Battle -1722 - April 6 - Defense of St. John's

Ships in Action:
British Fleet

SGS Captains

Commodore of the Black Jack Naseby - '''HMS Lenox

Captain Sir Edward R. Southwick - '''HMS King George

Captain Frederick Taylor - '''HMHV Ridderschap

Captain David Cole

20 other British ships. Including 2 3rd-rates, 6 Macedon 4th-rates, 4 Mont Blanc 4th-rates, and 8 Hercules Mastercraft Frigates

Brethren Fleet

24 Brethren ships, nearly all frigates of the Hercules class in either the Pirate of Heavy variant, less than a handful of 4th rates, a Treason and an Abaddon's Will Galleon.

Action Setup:
The British fleet came out of the round door and formed near the easterly short facing SSE using the landmass as a cover from the oncoming Brethren fleet which had spawned from the E. Black Squadron was to take the brunt of the enemy's charge, and would end up with half the losses of the British fleet. Early in the engagement the pirates had to contend with a very strong defensive position. They sent out one scout who was too careless and was promptly sunk. They then sent out three more in hopes of drawing out Red Squadron and set up a charge, we did not take the bait. The map was Havana Harbor.

The Action Itself:
The Brethren fleet started moving, the order was given to make full sail and crash into the enemy. Black was split literally in half.

HMS Lenox took a battering to her bow as the following British ship prevented her from turning to the right, leaving her the option of pushing ahead or turning into the teeth of the pirate fleet. Naseby ordered his carpenter, an expert by some accounts, to begin plugging up the bow and shoring up the ships structural timbers. By this time Sir Southwick aboard HMS King George had slipped to the other side of the pirate mass and together with three other British warships was tearing the hearts out of the passing pirate ships as they exposed their sterns. The Lenox had to turn hard to port in order to avoid being drawn further into the mass of pirates, the nearby British captain finally realizing his mistake. The swirl continued, the Lenox sank one Hercules pirate frigate, soon after continuing to repair with all haste. Contact was lost with Mr. Taylor, but Mr. Cole was seen captaining his warship in the teeth of four enemy vessels, doing all he could to tack up wind in order to close with oncoming relief while still punishing the enemy.

By this time sixteen pirates had gone to the bottom, a general chase was ordered. Black had lost a Wenden and a Valiant, but HMS Lenox and HMS King George were still standing and their guns were blazing. They joined the chase. Contact from the deck of HMS Lenox was lost with most of the squadron as they took part in the chase. Remaining behind, she spotted a lone pirate fleeing the fleet coming towards her. Naseby gave the order to turn hard to starboard and when the pirate got within 350 yards the Lenox unleashed a terrifiying broadside, sending the pirate to the bottom.

The Result:
A crushing victory for the British fleet.

Totals: 4 British vessels sunk or captured, 22 Brethren vessels sunk or captured, one fled, one abandoned ship.

Lessons Learned:
Planing and execution were very good. It was a very strong defensive position. Given the type of battle it was, and the situation Black found itself in at the start of the battle, better results could not be expected. Top notch victory shoved down Brethren throats after their incessant boasting.

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