Battle - 1720 - December 19 - Defeating the Pirate Fleet off Nassau

ALLIES:

Virgil Kyle - HMS Judicator - Dauntless Frigate

-23 other British ships, consisting of approximately 7 colossals, 6 fourth-rates, assorted heavy frigates and 1 Hermes packet-boat.

ENEMIES:

-Pirate fleet of 24 ships, consisting of assorted captured and MoV frigates

Action Setup:
Upon arriving in the port battle room, I found the normal hustle and bustle taking place, with everyone forming up into groups of like vessels. As in the port battle two hours earlier, it appeared British captain Henry Courtney was the 'BMOC', although multiple captains assumed the lead of their respective groups. As things developed, however, I noticed that only 3 groups were being focused on, with 6 captains sitting on the planning stage, waiting for groups, myself amongst them. As I was desperately trying to get approval to create another group, fellow captain Conner Broomhall beat me to the punch, and invited everyone into a group with him at the head. As the other groups were full, ours ended up being a bit of a hodge-podge, consisting of my Dauntless, a Valiant third-rate, a Hermes packet-boat, a Minerva mastercraft frigate and two other heavy frigates. It mainly consisted of frigates, however, so that's how I felt it should be used. I requested group lead from Captain Broomhall, and was granted it, as he had no mic to issue orders with. I asked for and received clearence for our group to be designated 'White Group', and held my fellow captains in the ready room until ordered to leave.

The Action Itself:
Upon arriving on the field of battle, my group was assigned to watch the rear of Red Group, our fourth rates, as Eddy Coyotee scouted ahead in his Hermes for the enemy forces. I ordered our sole third-rate to stay with the fourths, so as to not get split up when our frigates were ordered to maneuver. As we maneuvered towards the enemy fleet, I started receiving conflicting orders as to where my group should be positioned. Courtney ordered my group to meet up with his frigates at one point, but after repeated requests by myself to clarify where exactly my group needed to be, my group was ordered to take up position behind the fourths again. Our colossals split off at position (1), as seen on the first picture below, as the pirate fleet pursued them from position (2). The rest of our forces were ordered to sail to the west, around Island (A) and back to the southeast again, with the fourths hugging the coast of the island, Courtney's group to the south of them, and my group in between. As the pirate fleet eagerly chased the colossals, Red group sailed to the north of them, with my group and Courtney's group intercepting from the west. As everyone came into position, the pirates found themselves trapped in the bay, with the wind blowing straight from their only route of escape. In response to the realization of their imminent doom, about half of their remaining fleet of 16 vessels set course west, and attempted to break through our forces, right at my group's location!

What followed was a close-quarters, all-out brawl the likes of which I haven't seen in a good long while. To all sides, there were pirate vessels, but, in the end, it made no difference. My group pulled broadside to broadside with them, and they died, like all the rest.

... except two, hehe. From the group that split northeast instead of west, two pirates managed to escape the onslaught, but refused to exit the battle, it seems. The Minerva and the Hermes from my group, being the two fastest ships amongst us, gave chase. Eventually, after a long pursuit, they managed to lead them to the other frigate force, and they were destroyed.

The Result:
Victory! Although it took a while to finally conclude, the battle was a resounding success for us. 24 pirates sunk, none of our own lost.

A good day's work, all in all, and a good fight, too. It's about time!

Lessons Learned:
Well, although it was a risky tactic, our colossal fleet served as excellent bait. It is not a tactic I would have used, but the colossals did prove invaluable for luring the pirates right where we wanted them... so we could crush them.

It seems there isn't a pirate out there who can resist the temptation of a lineship, hehe...

Photos
Here are some shots from the late battle. You'll find the captions below each picture.



A picture of the overall battle layout. Consult the report proper for the meaning of the numbers and letter.



This is an image of our forces as they trapped the pirate fleet in 'shipwreck bay'. Charge!



"Here they come! Steady, boys! Ready the slow match!"



"Damn! Pull back onto that bastard's broadside! I want to see that ship burn, boys!"



"Huzzah! Have at them, boys! Fire at will!"



"Ha, they're running! It makes no matter, me hearties. Don't they know they'll only die tired?"



The end.