blow up the guns.  One gone!

Captaine Cazu's "Niece" appears on deck and entreats him to surrender.  To avoid a massacre he strikes the colours and Marzu is a prize.  He only had three men left and six shock!

The guns are blown and the Marines withdraw.

Whitemoore returns to the beach.  

The McTurk blows up the Garrison house for good measure.

I roll over the seven required to get Marzu under way.  

And the Ships Gunner is the last man to leave

A victory then, but the French were not in any position to stop Fearless crew.  The fighting for the Marzu could have been touch and go but the tars won the day in fine style.

And that was the final game of my Quiberon campaign.  Fearless can now return to Lord Howe, having captured two valuable prizes, as well as recaptured two Royal Naval ships held by the French.  Lord Howe will receive the French dispatches with caution , but welcome Fearless as an additional scout for the French fleet he has been chasing.  

The recaptured ships are unlikely to attract prize money, but Captain Farthingdale is soon to receive his first epaulette and be promoted Post.  It seems that the HMS Ariel, a 20 gun ship sloop,  has become available and he is to be sent out to the Bahamas next year.  I will put forward both of my former Midshipmen to the Lieutenant`s examination, and keep as many of Fearless Warrant and Petty Officers as possible.

It is not lost on me that I have two Midshipmen Whitemoores to deal with however.  Quigly did rather well against the shore battery, but his cousin Quentin was by far the better Officer, and probably recieved his promotion for the prize he sailed back to Portsmouth.  Quigly must therefore continue as my Senior Midshipman.

An enjoyable series of games using only a handful of 1:700 ships, and a few dozen 10mm figures.

Link : The Complete Quiberon Bay Campaign 

I complied a record of the campaign as a Doc file, essentially the book of Quiberon Bay and have uploaded it for my own reference.

Scratch building HMS Ariel

His Majesty, King George III,  requires and commands his humble servant Harry Farthingdale, to go aboard and take command of his ship, HMS Ariel, this Year of 1774.  Proceed with all alacrity to Nassau on the Bahamas station and prosecute His Majesties Enemies in accordance with Instructions issued by the Lords of Admiralty,

Judas Ebeneezer Quilp, Naval Secretary

I'm planning a Naval game using the Bahamas Station next year.  At the moment I'm gathering charts and deciding on the format.  My characters from Quiberon Bay will transfer over, but these games will be set in 1774 during the American War of Independence, so a little leeway is needed.  Perhaps this is an earlier generation!

The one thing I really need is a 6th rate, and for that I need to scratch build.  HMS Ariel was a Sphinx class ship sloop of 20 guns that fought in the Caribbean during the AWI.  A British Sloop she was captured by the French, given to the Americans, given back to the French and then captured again by the Royal Navy.  A useful ship!

Some detail from the huge French chart of the Bahamas and Windward passage circa 1774.  Its the real deal, perfect for a naval kriegsspiel!

HMS Ariel Class and type:	20-gun Sphinx-class sixth-rate post ship
Displacement:	650 tons (French)
Tons burthen:	435​19⁄94 (bm)
Length:	108 ft (32.9 m) (gundeck); 89 ft 5 in (27.3 m) (keel)
Beam:	30 ft 3 in (9.2 m)
Depth of hold:	9 ft 7 1⁄2 in (2.9 m)
Sail plan:	Full-rigged ship
Complement:	British service:140 French service: 130 (peace) and 210 (war)
Armament:	British service:20 × 9-pounder guns

HMS Ariel was a 20 gun Ship Sloop, carrying 12pdr long guns (named "long Toms" by the tars) A Post vessel she would carry a (Junior single epaulette) Post Captain, two Lieutenants, several Midshipmen and a crew of 140.  Hornblower's first ship as a Post captain is Atropus, a Ship sloop of this type.  Ariel is well named since she is fast, even under battle sail. 

Two of the guns have been moved forward to serve as bow chasers, given Ariel's role, with ballast shifted aft to compensate.  (thank you Julian Stockwyn's Kyd series for that)  I also gave a nod to Alexander Kent in this.  When Bolitho takes command of the Sloop of War Swallow she also has two of her guns trained forward as bow chasers.

The ship draws almost 12 feet in draught, but that is far smaller than a frigate which could be over three fathoms.  The tidal range in the Carribean is micro tidal to around a maximum of 20 cms, but crucially the Bahamas has over a metre of tidal range, and with half a fathom to play for a chart reads as averages.

I took the size of the Warlord Black Seas Brig as the template for the Sloop, but extended its length to reflect the 108 feet gundeck.  The 30 ft beam is similar and needed only an extra millimeter.

Cleaning up the balsa template I cut a hard wood tongue depressor stick as the lower deck.  This will give Ariel the sheer of an 18th century warship and be far more durable under rough handling than balsa.  The stern section is from the Warlord frigate.

Having cut out the hold opening I used a thin card decking.  In theory the balsa should work well but I find that in practice it never looks right when painted.

Beams across the hold, and detail added, as well as drilling the recesses for the three masts.
I added the bow chasers on the prow, fortunately the Sloops main battery is below on the gun deck, and not visible on the quarter deck as in the Brig, so a lot less detail was needed.

Pleased with those bow chasers.  The Black Seas frigate comes with three alternate stern window sections, so I reused the double lantern one.  It looks more Mid 18th century than Napoleonic options.
The ships boats are simple balsa carvings.  I then added additional card strips to detail the hull.

The gunports are added closed up.  I used one of the Brig hulls as a dismasted model so I have the spare masts and bowsprit from that to use on Ariel.  One of the good things about this level of gaming is that I only need a handful of ships but I enjoy the idea of borrowing from Warlords kits, and let's face it, who needs six Brigs?

I added a cocktail stick third mast.  Looks a little clumsy but the next stage is the filler and that will neaten her up, as will painting.  The mast also needs a sliver of bamboo to raise it for the colours to fly from.  That sail is far too big though!

That huge sail was reduced, and I've added the other sails using stripy brown paper from a Lidl bread bag.  It crinkles a little but is thin enough to look authentic.

Rigged with the jib sail set.  All she needs now is the ratlines, and I`ve misplaced them for now!

The port side view. HMS Ariel really is faster than anything bigger bigger than anything faster.  Those 12 pounder guns are pretty heavy artillery when facing the usual 8 or 9 pdr Brig guns.  A coat of satin varnish and she will be ready to challenge the French and upstart Americans