Elliott Drake

Biography
{| style="width:100%;" ! width="" align="left" | ! width="100%" align="Center" | Full Name: Sir Elliott Todd Drake, Esquire
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Naval Rank: Captain, RN

Age of Enlistment: 15

Current Age: 29

Reason for Joining the Royal Navy:

Current Assignment

 * Commanding Officer -- HMS Draku, Gallant-class frigate, Royal Caribbean Fleet


 * }

Record of Achievement
23 January 1723 -- Elected to Inspector General

05 January 1723 -- Promoted to Esquire

07 December 1722 -- Appointed to Gentleman

07 December 1722 -- Joined the St. George Squadron of the White

Promotional Record, Royal Navy
04 July 1723 -- Promoted to Captain

06 February 1723 -- Promoted to Master & Commander

31 December 1722 –- Promoted to Lieutenant Commander

29 December 1722 –- Promoted to Lieutenant

08 December 1722 –- Promoted to Acting Lieutenant

05 December 1722 –- Promoted to Midshipman

03 December 1722 –- Promoted to Acting Midshipman

02 December 1722 –- Appointed to Recruit

01 December 1722 -- Assigned to the Royal Caribbean Fleet

Notable Action
None

History
>>>CLASSIFIED<<<

--Service Record redacted by order of the ADMIRALTY’S OFFICE OF SPECIAL INTELLIGENCE --

Elliott Todd Drake was born in June of 1694, the second son of a mid-level nobleman who was the magistrate and legal advisor for the High Court in Surrey, England. He was a talented pupil and took every opportunity to extend his education. He was an avid reader and devoured the classical works as well as ancient and contemporary philosophers. His father’s legal work instilled in him a strong sense of right and wrong that often put him at odds with his more mischievous acquaintances. Drake found acceptance in his studies and athletic activities, emerging as an accomplished fencer. Knowing that he had little chance of inheriting his father’s title and wealth above his older brother, who was already a successful barrister, Drake elected to enlist in HRM Royal Navy, in lieu of joining the Church of England.

After receiving a letter of invitation from the Crown, Drake began his term as a midshipman-by-order in 1709, aboard the HMS Flamborough under the command of Captain William Heart. During his tenure, Drake learned basic seamanship and the ways of a sailor. However, to the idealistic young Drake, the methods of Captain Heart and his officers seemed cruel and overbearing. The discipline required to maintain control onboard a British naval vessel did not sit well with the young midshipman and began to disenchant him to the shipboard life. As Drake progressed, he proved himself an able seaman and a fierce swordsman, distinguishing himself in several boarding fights against enemy crews. It is reported that, on several occasions, Drake was observed engaging multiple enemies at once and dispatching them all.

Such exploits were not lost on Captain Heart, who made Drake one of his principle officers for boarding parties and land-based combat operations. During one such mission to liberate British citizens being held hostage in the Spanish fort near the town of [NAME REDACTED] late in the third year of his midshipmanship, Drake encountered British naval intelligence officer Commander George Hale. After the successful completion of the mission, Commander Hale extended a transfer opportunity to under Hale’s command. Excited at the prospect of the opportunity as well as getting away from Heart’s command, Drake happily accepted. Upon returning to the HMS Flamborough, Drake completed his midshipmanship and was given leave to join Commander Hale by Captain Heart.

Commander Hale brought Midshipman Drake back to London in 1713 and arranged for him to take the lieutenant’s examination, which he passed. Now-Lieutenant Drake was assigned to the Admiralty’s Office of Special Intelligence, under the direct command of Commander Hale. The mandate of the OSI was to commit acts of sabotage, covert actions, and collect intelligence related to naval operations of the enemies of the Crown and other activities which will be designated by the Admiralty and the Sovereign.

Following this mandate, Lt. Drake departed with Cdr. Hale for France and established intelligence operations there. Official records are incomplete of their activities there. However, Hale’s team have been credited with the acquisition of a new rudder design from the French city of [NAME REDACTED], the destruction of the French frigates [NAME REDACTED], [NAME REDACTED], and [NAME REDACTED], and the assassination of several French naval officers, including [NAME REDACTED]. These actions earned the officers the appreciation of the Admiralty, even though no official commendations or citations could be awarded.

In 1715, Commander Hale’s group was broken up. Hale was sent to set up operations in Portugal while Lieutenant Drake was sent to set up one of the operational bases in Spain. Due to difficulties in reliable communication with the Iberian Peninsula, Drake operated largely cut off from the Admiralty during his operations in Spain. As an agent provocateur for Britain, Drake conducted rescue operations of English sailors captured and made slaves on Spanish galleons, conducted surveillance of Spanish ports, and worked to inflame the conflict between Spain and France. Drake’s experience in France became instrumental for this task, as his contacts with the Basque separatists allowed for easy operations across the border.

In 1719, Hale, now a captain, was selected to head the OSI branch in the Caribbean Sea. For this assignment, he was allowed to enlist what staff that he saw fit and he requested Lieutenant Drake, among others, to join his staff. Drake and Hale made the Atlantic crossing aboard the HMS Draku, a small sloop or war designed not to attract the attention of the enemies of the Crown. During this crossing, Drake met Commander Hale’s lovely young daughter, Raine Hale, who was accompanying her father to the New World. During the voyage, Drake began courting Miss Hale. Upon their arrival in Port Royal, Jamaica, Elliott Drake married Raine Hale with the reluctant permission of his commanding officer.

Most of Drake’s operations in the Caribbean were reconnaissance of economical assets of the other competing nations operating in the Caribbean. These missions offered little in the way of danger and Lieutenant Drake settled into the life of a married junior naval officer on land-duty.

In 1722, Drake and Hale were tasked with a special mission from the British regional naval command that required a clandestine touch. It appeared that the son of a prominate British flag officer, [NAME REDACTED], had taking a liking to the Spanish way of life and had relocated to the Spanish town of [NAME REDACTED]. Coincidentally, [NAME REDACTED] was the location of a large Spanish naval armory and army garrison that had been a disruption to British naval operations in the region. Drake and Hale were to launch a two-pronged assault. Drake would take the British civilian vessel, Phoenix, and sail into the port of [NAME REDACTED] and extract the officer’s son while Hale would sail the HMS Draku and attempt to sabotage the Spanish armory.

Drake successfully infiltrated the Spanish port and found the young man completely drunk and leaning on a donnish tavern maid in the city proper. It took little effort to overcome his objections and “escort” him back to the Phoenix. Upon rendezvousing with the Draku, Drake found the vessel badly damaged. When he came aboard, he found out the horrible news. The Draku had a skirmish with a Spanish patrol vessel and an unlucky shot had landed on the wheel deck, killing all of the senior staff of the Draku, including Captain George Hale. Stricken with overwhelming grief and rage, Drake found that as a lieutenant, he was the senior officer of the small fleet. Drake assumed command and was briefed about the battle that had claimed the life of his mentor. The enlisted leadership advised withdrawing as they were outnumbered and outgunned. Drake, having never run from a fight in his life, could not bear failing the mission that killed his friend and kin.

The Draku was evading the donnish warship at that time. Now-acting-Captain Drake ordered the Draku and the Phoenix to come around the island at opposite ends and pincer the donnish warship. After a brief exchange of cannon fire, a fortunate cannonball from the Phoenix struck the warship’s magazine, causing the ship to explode in a large plume of fire. Emboldened, and a little surprised, by the destruction of the donnish ship gave Drake an idea. He ordered all munitions to be transferred to the Phoenix and ordered the crew of the Phoenix to abandon ship for the Draku. Waiting for the cover of nightfall, he set a fire below the deck of the Phoenix and set her course for the Spanish armory. Despite Spanish attempts to sink her, the Phoenix sailed into the armory’s protected harbor before the fire detonated the powder stores. The resulting explosion, shining like a breath of fire, destroyed the armory and the surrounding garrison. Victorious and mourning their losses, the crew of the expedition limped back to port on the remaining HMS Draku.

Upon returning to the British naval command, Lieutenant Drake was congratulated for the accomplishing of his mission against horrible opposition. As the conflicts between the French and Spanish were heating up, as well as constant attacks by rogue pirates, the need for designated intelligence operations was thought not to be needed. What was needed was ship captains who could get the job done. Drake was assigned as commanding officer of the HMS Draku and assigned to the British Caribbean Fleet for surface duty. With the dissolving of the OSI in the Caribbean, Drake had little choice but to accept.

Now-Captain Drake currently serves as captain of the HMS Draku, a Gallant-class frigate in the service of the St. George Squadron of the White, under the command of Sea Lord Admiral Joseph Fletcher. Upon transferring to the Caribbean Fleet, Drake requested that he be allowed to transfer the christening of the vessel he commands to the HMS Draku. The Gallant is currently the 4th vessel to bear the name under his command. When asked once why he favors the name Draku, he is reported to have said that the word is derived from a Latin word mean “dragon”; the name reminds him of his beloved mentor and reminds him that when all is loss, a Drake “breathes fire”.



Port Battle Record
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