Devareaux thought for a minute.
“Most of the damage is superficial. The damage to the airbag and internal structures can have basic repairs made within 24 hours with the ground crew available here. The floor of the mess deck can be repaired in that same amount of time. What I desperately need is experienced hands that can perform sail setting exercises. Those elements of my crew, perished in the fight. Without them, I cannot handle my ship with full efficiency to engage the enemy. We can be in the air within three hours of the completion of repairs.”
The ground crew that was brought aboard one of the Confederate vessels was already at work. The airbag was really a series of air chambers within the larger airbag. The inner airbags were all filled with helium. Earlier experiments were done with hydrogen, which offered a number of advantages, but was extremely flammable. In addition, the steam from the boilers could in emergencies be directed to heating tanks to pump hot air into the main airbag to compensate for any battle damage. This was how the Appomattox was able to return to the San Juan Aerodrome with 100 feet of altitude to spare.
“Si, si, this is of course a concern.”
Rodriguez stroked his goatee and had a reflective look on his face, then turned to Devareaux with a knowing smile.
“I happen to have some men who may have just the skills you need. They are the crew from the Santisima Santiago, a tall ship that sailed into the harbor from Spain not a week ago. I have several prime….”
He searched for the right term. His English was very good. But some of the technical jargon he still struggled with.
“Ah, top… men? Is that the right term?”
“Yes, top men. They would have the skill, but sail drill at 100 feet in the air is different than doing it at 10,000 feet in the air. If they are willing, I will take them. Our sail set is very simple. They will need to be able to patch holes in the airbag and change sails on the outside of the ship. Do you think they can do it?”
It was the captain’s turn to smile.
“Si, they can do that. They are brave men. I was told your airship can carry bombs as well. Do you think you can carry these and deliver them to the enemy as well?”
“I think we can do something like that. Fortunately, we have a full combat load of ammunition here on the airfield. We will load the ship. The food will be poor for your men as our kitchen was destroyed. The crew quarters are crudely patched. We have spare respirators for your men. How soon can your men be here? I would like to leave this as soon as possible.”
Rodriguez smiled in satisfaction.
“I can have those men here within the hour. You are a true ally to Spain. What you have achieved already will reach the ears of the King. Regardless of what your Captain Jackson says, this island is very important to both Spain and our position in the Caribe. Thank you, senor. Via con Dios, compadre.”
With a bow, the Spanish captain returned to his carriage and sped away.
Chapter 5: Florida Bound
The repairs were crude and hasty. The mess deck was avoided as no one trusted the new flooring. The wind could distinctly be heard howling through the area. Meals that could be served without heating were packed on board for the return trip. The holes in the air bag were patched with mismatched colored cloth that showed off her wounds as badges of honor.
Captain Jackson had approved topping off the Appomattox’s stores and weapons lockers to bring them up to a full combat load. He unwittingly ensured that their less than authorized detour would be able to succeed. Otherwise, they would have had to follow orders and return straight back to the Confederacy.
As Devareaux ordered that the engines be started up, Tobias ran up to him.
“Captain Devareaux, I hear that we are heading back into action. I am not certain if the bombs will hit from the altitudes that we flew the last time. I do have an idea for a bomb sight that I would like to work on. It will probably take a month to perfect it but I think I have the basics of the math realized.”
The Appomattox had weapon ports under the center of the gondola to carry several bombs that could be released from the bridge. Unfortunately, none of those were authorized by Captain Jackson. It seems that the man could see what would happen if those were provided.
He patted the little man on the shoulder.
“It is a moot point Tobias. Captain Jackson, in his wisdom, did not authorize us to take the bombs with us.”
A confused look crossed the engineer’s face and his mouth popped open as if he were going to protest, then closed it again without a word and turned away.
Devareaux was glad that they did not have to don the cold weather gear yet and could breathe clean air and not the concentrated stale air from the respirators.
Speaking of respirators, Tobias returned back to Devareaux’s side and handed him a new one. It was similar to his with a cylinder placed on some straps and dangled two feet from the mask. At the bottom of the cylinder was another couple of feet of standard hosing to connect to the system.
“I made a change to this one. It has a tube for you to patch in and recharge the cylinder when it is low. You will have much greater ability to maneuver from position to position while in combat. The cylinder provides you with 10 to 15 minutes of air as you move between stations. You won’t have to hold your breath anymore as you climb to the observation deck.”
Devareaux gawked at the new respirator. It was more crudely made than Tobias’ model, but that was to be expected. The man had crafted it in under twenty-four hours.
“We will change all of your men’s respirators to this kind when we get back to Savannah. I was very impressed with the guns on the Blucher. I think we could make something similar. We could put them in a rotating turret to fire straight down and point up at a significant angle that we would not have to worry about other airships being above us. I am also considering a change to the rockets to make them more incendiary and less explosive.”
Savannah was the main airship base on the Atlantic Ocean. There were airfields in nearly every state, but somehow Savannah managed to become the headquarters of the air service. It was still a subordinate branch of the Navy, but it had a real chance of coming into its own. Currently the Confederacy had nine airships. Most of them were older designs that predated even the City class ships of the German Empire. Out West, the Confederacy was still using observation balloons that were technically under the control of the Navy but operated out of the army posts.
Devareaux raised a hand to forestall the barrage of technical inquiry.
“Good, good. Tobias, I am sure that will give us a big advantage. Let me fly my ship please.”
He smiled to show the eager engineer that he was not upset with him.
The airship slowly raised itself from its moorings and ascended into the air. Devareaux applied the throttle and the airship began moving forward.
The bosun was drilling the Spaniards on sail drill as the ship rose into the air. They would stay at a low altitude while moving towards Florida. They would only claw for high altitude when they were out of sight of land.
Four hours after leaving the field at San Juan, the Bosun returned to the bridge and was all smiles.
“They are good boys. They will do, they will do. I have Jehosophat helping them. I think they will be good men.”
“Really? Jehosophat? Why him?”
Devareaux cocked his head to one side trying to guess the bosun’s thought process. Jehosophat had at one point been one of the sail tenders until he had broken an arm. He now served as a gunner on the port stern Winans Gun.
“Why, because he is the only one I have that can speak Spanish. His Granddaddy originally was from Dominica. He taught him and he learned it well. He has been jabbering with the dagoes and they seemed to have no issue talking at all. And most important, he knows his job. He knows it very well.”
With a nod of his head, he continued.
“Excellent. Well, let’s see if we can cause the Germans a bit of trouble shall we?”
Chapter 6: A Ni
ght Action
It was just a few hours after dark. On the horizon, Devareaux saw some lights ahead. It was the policy of most fleets accompanied by airships to have lights on the tops of their masts to prevent accidents between the airships and their ships. But what lit the night more were the spotlights. He glanced at the map before him in the red light provided by the covered lantern. They had not moved. The fleet stopped after the ambush of the two German airships.
Devareaux smiled. He began to quickly calculate. Through the telescope he could see that the Charlemagne had taken station a bit higher than it had been during their last encounter. With a quick guess at their altitude, he reached for a repeater.
“Attention to orders, Attention to orders. Man Action Stations! All crew, don cold weather gear and masks. We will begin increasing altitude in 5 minutes. I repeat, we will increase altitude in 5 minutes. We will engage the enemy in 30 minutes.”
The crew scrambled. A crewman brought Devareaux his coat, boots and new rebreather. The crew moved with professionalism to their stations and their duties. He began to dress in his offered clothing. The sound of the steam working to warm up the bow Winans gun could be heard below them. He smiled at the thought of his well-drilled crew. The ship hummed with energy. He checked his pocket watch again and at precisely five minutes he pulled the lever backwards and felt the airship climb and claw for more altitude.
Devareaux’s mind wandered from the current task. His grandfather had given him an old diary. It was from his wife’s family and described a distant relative’s experience in the then US Navy fighting against the Barbary Pirates. Times had not changed much. The old Barbary States were still thieving pirates. But the one episode that stuck with him was a boarding action where the young man led a group of sailors and marines onto the deck of a corsair xebec. The cry of the captain, ‘boarders away’ was probably an order a captain in the air service would never have the chance to utter. Given the changes in technology in the wet navy, even there it was doubtful. How on earth could you even board from one airship to another? He shook himself and got his mind back on the task at hand.
Flipping a couple of switches on his panel on the bridge, he spoke again through his repeater.
“Port and Starboard rocket batteries. Begin firing at any target of opportunity. There are some ships that we might be able to damage and the Charlemagne is still flying. The rockets will give away our position. Make sure of your targets before firing.”
Flipping another switch he spoke again.
“All Winans batteries, wait until you are positive of your targets before firing. You may fire when ready. Remember the Phosphorus rounds will give the enemy our position.”
He reached out and began flipping more switches.
“All lights out. All lights out. We will engage in the dark.”
The bosun reached over and doused the red lamp on the bridge. It was nerve wracking waiting until they were in range. He found himself attempting to look at the pocket watch in the near darkness. The sky had a quarter-moon and it and the stars provided a surprising amount of light through the windows of the bridge. He focused his eyes on the lights of the German fleet. His eyes widened. He realized why the spotlights were on. The Blucher was still alive. It was at near sea level and had the spotlights of at least four capital ships on it as crewmen frantically worked on it.
With a practiced hand, he flipped a switch.
“Starboard battery, at sea level, the Blucher lives. Destroy it.”
He watched the Charlemagne grow in size. It should be well within range. He could see the lights of the bridge clearly. The bottom of the airship was illuminated by the spillage of light from the spotlights below. His heart beat twenty then thirty more times before he nearly jumped when the bow Winans gun began to fire. He watched the first string of shots fired off and every impact lanced straight into the bridge. He saw the windows shatter. The second string took the airbag just above the bridge. The gunner was on his game. They were at close range and had the element of surprise from the darkness. The shots pierced close to one another in a space about three feet across and about two feet high.
Next the Port Rocket battery fired one shot. The deck rumbled beneath his feet as the rocket took flight. He could not see the target. They were coming close to being above the Blucher. The Starboard rocket battery lanced out two rockets down towards the Blucher. He moved to the window to look down. The impacts took the Blucher high in the back. One exploded on the surface of the airship. Instantly a fire bloomed and the bag began to burn. The second pierced the airbag and exploded inside. The force was enough to pop the airbag on its port side. More spots of flames were visible.
…
The Elijah watched out of his view port as his rocket sped away from the launching trough. He had been aiming at one of the troop transports below. The distance was far enough that he could see the rocket’s engine had stopped. But given that it was heading downwards, it should stay on target. Julius was already reloading his trough for him as he watched. There it was. A geyser of water erupted from the ocean very close to the hull of the transport. He could see that the transport’s captain belatedly was issuing orders to turn.
Elijah turned to Julius and just shook his head to the negative. Julius just shrugged his shoulders and they prepared their battery for the next target.
…
More pounding of the bow gun was heard. The Charlemagne was bows on to the Appy. With no bow guns, the Charlemagne was helpless unless they could turn the ship. He had not been able to claw for enough altitude to be completely above the Charlemagne, but Devareaux had approached it just right. He moved back to the controls and angled the Appy to pass the Charlemagne on the Appy’s port side.
…
There it was. Any naval gunner’s dream shot. Henri pulled the firing handle and unloaded a long burst directly into the front windows of the bridge. He could see the bridge crew since they were not using light discipline. A lamp was lit above the table the captain was stationed at. That was his target. The first few rounds missed the target, but found others. He saw two men get bowled over and fall from sight. The phosphorous rounds glowed as they streaked out from the Winans gun.
It felt like he was shooting light itself in the darkness. The fourth shot in the string hit the lamp. As luck would have it, the round was one of the phosphorous balls that shattered the brass lamp. Flames exploded across the interior of the enemy bridge. The bridge crew was running for their lives. Henri took pity on them and aimed above the bridge at the airbag for his second string of shots. They were well placed and he saw large tears appear as the weight of the bridge, aided the holes his rounds created as the heavy gondola pulled on the stressed material.
Henri Stoe smiled under his goggles and mask as he kept up his rhythm and fired string after string of round into the bow of the Charlemagne.
…
Devareaux could see flames on the enemy bridge. The first string seems to have exploded a lamp or two and a fire was building there. He could not see anyone at the helm. Above the bridge, the holes in the airbag were placed close together. The frame inside was shattering. It was possible that there were even some fires sprouting up on the inside of the airbag from the phosphorous rounds.
The Charlemagne began to list to starboard and began to lose altitude. Once the bow of the Appy had reached level with the dipping bow of the stricken Charlemagne, the port rocket battery fired its second and third rockets of the battle. The first rocket lanced into the compartment behind the bridge. This was one of the cannon batteries. The rocket exploded in the compartment. The initial burst was as bright as the sun; the secondary explosion nearly blinded Devareaux. Once he could see again through the spots in his vision he saw that the compartment was just gone. The explosion took with it the Charlemagne’s bridge and the gun battery on its other side.
The Charlemagne was no longer under control. But this hardly mattered. The initial hole that was made by the Winans gun paled compared to t
he next rocket. This one punched a hole through the airbag above gondola and exploded somewhere inside. The whole ship shook and cracked in half. Flames burst upwards and the airship started moving downwards quickly with both the bow and stern leading the way. None of the Charlemagne’s guns were able to bear. The once beautiful airship was now a dead and burning thing.
…
Elijah and Julius both had their eyes glued to the view ports to watch the results of their work. Both turned away as the first rocket exploded. When they turned back, Julius’ jaw dropped open. Elijah began to pray.
“Dear Jesus, we are all but sinners. Please take those men into your tender embrace.”
Before he finished his short prayer, the second rocket had exploded and they watched in horrified fascination as the enemy airship broke in half. They watched it until it fell from their view. Elijah, nodded and remembered to finish his prayer.
“Amen.”
He turned to Julius.
“Let’s give thanks that it was not us and let’s make sure it won’t be us. Load that weapon.”
The two men went back to work and reloaded the rockets into their troughs.
…
The Appy was less than 50 yards away when the Charlemagne broke. Fortunately, none of the flames came close enough to damage the Appy. Devareaux broke out in a sweat despite the cold. He moved to the window to watch the Charlemagne’s death. He saw the remains of the Blucher were now fully involved in flame. He had the freedom now that he possessed one of Tobias’ newfangled rebreathers. He shook himself and returned to his fighting position.
…
The two stern Winans batteries began to fire. They were raking the ships below. A small explosion bloomed from under them. The Winans battery on the starboard side was focusing its fire on some small craft among the many of the German fleet. Jimmy Peterson was positive that the small ship was destroyed. Jimmy could just see the burning wreck of the Charlemagne dropped on top of one of the German ironclads. The wreckage blotted the ship from view.
CSS Appomattox: A Thomas Devareaux Alternative History Military Adventure (The Thomas Sumter Devareaux Series Book 1) Page 5
