Patrol - 1720 - August 20 - Engagement with French Patrolling Fleet off Riding Rocks

Ships in Action:
ALLIES:

Captain Edwards - HMS Zephyr (Stralsund Mastercraft Frigate)

Captain Kyle - HMS Aquila (Defiant Sleek Frigate)

ENEMIES:

-French Patrolling Fleet of 8 ships

Action Setup:
Prior to the battle hereto forth detailed, the good Captain Edwards and I were sailing with the venerable Captain Everett Wick in defence of Riding Rocks, it being currently under siege by the incourageable French. After a goodly time spent sailing under his command engaging French warships in the area, Captain Wick was forced to take his leave from our squadron, having pressing matters to attend to elsewhere. Shortly after he exited the area, we came upon a target that we surely could have used his help with: A fleet of 8 heavy French frigates, patrolling but a few miles outside the harbor of Riding Rocks itself. After discussing the situation at length, both Captain Edwards and I agreed it was a threat too great to ignore, despite the odds against our success. In the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 20th, 1720, we engaged the French fleet in naval combat, fully cognisant of the arduous task that lay before us.

The Action Itself:
Upon entering the fray with the enemy fleet, Captain Edwards and I found ourselves at an immediate disadvantage - With the wind straight at our backs, it seemed God had seen fit to place an island directly in our path! Luckily, we were close to the northern tip of the island, and Captain Edwards and myself both agreed that it would be best to get this island behind us, with the winds at our backs, if we were to successfully engage the enemy fleet. Also, doing so might spread out the French fleet, thus allowing us to engage and defeat each ship in detail. Unfortunately, to accomplish this required our sailing dangerously close to the combined firepower of the entire enemy fleet until we could round the horn of the island. Despite the danger, we made full sail for the horn, all the while closing with the deadly guns of the powerful French fleet. What followed was the most harrowing 5 minutes of my naval career. However, through proper repair and sailing procedures, and no small amount of luck,both I and Captain Edwards managed to round the horn with our ships (mostly) intact. We then proceeded to stretch the distance between us and the enemy fleet. Unfortunately, our plan to stretch out the enemy squadron by rounding the horn failed, but at least we put that wretched island safely to our stern! As we sailed ahead of the French squadron, however, we spied yet another opportunity to turn the odds more to our favor. As we looked on, we saw the faster frigates were keeping better pace with us than the slower, heavier frigates. Seizing upon this observation, we quickly resolved to engage the faster and somewhat lighter frigates while the slower frigates struggled to keep up. Using these tactics, we took on the squadron, ship by ship, firing on the ships which could keep pace with us in close combat, while enduring the long rang volleys of the slower, heavier ships. When the larger ships would come too close, we would turn and sail away from the fleet, in order to again stretch them out into manageable groups. Our ships took one hell of a beating over the course of the engagement, but, again, through proper repair and sailing techniques, we managed to stay afloat and fighting.

The Result:
Unfortunately, our engagement did not result in a stunning victory of 'Nelsonic' proportions. However, given the forces arrayed against us, this is not altogether suprising. However, over the course of the engagement Captain Edwards and myself did manage to sink 3 or 4 of the enemy's ships before we were forced to disengage due to extreme battle damage. Given the forces arrayed against us, I am quite happy with these results. We may not have destroyed the fleet, but we did bloody their noses something awful. They'll certainly think twice before engaging another seemingly inferior squadron of His Majesty's ships again, I can assure you that much!

Lessons Learned:
I personally learned a number of lessons in Captain Edwards and my late engagement against the French Patrolling Fleet. First, don't be afraid of overwhelming odds, particularly when you're fighting against NPCs. If you keep your wits about you, and use your repair consumables and career abilities effectively, no computer-guided enemy fleet can stand against you. A determined captain in a properly outfitted and equipped ship can always carry the day against NPCs, as long as that captain is comfortable with his ship, and knows what he can and cannot expect of it when in the thick of battle. This is the second lesson, really, to know your ship, be comfortable with its abilities, and be cognisant of what it can and cannot do when you are presented with the opportunity for (or inevitability of) battle. Finally, no captain can win every battle they engage in, no matter the prowess of their skills or the power of their ship. Therefore, if possible, always go into battle with a plan for how you can successfully disengage (also known to some as 'escape'). This is doubly important if the odds are stacked against you, and your orders or the circumstances 'on the ground' don't preclude you from beating a well-timed 'disengagement' from the field of battle. All throughout our battle, both I and Captain Edwards kept a keen eye on our routes of possible escape, and it was this attention to detail that allowed us to ultimately do so when the need became critical. Such planning ensured that our engagement ended with our ships beneath our feet, as opposed to beneath the waves!

Misc.
The following is a shot of the two successful captains back on solid ground in Riding Rocks after a long day of trading broadsides with incorrigible French pantywaists. Sometimes, you just can't beat a night spent safely in port!