Action - 1720 - December 15 - A Failed Attempt to Arrest a Pirate off Irish Point

'''On December 15th, Captains Wick, Kyle and McLain formed up in the contested waters off Jaqueme looking to chase down some pirates. They found a bit more than they bargained for.'''

Captains in Action
British Captains:

Captain Viscount Everett Wick - Lancer-class 16-gun naval cutter

Captain Virgil Kyle - HMS Grace (Mastercraft Mediator-class 16-gun cutter)

Captain Lewis McLain - HMS Hunter (Athena-class 28-gun pursuit frigate)

Pirate Captains:

Level 50 Cutthroat - Cursed Blade 48-gun refit frigate

Action Setup
The broad plan of action as conceived by three captains (To be honest it was mostly Kyle's idea) was to snoop around the Jaqueme redzone with light, fast ships and hope a good gank developed. As luck had it, the first target we came across was a Cursed Blade - one of the most powerful frigates in the game.

The Action Itself
Being in the heaviest ship of the little flotilla, McLain immediately drew fire from the pirate. The group attempted to demast the pirate but was unable to sustain concentrated fire. McLain was soon forced to draw off to repair, and Wick began receiving the cannonballs. By the time McLain retunred, Wick was forced to retreat to repair and Captain Kyle was in poor shape as well. McLain attempted to close in to board but the pirate outmaneuvered him and quickly dumped enough shot through McLain's armor to drive him off. McLain attempted to fall back again but was sunk before he could get out of the enemy's range. Kyle was then promptly sunk and Wick was left with no choice but to make an escape.

Action Result
Two expendable PvP ships were lost by captains Kyle and McLain. The pirate lost nothing aside from burning through a few mast repairs and a couple a crates of bronze shot.

Lessons Learned
In anything less than a full group, at least one ship should be a heavy hitter... A fail-rigged Athena doesn't count. McLain's ship had half the guns, one-third the armor, and one-fourth the shot weight of the Cursed Blade. Two cutters were simply not enough to even the odds. A gank only works if you can kill what you catch.