“Thus little chance of landing at a harbour here and buying in fresh foods.”
“Almost none, I would say, sir. There is water, though, and shelter in the river mouths.”
The coast was almost unknown to the British, the Spanish Empire having refused access to all foreigners.
The signals midshipman, the younger Dalby, interrupted their discussions.
“Winchester signalling, sir. Repeating from Fair Isle.”
The line-of-battle ship was at the limit of visibility to the east, the squadron’s line stretching for nearly eighty miles out to sea; Fair Isle was well to the east, the exact distance depending on the conditions further out to sea.
“Enemy in sight, sir.”
“Signal to close on Winchester, conforming to my orders. Clear for action, Mr Dalby. Mr Vereker may be relied upon, will give us more information as he has it.”
Ten minutes before the next message; possibly it was cloudy or hazy further out.
“Three ships, sir. One of three decks; two frigates. Small craft besides.”
“Exactly as was reported to us from London, Mr Dalby.”
“It is, sir. Wind in the south-west, such as there is of it.”
“Too early to make our dispositions yet, but the brigs may take their place under our stern as ordered. They will have little to do other than to take possession of any prize. They are too small to be involved in the business of the day, though it is more likely to be tomorrow, I suspect. We will be hard-pressed to reach the Spaniards before dusk.”
“Signal, sir. Spanish frigates are closing on Fair Isle, sir. Three-decker holding course north-west, which might be a tack or bearing for Rio de la Plata.”
“That suggests they have no knowledge of our squadron, that they assume they have been discovered by a single cruising frigate. Fair Isle to avoid action, to fall back on Winchester. Mercure to join Fair Isle in company with Asp and Pincher sloops.”
Frederick waited while the flags rose and fell and were acknowledged from Winchester.
“Signal to Fair Isle, Mr Dalby. In company with Mercure and sloops, Fair Isle will seek the opportunity to engage either frigate, but not both simultaneously. To Winchester, intercept three-decker and take her in sight; do not engage until Flag is in company.”
The messages were sent along the line and were acknowledged within minutes. Mercure and Asp, the next ships west of Endymion, set more sail and rapidly disappeared into the east, no longer tied to the slow flagship.
“And now, gentlemen, we wait. What do you say to studding-sails, Mr Mason?”
“We can but try, sir. They might give us another knot in this light wind, and, with the blessing, will not overpress our poor hull. Boatswain!”
The booms were run up to the yardarms and were set with painstaking care accompanied by much shaking of heads. The Carpenter appeared on deck and gave a gloomy acquiescence and made a show of testing the well.
“Less than eighteen inches, sir. All as you might expect in this sort of sea, sir, but I do wonder what we will be finding next glass, so I do, sir! The knees are old, sir, tedious ancient, you might say, sir, and the copper be wearing mighty thin, where I can cast an eye to it. She ain’t to be driven no more, sir! Stun’sls be the outside of enough, sir – don’t thee be going to set them old royals, sir, not so long as you don’t fancy swimming home!”
Warrant officers as old in the ship as the Carpenter had, or believed themselves to possess, the right of free speech, even to a commodore on his quarterdeck.
“But I doubt we will top six knots as it is, Chips!”
“More than sufficient, sir! She warn’t never no racehorse, as you might say, sir, and she ain’t no more than an old donkey now.”
The captain was said always to love his ship, but Frederick could find very little of affection for Endymion. It was all very well to talk of crossing the bows or stern of a great three-decker, and there were line-of-battle ships that could do it, a few of them, but not at a lumbering six knots… Assume that the Spaniard was good for eight knots in the ordinary way of things, and would probably be capable of ten or even eleven if the need arose – for the Spanish built fine ships even if they could not fight them effectively – then she could disappear into more than fifty thousand square miles of ocean before Endymion reached her last known position. The Spaniard was uncatchable in effect; any action would depend on her being desirous of fighting a pair of 74s, and why would she wish to do that? The sole hope was that Fair isle and her companions could bring one of the frigates to action; it was just possible that the Spanish admiral might order one frigate to chase the smaller Englishman while sending the other to discover what lay over the horizon, to whom the signals sent by the English frigate had been addressed. Then, just possibly, the three-decker might feel obliged to come to the rescue.
Frederick’s sole plan for success had depended on catching the Spaniard inshore and being able to pound her bows and stern while she was limited in her manoeuvring by shoal waters. He could not see that any meeting at sea was likely to result in better than stalemate.
There were signal flags on Winchester again. She was no more than five miles distant now, would soon be falling into line with Endymion.
“Fair Isle running before two frigates, sir. Reports both to be of forty or forty-four guns, sir. Both slow in the stays, sir, tacking heavily. Long at sea, sir.”
Presumably Captain Vereker had observed a mat of weed around the frigate’s hulls, slowing their progress and making tacking hard work.
Further signals over the next hours reported Pincher joining company and then shortly before nightfall that Mercure and Asp were in sight.
“And now, gentlemen, the better part of nine hours before we hear more. It seems that the frigates are remaining in company. The three-decker is no longer in Fair Isle’s sight, so we can only guess there. She has not sent a frigate towards us to discover who the signals are being sent to… Assuming the Spanish Admiral is not an incurious sort of gentleman, then we must imagine that he will have despatched some of his smaller craft on that errand. Let us amuse them, Mr Dalby. Signal Winchester and the brigs to darken ship. No running lights tonight. We are to see if they might not bump into us in the night. Crews to sleep by their guns, Mr Dalby. Look-outs to remain in the tops – they might pick up a bow wave or see moonlight reflected on a sail.”
If the small craft had come incautiously close in the night then it might be possible to take them at dawn – they would haul down their colours at the sight of a full broadside, if they had any sense at all. Threaten or capture the smaller vessels and the larger might just find a need to take action…
The gun crews slept undisturbed, were rather in favour of the change in routine, for getting as much as six hours unbroken rest. At sea they could never rely on more than three and a half hours, allowing for the time taken actually to change watch and settle down and wake up again; six hours, even stretched out on deck rather than in a hammock, was a true bonus.
The dawn sea was empty of Spaniards; they had not ventured away from their flagship’s skirts, or had perhaps been despatched on a wrong course. It opened the possibility that the flotilla was not even concerned to reach the Rio de la Plata at all and did not care that a passing frigate had spotted them.
“Brigs to the distance of visibility, Mr Dalby, to act as repeaters for signals. Growler in sight of Endymion; Warsash at her limit from Growler.”
Frederick trusted the judgement of Freeman in Warsash but had less knowledge of the abilities of Lieutenant Powell of Growler although Sir Iain had spoken well of him.
The orders to Captain Vereker had been expressed in broad terms – it had been quite impossible to foresee all that could happen. He was to endeavour to separate the enemy and then to fall upon an isolated unit; he was to withdraw on the squadron, unless wind and weather made that ineligible; he was to watch the three-decker, unless he was forced away; he was to keep within signalling distance of the commodore, unles
s he could not. They were unsatisfactory instructions because they left Vereker open to question and to blame after the event; a quibbling Board of Enquiry into the action could be expected to examine his every decision with the benefit of hindsight, and to give at best grudging approval to him. Frederick hoped very much that he would not fall in this encounter with the enemy; alive, he could protect Captain Vereker’s reputation and career by ensuring that all blame for failure was taken upon his own shoulders.
Midshipman Dalby called a signal: “Growler repeating from Warsash. Flag from Fair Isle. Enemy in sight. The enemy is scattered. Engaging the enemy.”
Two hours after dawn and a fuller signal came down the line, read out by Midshipman Dalby as each hoist was made in turn.
“Enemy squadron reformed, with losses. Withdrawing to north-east. Course for Spain. Enemy consists of three-decker, one frigate, three ship-sloops, six transports. Taken, frigate Gloriosa, 44; sloop Trinidad, 18. Sunk, sloop, 16; gunbrig, 12; transport, four hundred tons. Lost, Mercure, all hands. Asp, one lieutenant and twenty-two men dead; Pincher, captain and eight dead; Fair Isle, one lieutenant, two warrants and seven men dead.”
The figures for the sloops were very high as a proportion of their whole crews; they had been heavily engaged. Frederick decided to protect them from further harm, although it meant greatly reducing the squadron’s ability to watch the flotilla.
“Asp and Pincher to rejoin commodore, Mr Dalby, escorting prizes. Fair Isle to maintain distant surveillance on Spanish flotilla until Captain Vereker is satisfied that their course is no longer towards Rio de la Plata. Rendezvous at Montevideo in no more than fourteen days from now, irrespective of Spanish heading. Return Montevideo immediately if the Spanish are lost in the night or due to weather. Permission to take or burn stragglers but further action is to be avoided. Congratulations on ‘glorious’ action.”
The signals midshipman acknowledged and wrote down the orders, rapidly translating them into flag hoists and praying that he made no mistake. His brother watched sympathetically, endeavoured to divert Frederick’s attention.
“Should Captain Vereker be requested to send his report with Asp, sir?”
“He will, Mr Dalby. He will know that I have a Gazette letter to write, and that it will record the success of the squadron, and of the inability of the two most powerful ships even to come in sight of the scene of battle!”
Frederick paced the quarterdeck for a few minutes, trying to think up a new scheme, a plan to bring Endymion and Winchester into range of the three-decker. It was not possible.
“Plain sail, Mr Mason. Hold our current course until the sloops join. Make Chips’ life happy and tuck the nasty studding sails away out of sight below; we shall not need them again. What did Chips record this morning?”
It was standing practice to test the level of water in the well at dawn quarters.
“No change, sir. The normal half an hour at dawn for defaulters off my list, sir.”
The First Lieutenant dealt with minor disciplinary cases himself, awarding appropriate punishments to slackers and the foolish. Pumping ship was a task the men hated and so made a very good little punishment for the lazy.
“It is not impossible that our Carpenter is too set in his ways, Mr Dalby. Perhaps he does not like the thought of setting too much sail just in case it might cause a problem. We must try the royals later in the week, on the return leg to Montevideo, just as soon as we are satisfied that the Spanish are certainly on course for their homeland.”
Dalby noted the instruction; he wondered whether he would remind the captain of his plan if he seemed to have forgotten.
“Harmon of Pincher is gone, which is a pity. I had hopes of him. How senior is his lieutenant? What do we know of him, Mr Dalby?”
“Made last year, sir. An old master’s mate who did very well in a storm aboard the flagship while on blockade off the Texel; showed outstanding seamanship working the jibs that allowed her to claw off the mud banks along the coast there. He was made and transferred into Pincher where there was a vacancy created by the same gale. He may be a remarkable seaman, sir, but…”
“A very ordinary officer, I presume?”
“Hopeless, sir. No idea of command. Mr Harmon spoke with me when last we were ashore together, sir, warned me quietly that his man must not succeed him on the quarterdeck.”
“So be it. Is Mr Petersfield capable of the command, Mr Dalby?”
“He is, sir, but so is Mr McDonald, who is senior to him. I would think it less likely to cause a grievance if Mr Petersfield was put onto the captured frigate as her first, sir, while she is on passage to England.”
“I don’t much like that idea… What of Freeman of Warsash?”
“Make him Master and Commander, sir, and give him Pincher… McDonald to Asp; Mr Dench to the taken frigate, acting post-captain; Mr Petersfield to Warsash as lieutenant in command.”
“All very well, but what of you, Mr Dalby?”
“I would like a command, sir, as goes without saying, but that would be to deprive Endymion of three lieutenants at one go. The men made in our places must all be very new in the rank.”
“A good point, but you must have your turn, and that gives you the taken ship-sloop, Trinidad, as Master and Commander. I would have no doubt of your rank being confirmed in compliment, Mr Dalby. There will be a lieutenant from Fair Isle aboard and he can either be your premier or go to the taken frigate. We must be careful to ensure that Fair Isle and the sloops get their fair share of promotions, having done the great bulk of the work. I shall look to take mids and master’s mates from the three of them to replace the promoted men; we have five at least of lieutenants to be made – seven in fact with the dead on Fair Isle and Asp. On that topic, the dead, I do hope Mercure went down trailing clouds of glory – the loss of Captain Windsor will attract some little attention, and I very much wish that it may be favourable!”
Frederick read the bald report sent by Vereker and then sat back, trying to discover an honest way to recast it. The facts reflected nothing other than credit on Captain Vereker, and made it clear that Captain Windsor had been rash at best, incompetent in all probability.
The pair of Spanish frigates had reversed their course in the night, presumably acting according to prior orders, possibly not to chase past a certain position or for no more than a laid-down time. They had kept a stern lantern burning, presumably for their own purposes of station keeping; Captain Vereker had taken Mercure and the sloops into line and had followed the Spanish ships. First light had shown the Spanish flotilla, spread in a disorderly mob over several miles of sea; presumably none had liked keeping close formation in the night. The three-decker was furthest east and might not have seen Fair Isle in the still-dark west; in any event, the Spanish frigates had received orders to bring the flotilla into formation and had separated to do so. Less than thirty minutes had shown the two big frigates nearly six miles apart and Captain Vereker had made for the nearer of the two, believing that he had an hour at least before the second ship could tack back to the scene.
Captain Vereker ordered Mercure to cross the Spaniard’s bows while Fair Isle made an attempt on the stern; Asp and Pincher were sent into the middle of the still disorderly flotilla with orders to create mayhem, and if possible sink some of the transports that could now be seen.
‘Very sensible’, Frederick mused; the Spanish Admiral must be concerned to protect the merchant ships. The transports might have been carrying the much-discussed native army, or they could have been stores for his flotilla, or simply rich traders in convoy; they must not be lost.
In the event the three-decker ordered the second frigate to protect the merchantmen rather than go to the aid of her consort – logical enough, she was under attack by much smaller ships and should have been able to hold them off for an hour or two until the three-decker herself managed to tack up to finish the business.
Frederick moved to the next paragraph.
Mercure made a dashing
swoop upon the frigate’s bows, he read. He was not best pleased to discover that – ‘dash’ and ‘foolhardiness’ tended to be closely related concepts. He grunted as Vereker recorded that the Spaniard had put her helm down at the last moment and had crossed the wind most smartly, thus to present her broadside to Mercure at a bare half of a cable distant.
‘Strange’, Frederick thought. ‘The Spaniards was reported yesterday as tacking slowly due to weed. Captain Windsor must simply not have seen what was happening or not known what to do about it.’
Mercure took the full broadside of twenty-four pounders in her bows; she lost her foremast and sustained many casualties, was unable to manoeuvre before the second broadside which hit home as she pitched, opening her below the waterline so that she simply drove herself under the next swell.
Fair Isle took advantage of the situation to cross the stern of Gloriosa and sweep her quarterdeck with her carronades while her broadside traversed the length of the gundeck. They had boarded and rapidly taken her in the absence of officers to organise the crew.
‘Always keep the premier on the forecastle, so that one broadside cannot finish both him and the captain! Very poor practice!’
Fair Isle had signalled Asp and Pincher to withdraw before the second frigate came up with them and they had come out with a sloop as a prize and leaving a transport and a sloop on fire and a brig on its beam-ends.
‘Dench again, I doubt not, with his brandy bottle incendiaries.’
A little more thought and it was clear what must be done.
“Mr Dunnett, we have work to do! There is a report to be written, in several copies.”
His clerk was ready for the command, waved a hand to a hunched figure, servilely bowing.
“Mr Keating writes a beautiful hand, sir, a quite perfect Italianate script that is a pleasure to see and read. He would be very able to make all of our copies, sir.”
“Make it so; we will have little time for lessons for the next few days.”
Far Foreign (The Duty and Destiny Series, Book 9) Page 18
