Naval Napoleonic
Action at Gushing
This action is our second visit to the art of Naval Warfare in the Napoleonic Wars. Again John's converted HMS Victory models sailed into action again.
This time the Royal Navy is out to defeat the Dutch Navy squadron which is under refit at Gushing.
British Rear
Admiral Sir Percival Saltwater
After some years rotting
ashore the Admiralty has suddenly called upon you to command the Gushing
squadron. Walcheren fever has reduced their options, so they have called you
back from what you and your wife lady Meredith thought was final retirement!
The orders are to maintain
the blockade on the Dutch squadron penned in Gushing. This is a boring thankless
task compared to the bold actions (reckless according to their Lordships) you
undertook with frigates in the West Indies. The Dutch coast is known mainly for
its fogs and mud banks. The Dutch squadron of four of the line is thought to be
in ordinary (only stump masts) so they are not coming out in a hurry! Our
squadron of three of the line has been commanded by Commodore Colborne whom
their lordships intend to send somewhere more important. His ship the HMS
Malplaquet 12 (Asterope), is sorely in need of a refit so he will going back to
Chatham as soon as you relieve him. You have been given the 98 gun HMS Jason 23
(Ceres) which is an unwieldy tub compared to the frigates you commanded in the
past. The Captain is John Smith.
You are worried as you sail
out to your new command. Before you knew of this task, you promised Lady
Meredith you take her to see the Vauxhall firework for her birthday, in five
weeks’ time! How if you sailed in and destroyed this Dutch Squadron? There would
be protective shore batteries but you have braved their fire before in the West
Indies. Dutch ships of the line normally carried less gun weight and in port
they probably would have only half crews available. You would think about it.
As you neared Gushing you met the 14 gun
brig sloop Erythea 26. The Captain Belowes, told you that he was attached to
Commodore Colborne’s Squadron, so you took him under command. He had been posted
inshore most of the time whilst the Squadron kept out to sea out of sight of the
land. He showed you a map of the Gushing port, with the positions of the ships
and shore batteries on it. One of the latter had recently had a red hot shot
furnace added to it. The ships moored in ordinary were the Namur 38 (Nemesis),
the Leydon 18 (Merope) the Haarlem
16 (Celaeno) and the Utrecht 14 (Electra). Also in the port at present was the
Frigate Schnapper 29 (Tisiphone). The flow of the tides and the rivers Bile and
Midnet meant that the shipping channel were relatively clear of mud banks away
from the Lax Island. Much of this information came from the local fishermen who
sell fish to the squadron. This information decides you to make the attempt on
the port.
When you take command
of the squadron you tell Commodore Colborne and Captains Clarke, Hallows,
Lambert, Green and Smith that you intend to attack. This is since temporarily
you have four ships of the line available. At high tide you will have six hours
when the East and South Channels are deep enough for manoeuvring safely. The
wind from the NW is favourable. The sloop Erythea will stay out to sea ready to
give warning of any hostile ships. The line of battle will be HMS Jason 23
(Ceres 98), HMS Agincourt 11 (Alcyone 74), HMS Malplaquet 12 (Asterope 74) and
HMS Quebec 27 (Thea 64). The enemy vessels will be pounded into a sinking state
should they keep resisting but if possible one or two could be towed away! All
the crews are understrength but that is normal!
Accordingly at the turn of
the tide you form up and head towards the port via the East Channel.
HMS Jason 98 guns, Admiral
Saltwater, Captain Smith, Crew 787 (Fast)
HMS Agincourt 74 guns,
Captain Green, Crew 549
HMS Malplaquet 74 guns,
Commodore Colborne, Captain Lambert, Crew 543 (Slow)
HMS Quebec 64 guns, Captain
Hallows, Crew 508
HM Sloop Erythea 14 guns,
Commander Bellowes, Crew 84
Dutch Fleet at Gushing
Dutch Admiral Jan Van Hooch
You have been put in Command of the battle squadron at Gushing, a dismal
posting. Your flagship is the Utrecht 74 and you have the Haarlem 68, the Leydon
68, the Namur 58 and the Frigate Schnapper 40. All the ships of the line are
having their top masts and rigging replaced and so are moored immobile in dock.
The Schnapper is being used to train your crews in seamanship by shifts. There
is an English squadron of three ships of the line blockading the port so it does
not move very far away! According to the fishermen who sell them fish, these
ships are the Malplaquet 74, the Agincourt 74 and the Quebec 64. There is also a
brig the Erythea 14 which interferes with any vessel in the area. Since being
moored against the dock the ships can only fire their starboard broadsides, you
have taken the opportunity to send half their crews on leave. Since the squadron
is immobile, you are taking some leave on your estate yourself. In the extremely
unlikely event of the English being mad enough to attack the port, the Captains
or their deputies should be able to order the gunfire necessary to sink them. In
this case they should be ably assisted by Colonel Jaxon’s shore batteries. Since
one of these has now a redhot shot facility, it is even less likely that they
will be disturbed. Unlike the English there is no shortage of manpower in the
fleet or the shore batteries! It is rumoured that the English crews are twenty
per cent under strength! The day will come when your squadron will be needed to
help escort Napoleon’s army across to conquer England, but at present you can
relax.
Dutch Forces
SoL Utrecht 74 guns, Admiral Jan Van Hooch (absent) Captain Advocat Crew 275
SoL Haarlem 68 guns, Captain Maas, Crew 225
SoL Leydon 68 guns, Captain Himmet, Crew 225
SoL Namur 58 guns, Captain Vater, Crew 175
Frigate Schnapper 40 guns, Captain Amastal, Crew 280
Gushing Shore Batteries
West Battery 12x 36pdrs {Red hot shot for six guns}= 432lbs Crew 220
Lax Island North 12x 36pdrs =
432lbs Crew 200
Lax Island East 6x 24pdrs = 144lbs Crew
75
Midnet 12x 24pdrs = 288lbs Crew 150
Gushing Action Account
Seeing a British Squadron
of four ships of the line approaching, the alarm was raised and the red hot shot
furnaces were lit. As soon as the enemy were within range the West Battery and
the Lax Island East Batteries opened fire. The leading vessel was the 98 gun HMS
Jason and its return fire was very damaging to the batteries. The following 74
gun Agincourt and Malplaquet’s in fact silenced them, just after the first red
hot shot salvo had been fired. The moored Utrecht 74 and the anchored Frigate
Schnapper 40 opened fire as the British column advanced towards them at long
range. HMS Jason then came abreast of the 58gun Namur, which exchanged fire with
it. Alas the British broadside was of grape which decimated the half strength
crew of the 5th rate. The survivors fled ashore abandoning their
ship. The Jason then repeated this with the 68gun Leydon which did manage to
fire two broadsides. The following HMS Agincourt added to the Dutch misery, with
only forty-seven of the Leydon’s routed crew remaining. The Jason carried on
remorsefully to grape the 68gun Haarlem. Its Captain was killed and on seeing
the previous disasters one hundred and thirty-nine of its crew escaped ashore.
Meanwhile the Dutch 74gun ship Utrecht
was firing half rakes at the Jason’s bow, supported by the Frigate Schnapper.
However, the three decker could take a lot of punishment and when its guns could
bear on the Utrecht, it suffered the same fate as the others. Its crew were
mainly raw recruits, so more than half of them escaped safely ashore. This left
only the Frigate Schnapper left afloat. Long range fire from the Malplaquet had
started one fire which was soon extinguished. Then another one was started by a
hit from the Agincourt. It had done well but a hundred of its crew had fallen
and the Jason was coming close. Captain Amstal decided that it was time to be
sensible and escape via the South Channel. With its greater turn of speed it was
soon clear of the Jason’s bow carronades and so got away and extinguished the
second fire.
The British two-deckers went
alongside the moored Dutch ships to take possession of them. The Agincourt
seized the Utrecht, the Malplaquet the Haarlem and the Quebec the Leydon. There
being no ship to tow the Namur, the marines of the Quebec set it on fire.
Meanwhile ahead of them the
doughty Jason went forward to deal with the two batteries guarding the South
Channel. This it did, but having suffered many hits earlier, its Mizzen mast
collapsed to windward. Once this
was cut away, it with the rest of the squadron sailed away back to Chatham,
towing the three prizes. The Sloop Erythea remained on station outside the port
to keep watch. This was its normal place whilst any ships of the line would be
posted out to sea. Since it was within sight of the action it would receive a
proportion of the prize money. The three two-deckers were purchased by the
Admiralty and were used as prison hulks for some of the many prisoners of war
collected by the British forces. Admiral Saltwater was created Baron Gushing and
was never trusted with a sea command again! Neither was Admiral Jan Van Hooch!
His forces had suffered nearly a thousand dead and wounded. The British losses
were one hundred and sixty-five mostly on the Jason.
Games Masters Comments
We found we were rather
rusty with the rules. The result would have been closer had we remembered that
hits on shore batteries are halved and had the Dutch fired dismantling shot. The
firing of grape at the moored vessels disposed of the half strength crews whilst
doing minimal damage to the ships! We decided that losing a Captain dice should
be after multiples of 20% losses, rather than the 10% in the rules. Two Dutch
Captains fell.
The Action at Estrecho da Barra
On to the crossing of the swamp