HMS RESOLVE: A John Phillips Novel

by Richard Testrake

  The day came when they reached the port of Valetta on the island of Malta. The number of fortifications left by the former masters of the islands was amazing. Phillips was looking forward to roaming the city examining the structures close up, when an ornate shore boat was challenged by the anchor watch. Called by the midshipman of the watch, Phillips found a young man in a plain blue coat, with no insignia of rank or position standing by the larboard entry port, closely watched by Master’s Mate Hendricks and a pair of suspicious seamen.

  “Ah, Captain Phillips, I presume? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Barnaby Atkins of the Civil Commission of Malta. My purpose here is to make arrangements for the transfer of the specie you have aboard your ship.”

  Phillips nodded. “Perhaps I should have my first officer and Captain Basil of the Royal Marines present. They will be involved with the transfer and we will save time by informing every one of their roles at the same time.”

  Phillips called for the sentry at his door and asked him to pass the word for Captain Basil and Lieutenant Land. When these gentlemen were present and introduced, Phillips asked, “Now then, Mister Atkins, just who will be coming aboard to sign for the funds and take possession?”

  “That would be Colonel, the Honourable Sir Jason Hawkins, of HM The King’s Yeomanry Regiment. Since ostensibly the funds are going into Army control, he will take possession. However, the Civil Commission will then assume control once the specie is in secure storage.”

  Atkins offered a sheaf of paper work to Phillips, who took the time to read every word, passing them on to the Marine for his perusal. Basil nodded his approval and passed them on to Mister Land. With everyone satisfied, Phillips asked, “Just how are we to effect the transfer?”

  “If I may prevail upon you to dip your colors for a second when you are quite ready, I have a lighter prepared ashore. On your signal, it will proceed into the harbor and come alongside. Sir Jason has his regiment under cover in a warehouse onshore. I propose to load the metal aboard the lighter here and hope your people can safeguard it until the lighter reaches shore. There, Hawkin’s men will assume control and your people may retire.”

  Phillips spoke, “Where will the signature releasing the Navy of custody take place?”

  “We had thought on shore, as the metal is landed.”

  “I think it better that signature should take place on my ship, before the money leaves. Once it reaches shore, any control I might have would be minimal, in case something went wrong.”

  Atkins was plainly nettled at the suggestion, but after some initial hesitation, he finally agreed. “Would it be possible for you to furnish me a boat? I need to go ashore and inform Sir Jason of the new developments.”

  After Atkins left, Phillips with his son Timothy standing near the binnacle, supposedly keeping watch, but actually trying to absorb everything that was said.

  “Timothy, please find my steward. Tell him I will need a table and a few chairs set up on the quarterdeck. Also, ask Captain Basil to step over here.”

  While the steward was setting up the furniture, Basil and his captain discussed the transfer. “I would like your men to be drawn up on deck in uniform, with loaded muskets. After the papers are signed and you are satisfied, you will have a party of your Marines load into the ship’s boats alongside and guard the lighter as it takes the funds ashore. Once it lands, the Army troops there will take charge and you may return to the ship.”

  The ornately decorated lighter approached the frigate. Phillips thought privately this was a lapse in security, offering undue notice that something important was about to be moved. Had he been handling the transfer detail, he would have secured a ubiquitous shipyard lighter.

  However, he decided this was Atkin’s business, not his and waited until the Army Colonel and a half dozen of his officers climbed up the battens into the starboard entry port. Captain Basil had the proper ceremonial welcome arranged, which went well. The Colonel was displeased with having to come aboard ship to transfer the precious metal, but went along with the new schedule with little grace.

  The skylight over Phillip’s office was removed and a heavy hatch built into the deck there was removed. The specie was stored on a little false deck build under his quarters and over the wardroom below. Any person with nefarious intent would have to somehow gain access to the captain’s cabin, which was always guarded, or to the wardroom below, which generally had several off-duty officers about.

  A line running through a block on the mizzen yard was dropped down through the openings and men below began hooking onto the heavy little chests and hands on deck started hauling them up. Watched over every second by Royal Marines, each chest was swung over the side and lowered into the lighter alongside.

  As they were nearing the end of the task, all eyes on the ship, except those of Master’s Mate Haslet were on the precious chests. Haslet was eying a pair of curious looking rowing vessels. These were long and narrow craft, propelled by a crew of powerful oarsmen. Having seen a few of this type around the harbor, Haslet knew them to be very speedy craft. The pair he was watching each had what looked like a four pounder gun right forward in the bows.

  As one of the last chests was lowered into the lighter, there was the sudden sound of a horn aboard one of the rowing craft and both turned and arrowed straight toward the lighter. Haslet, immediately challenged the craft and without ceremony interrupted a long story the Army Colonel was relating to Resolves’ captain.

  “Sir, armed boats approaching!” he reported.

  Phillips turned to Mister Land. “Action stations if you please, Mister Land. The guns will be run out, prepared to fire.”

  Captain Basil had formed most of his men at the rail facing the approaching boats, while still leaving a force guarding the opposite beam.

  Land stood beside his captain with a speaking trumpet in his hand. He looked quizzically at his captain and Phillips nodded. The first officer ordered, “Sheer off there. Do not approach the ship or you will be fired upon.”

  The boats continued their approach at a desperate turn of speed. Phillips knew his guns were loaded with ball, which was perhaps not the best ammunition for firing at small boats. He told his son, “Inform the gun sections to reload with grape, once they have discharged their present loads.”

  The speeding boats now approaching the lighter, low laden with its cargo of gold and silver coin, Phillips ordered Captain Basil. “Do your duty, Sir.”

  Immediately, Marines began tumbling down into the big barge, just as the lead attacker hooked on. More armed seamen loaded into the ship’s launch and cutter alongside. These men did not have muskets, but had taken cutlasses, half pikes and tomahawks from the open arms chest before they went over the side.

  The attackers were first met with smashing musket butts to the face and body as they tried to board the lighter. As Marines found the opportunity, they fixed their bayonets and used them with determination.

  For a moment, the battle was a scrambling melee as desperate pirates tried to board and the Royal Marines held them off.

  Now, ship’s boats crashed against the pirate’s boats. One was turned on her beam by the inertia of the heavy launch smashing into her and the pirate’s crew spilled in the harbor. Seamen joined the Marines on the lighter and fought side by side. From above, Phillips watched a pair of seamen who had invented a system. One man, the largest would engage an enemy with his cutlass. While so engaged, his smaller, more nimble mate, would slash the foes legs with his own weapon. The crippled pirate would then be tipped over the side into the harbor, with savage wounds on his body.

  The few pirates who could, seeing how the battle was proceeding, jumped back into the lone boat remaining to them and tried to flee. This did not work out well.

  Captain Basel had kept twenty men aboard Resolve to use as a reserve and these men began firing volleys at the escaping boat. The Sea Pattern muskets the Marines were using, fired a ball the size of a man’s thumb at smashing velocity at the rate of th
ree shots every minute. A victim struck in the trunk, head, or a limb, was generally rendered hors de combat instantly.

  As the now limping boat moved beyond the effective range of the deadly muskets, Phillips ordered the ships guns to begin their part. Firing slowly and deliberately, the iron balls began dropping close aboard the slim boat. It was not until one of the guns had reloaded with a grape charge, however that the matter was resolved.

  Number six gun fired its eighteen pound charge of plum sized iron balls at the boat. A dozen struck either the boat, or its oarsmen and the fight was over. With water gushing though holes smashed in its sides and bottom and most of the rowers exhausted and wounded, the remainder gave it up.

  The launch made it to the foundering craft and took aboard a few survivors. Some of the pirates were perceived by the seamen to still be dangerous and these did not survive.

  By the time the captured pirates were secured and the capsized boat righted, the chests aboard the lighter had been closely examined. The count was correct and the seals undamaged.

  Phillips wished to leave the matter to Malta’s Civil Commission and its Mister Atkins’ hands, while Resolve put to sea. Atkins however, had a different viewpoint. He felt the matter of how the pirates had learned of the presence of the treasure should be determined and in the meantime, it should remain right where it was.

  Phillips decided to toy with the bureaucrat a bit and remarked; “Very well, the treasure is now aboard your lighter and Colonel, the Honourable Sir Jason Hawkins has signed the receipt for the specie. I will now take my Marines back aboard. I presume you will be bringing Army troops out to guard the lighter?”

  “No sir, that is not what I meant. The lighter with the treasure aboard should be secured to your ship, until it is found who is to blame for the information leakage. It may be too dangerous to take it ashore at this time. Perhaps it would be better if the treasure were loaded back aboard your ship?”

  “Mister Atkins, my orders were to transport the treasure here and put it in the hands of the Army. I have done this and have the receipt of Colonel Hawkins. I will discuss the matter with the Colonel and discover his wishes. Should he decide not to accept the funds after all, I shall take it back to Gibraltar for further instructions.”

  Atkins sputtered and protested. “You cannot just take the funds back at this stage of the game.”

  “Pardon me, Mister Atkins. I could have sworn you insisted on the funds remaining where they are. They are on your lighter under your control and ownership. What more I can do for you, I fail to understand.”

  After some further discussion, it was decided that the parties involved should repair to the offices of the Civil Commission, where the funds could be counted and the circumstances of the information leakage might be discussed.

  As it happened, after hours of waiting in the grim, stone fortification, there was actually an overage amounting to eight shillings in the amount of silver, with the counting of the gold correct. With all hands agreeing the funds were intact, the question of blame was raised.

  “Gentlemen, I do not know who was at fault.” offered Phillips. ”Supposedly the matter was a secret, but when the wagon convoy bringing the metal reached the dockyard in Portsmouth, many of the guards knew the details. Even the workmen building the strengthened compartment in the ship knew of the treasure. I expect several of the people involved in the original planning had loose mouths and discussed this business too freely.”

  The Commissioner, a short man of impressive girth, wondered, “But how did the information reach those rascals who tried to take it from you?”

  “We stopped at Gibraltar for a week. I suppose someone in a fast ship that sailed directly to Valetta might have brought the information.”

  An elderly gentleman who had something to do with the harbor authority inserted, “A mail packet from Falmouth reached here last week. She hasn’t left yet. I can find out when she left home. Perhaps she brought a letter.”

  It was decided to question the surviving pirates more closely and Phillips made preparations for leaving.

  As he waited for his steward to return from a shopping expedition in Valetta, a shore boat approached the frigate. On board was Atkins. Having not been able to find what salute one was supposed to render to a visiting Civil Commission bureaucrat, Phillips did not bother, merely having the Master’s mate of the watch greet him and escort him to the quarterdeck.

  Atkins had not noticed any discourtesy and greeted Phillips with enthusiasm. “Captain Phillips sir, I believe we have come to the bottom of the mystery. It seems a letter did come on the mail packet, which sailed a day after you did. The letter reached a certain businessman here who recruited a band of Moorish pirates to seize the specie. This person has been arrested and is being questioned at this time.”

  “That is good news, Mister Atkins. How did you find out about this?”

  “The businessman had commercial dealings with an Algerian ship in the harbor. There were language difficulties, so the Algerians produced an Italian slave who translated. Necessarily, he became involved in the planning and execution of the raid. He was on one of the two raiding boats and was captured. He readily admitted all he knew about the attack and said he would have been killed had he not assisted them.”

  “What about the leak in Britain? Do we know who was at fault there?”

  From what our Maltese businessman has said, it was a clerk in the office of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Apparently he thought he was to receive ten percent of the captured treasure. Actually, it is doubtful if he would have received a penny. From what we have learned, plans were being made at every level to cheat the others in the conspiracy. Had the treasure really been taken, I am sure it would have been taken to a waiting Algerian Xebec and gone straight to North Africa.

  Phillips mulled over the information he had just received. “I fail to understand how these people thought they could just run a couple of rowboats up against an armed ship of war and expect to get away with it?”

  “Apparently, the raiders had been told your ship would not be prepared for combat and a sudden, bold, slashing attack could succeed. After seizing the chests, there were apparent plans to throw incendiary devices aboard your ship to slow your response.”

  “What will be done to these people?”

  “There will be a trial, of course. However, it is anticipated that all involved locally will be executed, except for the Italian translator. It was determined that he, a slave of the Moors, had no choice in his actions and will be exonerated. The clerk in the Chancellor’s office back home will surely get the high jump, of course”

  CHAPTER SIX

  Once back at sea again, Resolve’s captain took advantage of a calm to be rowed around the ship in the jolly boat with the ship’s master, to examine how she sat in the water. Several tons of weight had been removed from the after part of the frigate when the treasure had been removed.

  Too, stores were being consumed daily and Sailing Master Andrews and Captain Phillips were discussing how the ship might be re-stowed. As a start, it was decided to shift two guns from forward ports to vacant ports aft. Then, perhaps some cargo might need to be re-stowed.

  To do this, however, it would be preferable to have a secure anchorage, where the work could be done without the danger of a sudden Sirocco endangering the ship while the hands were re-arranging the hold.

  Phillips recalled a situation years before when he brought a previous frigate, damaged in action with a Moorish pirate, into an un-named little island off the North African coast for repairs.

  Andrews checked his charts and found he indeed had a plot of the island, furnished the Admiralty by that previous sailing master. Phillips asked Andrews to take the ship to the island and they could look it over to see if there were any pertinent changes.

  Approaching the island, there appeared at first, to be no sign of trouble. But, as they approached the western shore, they encountered a pair of galleys in the act of raiding the islan
d.

  The crews appeared to be mostly ashore. Turbaned men were strung out on the pathway leading to the cliff top. Occasional shots came from defenders above and as Phillips watched, he saw one of the invaders suddenly fall.

  A crewman left behind on one of the galleys began pounding on a drum and the figures on the cliff began retreating. Lieutenant Land already had the ship at action stations and the crew began arming themselves with weapons from the arms chest.

  Land asked, “Order’s, Captain?”

  “We need to understand we are not actually at war with these people. As long as they do not fire on us, we cannot open fire. However, with two galleys, they can get us at a disadvantage. At the moment, they have few people on board, so cannot harm us. If they get everyone on board though, the pair can lead us in a merry chase.”

  “In these light airs, they can row faster than we can sail. One can try to attack us from ahead where we cannot reply, while the other may try to hammer us from astern. What we will do depends on their leader. If one fires a single shot at us, we will destroy them. Otherwise, we have to let them go.”

  “What about their slaves, Captain”, wondered Mister Land.

  “Unless we are sure one of those slaves is British, we must not interfere. If one calls out and identifies himself as such, of course that is a different matter.”

  The raiders on the island were now returning to their galleys in droves. These shallow draft boats were almost aground and the frenzied pirates ran through the water to get aboard.

  Resolve lay there with a topsail backed, waiting for the galleys. The first galley to get a substantial crew aboard, suddenly backed oars on her starboard side and spun around. A band of men aboard the galley went to work on a nine pounder gun carried right in her bow.

  Sailing Master Andrews, at a word from Phillips put the frigate to the wind and she started moving; not as fast as the galley whose oars were flashing in the sun to the frantic beat of a big drum in the galley’s stern. She arrowed straight at Resolve, as her consort got herself in order rather more slowly.