Trafalgar and Beyond: A John Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 3)

by Richard Testrake

  A quick questioning found an aspirant, the French version of midshipman, who spoke English, at least well enough for this purpose. Using the lad as an interpreter, all officers still on their feet were ordered to report to the quarterdeck. Phillips explained to the lad he thought it best if the officers were separated from the seamen. Parole was asked and received from the officers, who were then allowed back into their cabins. They were also allowed separate access to the quarterdeck, given appropriate notice. The captives were warned that deviation from these regulations could put them up forward with the seamen. Most of the Marines remained aboard the corvette to maintain order. He finally decided to recall Mister Rodgers from Grackle, and installed him as first officer on Reindeer, while placing his most junior lieutenant aboard Bonne Chance as her commander. Mainwaring would second him. With the help of the two remaining junior lieutenants, along with almost constant presence on the quarterdeck by either himself, or the master, they set out to find the convoy.

  The North Atlantic was a vast expanse of water, and Phillips was not exactly sure of the convoy’s path, but on the third day, the lookout spotted a fisherman, bound for the Grand Banks. The convoy had overhauled her the day before. The fisherman had a good idea of course and speed. The next morning the lookout reported ‘Many sails ahead’, and that afternoon, they made their signal to the Commodore.

  Commodore Everett aboard Ruby was glad to see them. He had thought he would be acquiring Grackle, but did not know about Reindeer. He nodded with satisfaction when he learned the Royal Navy was obtaining another ship saying, “Where, without all these French corvettes they build for us to capture, would we find commands for our young officers?”

  He was sympathetic for young Drummond being sent home, but expected him to find a lot of work in the Channel, with chances for advancement, especially for one who had just escorted in a new capture.

  The escort had a busy time all the way to Antigua. Fortunately, the enemy did not have large numbers of predators at sea, the ones they were afflicted with coming at the convoy in singles and pairs. Both Ruby and Reindeer had more strength than was needed. As Commodore Everett explained to Phillips during calm, “The main things we need to bear in mind, is to always keep a sharp lookout, and keep our two escorts away from each other. We must ensure at least one of us is to windward of the convoy, whenever possible.” The convoy anchored at English Harbor in late November.

  Reindeer spent several weeks at there, swinging around her hook. Happily for Captain Phillips, Commodore Everett took care of the necessary reports and dispatches, garnering he suspected, some of the credit for the action. Finally HMS Ruby hung out the signal, addressed to Reindeer, “Captain, repair onboard.”

  Everett took Phillips to his dining cabin for a working lunch. Over Bordeaux and Suffolk cheese the Commodore laid out his wishes, “I have been alerted there are plans by our friend, Mr. Bonaparte to move the French fleet based in Toulon. Where, we do not know at this time. A popular destination rumored in Whitehall is Egypt; a repeat of the Nile expedition of the last century. We also must consider an attempt to release other French ships bottled up in other ports for the purpose of escorting invasion craft across the channel.

  We here in the Caribbean must also consider the possibility of that fleet coming here to cause mischief. Unfortunately, we are weeks or months away from events actually happening now across the Atlantic. So, gentlemen, we here are to plan as if the enemy intends to invade some of our sugar islands. You are to put to sea as soon as possible and attempt to locate this fleet. Feel free to stop and question any and all commercial craft you meet. Send your reports here as often as may be.

  Now, reading over your reports, I see you have lost some officers and crew. The port admiral is sending you a draft of men which should bring you up to normal staffing requirements. Now, what about officers?”

  “Sir, I have only two lieutenants aboard. Both are very junior, midshipmen a year ago. Rodgers is now our first lieutenant. He stands watch, as do I, as well as the Master. Lieutenant Andrews, our Marine officer stands in on the quarterdeck when one of us needs assistance.”

  “Well, you and your officers seem to be very busy, indeed. Would it help you if I were to send you an experienced lieutenant?”

  “It would indeed, Sir. If the Royal Navy would permit, I would bless you for it.”

  “That will not be necessary, Captain. One thing, though. What is the date of your first lieutenant’s commission?”

  “I’m not sure as to the exact date, Sir. It is not a year old, though.”

  “Then I must tell you the man I am sending you, Lieutenant Michael Woods has a commission over ten years old. If I send him to you, he will necessarily be your first officer. Phillips mused,

  “Rodgers will have little to cry about. He is a very able officer, but remembers he was a mid only a year ago. There is much he does not know. Could you tell me some of this Lieutenant Wood’s background?”

  “For the past few years, he has been sailing around the Caribbean in an old gun brig, the ‘Terror’. Mostly he has been enforcing the Navigation Act, but his brig was so slow, he could hardly catch anything. Finally the worm damage to his bottom caused us to condemn her, we decided to break her up, and Woods has since been hanging around my headquarters, begging me daily for a seagoing position. He really is due for a command in a larger vessel, but I have nothing to give him in that regard. Perhaps a spell as a frigate’s first officer will give him a leg up when next an opportunity for advancement comes his way.

  Woods came aboard in a shore boat early the next day. He appeared to be a well-built officer of medium height. A burly seaman accompanied him, assisting in hoisting the officer’s kit aboard. When the boarding ceremonials were over, Phillips invited him to settle in to his cabin, then asked him to his dining cabin to sample some wine he had just taken aboard. While waiting, he ordered his Marine sentry to pass the word for Lieutenant Rodgers and Mister Henderson. Henderson was also a very junior lieutenant, his commission dating to only a few weeks after Rodgers.. He came in first, followed by Rodgers. When Woods came in, Phillips introduced everyone, mentioning the new officer’s extensive experience commanding an old brig around the Caribbean.

  He commiserated with Rodgers being taking down a peg, but Rodgers was having none of it. He assured everybody that the position of first officer was way too much work, and he was very happy to be demoted to second. Henderson also had cause to elate. With the additional officer, ther would be less work for each officer to handle.

  “Now gentlemen, we learn of our task for the next few months. I am sure Mister Woods here has heard this in his recent time ashore, but there are rumors that components of the French fleet may be visiting this part of the world soon. We, along with others, will search for these ships. We will be speaking every vessel we see to find what others may know. We have no idea of what these ships are up to. At one time, the thinking was they were going to support a landing on Britain’s shores. Perhaps that is still in their plans. However, here in the Caribbean, we have to imagine they may be thinking of capturing one or more of our islands. Whatever their intent, it will be our task to put a stopper to it.”

  “We will probably not be taking too many prizes on this tour. I will not wish to lose many men unnecessarily to man captured vessels. The exception may be if we gain knowledge that we wish to send back, we may well do that with a captured enemy vessel.”

  “Now, Mister Woods, I would be glad if you cast your eyes about the ship, ensuring we have aboard what we may need for a long spell. The admiral has told me a draft of people will be coming aboard, probably tomorrow. As soon as possible, after the men are ‘read in’, I will meet with you and Lieutenant Rodgers to amend the present watch and quarters bill. Lieutenant Henderson, I want you to meet with the warrant officers and insure all our consumables, of every sort are present and in satisfactory condition. I took another ship to sea not too long ago, and found half our beef barrels contained rotten meat. I
do not wish this to happen again.”

  “We all know some warrants who believe they have a longstanding right to their fair share of the King’s supplies with which they are entrusted. I want you to lay down the law to our warrants, to let them know times are changing. There will be no further perquisites Without mentioning any names, I am sure some will nod their heads and agree with you, while privately telling themselves that you were a snotty a day ago, and have no business telling a salty old warrant officer his job. Should you suspect such to be the case, you will tell that man I wish to see him so he can explain his position more clearly. I tell you gentlemen, any people I catch selling King’s property over the side will be remanded to a court martial. Such a man will face his board of captains, and suffer the fate they may direct.”

  It took a few more days before the promised draft came aboard. They were from an ancient fifty gun fourth rate. The old two-decker had reached the end of her days, and she had been waiting for a survey to announce its findings. The survey revealed its rotting timbers, and decided it was neither worthwhile spending the resources repairing her in place, nor the risk to send her home.

  There seemed to be a real chance she would never arrive. At any rate, her crew was split up and parceled out among other ships in need. Reindeer received forty men, well above her needs, but they might come in handy in the event of a long cruise with many casualties. Where Mister Woods would stow all these men was a mystery to him, but was glad he need not solve it himself.

  An unexpected clattering on deck during the middle watch the next night brought the first officer on deck. At anchor in a safe harbor, a master’s mate was deemed adequate to command the watch, and that was the situation here. It seemed the bosun and two of his mates in collusion with the master’s mate in charge of the anchor watch had taken the opportunity to drop some spars overboard; to be retrieved by a boat from a civilian yard. By the time the Marines had reported on deck, the boat had begun towing the timber ashore. Woods called up the launch crew and ordered them into the boat already in the water. The civilian manned boat could not outrun the launch, even after they cast loose the tow.

  Next morning, the Bosun, his mates, and the devastated master’s mate were taken ashore to face their court martial. By return boat, their replacements from the surveyed fourth rate came aboard.

  Henderson approached Lieutenant Woods. He was concerned about the master’s mate of the watch on duty at the time. He said had the bosun came to him while he was a master’s mate with a request to look the other way, he would have found it difficult to refuse.

  Woods explained, “The practice is called ‘capabar’. It has been traditional that long time warrant officers could sell worn out supplies and equipment to merchants onshore. Sometimes though, these people get ahead of themselves and try to peddle perfectly good supplies.”

  “These spars, for example. They were perfectly sound, and may well be needed on a long cruise. You yourself warned the bosun.”

  “But what will they do to the men?”

  “I think we can expect the bosun to lose his warrant. He will probably be put aboard another ship as an able seaman. The master’s mate will also have a problem. He allowed a crime to be committed on his watch. If lucky, he may be demoted back to able seaman. He can forget about gaining a lieutenancy any time soon. Now understand, that is what will likely happen. Should there be some bloody minded captains on the court martial board, all of the men could well be sentenced to take the high jump.”

  As soon as his accounts, as well as those of the other officers were received on shore, and acknowledged, Phillips ordered the signal ‘Permission to Depart’ raised, addressed to the Commander in Chief. As soon as the flags appeared on the flagstaff ashore granting permission, Reindeer prepared to depart.

  Capstan bars were already in position and swifted. With the men at the capstan bars, it only remained for the ship’s fiddler to start sawing away, and the order was given. The ship started creeping up to her anchor, propelled by the straining muscles of her crew. As soon as Lieutenant Henderson at the bow shouted ‘Anchor atrip’, Woods ordered, ‘Make sail’. The top sails of the fore and main blossomed out, and started moving the big ship. By evening, they were out of sight of land.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Search for Villeneuve

  Reindeer spent the next few months searching the Caribbean and its approaches for any sign of their quarry. One morning, in the early summer of 1805, the main masthead lookout spotted a sail close aboard soon after he had clambered into position. It was a locally built schooner, barely large enough to handle the heavy seas sometimes found in these waters. A shot from one of the quarterdeck six pounders brought the schooner to, and Phillips sent Woods over to look her over.

  When he returned, he said, “She’s French alright. Originally out of Martinique with a load of salt, but she was nobbled up by Charles-Pierre Villeneuve, commanding the French fleet now in these parts. He confiscated her to use to send into out of the way ports to obtain stores for the fleet. A sixteen year old aspirante is commanding her now. He has two French seaman aboard, as well as some of the natives that were aboard when she was taken.

  “Excellent, Mister Woods. Were you able to get an idea of where the fleet might be?”

  “Better than that, Captain. We found a scrap of paper in the cabin with a position scribbled on it. I asked the youngster what we might find at that position. The lad gave me a lecture on French glory, and his honor as a French gentleman, and refused to say another word. I put him in the cabin with a Marine to watch him, and showed the paper to one of the French seamen. It is a rendezvous, where they were to meet with the main fleet in three days’ time.

  Following his usual practice, Phillips asked the schooner’s crew if they would like to volunteer to serve in the Royal Navy instead of going to the hulks. The aspirante and two European crewmen declined, but the native crew accepted. These men were brought on board the Reindeer, and replaced by a few seamen commanded by a midshipman. The mid was given a weighted canvas envelope containing all the intelligence Phillips had at this point, and the schooner was sent off to English Harbor in Antigua.

  The frigate then made the best of her way to the rendezvous, reaching the location a day before the expected appearance of Admiral Villeneuve. Phillips was astonished when he found the little schooner waiting there. He promised himself he would break that mid down to ordinary seaman if he had abandoned his mission frivolously.

  Phillips had a thundercloud on his face when the lad came aboard. He was carrying a canvas packet, markedly different from the one Phillips had given him earlier. The mid explained. A day after leaving Reindeer, he met HMS Barbadoes, a 28 gun frigate that had been escorting a small convoy. The frigate and convoy had met the French fleet a few days prior. The merchantmen were all captured, but Barbadoes escaped. She was now on her way to English harbor to spread the word. Her captain ordered Mister Midshipman Wiley back to Reindeer. Since the captain of Barbadoes was senior to captain Phillips, Wiley judged it best to follow his orders.

  “And you judged right, young gentleman. Where are the papers I gave you?”

  “I gave them to Captain Hargrove of HMS Barbadoes, Sir”

  “You have done very well, Mister Wiley. Tell me, how does this schooner handle?

  “Like a dream, Sir”

  “She looks like she was built in a pig sty. If I gave you a few more hands, do you think you could make her look a little better?”

  “Yes Sir. Do you mean that I can keep her?”

  “Well, she does belong to the Navy now, Wiley. But you have her command while we are on this little excursion, anyway. Which one of your former messmates is best at signals, would you reckon?”

  “That would be Wilson, Sir.”

  “Very well. You go collect Wilson now, and tell him he is now first officer and signal officer aboard your schooner. I will want you to cruise along with me, keeping within signaling distance. After you have recruited your friend, pi
ck out six more hands. Make sure you tell Mister Woods of your recruiting efforts; else he may flay you and use your hide as a new mizzen staysail when you return. Now, get going Captain, I have work to do.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Problems in France

  Some of the latter part of Phillip’s speech to the lad was wasted, since Lieutenant Woods had been standing by the helm and had heard at least some of it. “Aren’t you worried he will lose that little toy, Captain?”

  “We all had to learn sometime, Mister Woods. And, perhaps we will find if young Wiley has what it takes.

  The pair waited at the French rendezvous a week before it became obvious Villeneuve was not going to appear. Phillips and Lieutenant Andrews had spent much time interviewing one of the native crewmen retrieved from the schooner, and a few tidbits were learned. The French fleet had remained in Martinique for a month before being more or less forced to leave. Rumors were that Villeneuve was not a brave man, and it was thought he was going back to France.

  Eventually, Reindeer squared away and proceeded on a course that would take them to Europe, the little schooner roaming on her starboard flank.

  Occasionally, they would spot trash floating in the water, signaling they were still on course. One day though, the lookout spotted the remains of a smashed beef barrel floating on the surface. It appeared to have been broken by cannon fire. He had the jolly boat launched and the trash retrieved. One of the staves had the burned in brand of the King’s Broad Arrow. At one time, this barrel had been aboard a Navy ship.

  Further retrievals of floating trash made it evident they were now following a British fleet, rather than a French one. Phillips order the signal hoisted, ‘Pass within Hail’. The schooner ranged up alongside and Wiley was ordered to scout up ahead and see if he could determine who was leaving this material behind.