Naval Chronicle - 01 - April, 1721

Foreword
I have often felt the lack of a well-structured summary of the engagements fought by both the Squadron and our Nation. Now and then I enjoy, as I am sure many of you readers do, reclining in the comfort of a suitably large chair at the Admiralty with a glass of port of an equally suitable size and leafing through the latest despatches and reports of the war effort. What is needed, I have often felt, is a newsletter or newspaper, if you will, to be printed at regular intervals.

This is the first installment in what will hopefully become this regular summary of each month's recruits, awards, promotions, engagements and battles. I also aim to fill this Chronicle with news of contemporary discoveries, inventions and major events. I hope to catch the interest of the Captains of the Squadron and immerse them further into the cultural and political climate in which we find ourselves, as well as encourage them to write articles to be printed herein.

As this is the premier edition I have decided to make it public, so that my fellow members of St. George Squadron will have a chance to partake in its creation. I welcome any suggestions, ideas, criticisms, etc., and will try and please as many potential subscribers as possible. The final printing date will be roughly May 1st-3rd, after this month's promotions and medals have been awarded.

Enjoy!



Awards
The Senior Officers have discussed and voted in accordance with the rules of the Squadron for those medals that are to be distributed this month. They hereby announce this month's awards:

Will Collister

The signal hung out aboard the St. George for Captain Collister to take up line astern of me under the fire of 2 colossal groups. Captain Collister did as ordered, there is no question in my mind that Collister knew it was a death order, but he did so anyways in order to try and save my Invincible.

Nominated by: Captain Earl Berett

Robert Middlemore

I would like to nominate Captain Robert Middlemore to receive the Admiral's commendation for taking part in organizing the RP event Saturday April 18th. It was a splendid event, and I think we all will remember his service for a long time.

Nominated by: Captain Wilmore

Promotions
The senior officers have voted on this month's promotions, in accordance with the rules governing the Squadron, and have seen fit to promote the following officers:

William Sherrin

Will Collister

Robert Middlemore

Aidan Pryde

Nathan Blatchford

Nexeo Grey

Henrik Highway

Tom Highway

Henry Jennings

Chris McDella

Recruits
The following Captains have joined our honourable Squadron. We bid them welcome and look forward to sailing alongside them into the fray of many a battle to further the interests of His Brittanic Majesty's Royal Navy:

Nexeo Grey, April 8th

Tom Highway, April 9th

Victor Dist, April 14th

Elanora Rosendahl, April 15th

Roderick Morrow, April 15th

Kyle McAvoy, April 20th

Blake Goodmane, April 24th

Ships Launched
The following ships have been launched and commissioned to Captains of the St. George Squadron:

Services and businesses
Here follows a list of the major shipyards, plantations, mining industries, etc., present in the Caribbean which offer their services to the Squadron.

Lao's Provisionings
Mr. Lao is the owner of Lao's Provisionings; a professional supplier of ship provisions for shipyards and individuals alike. Famous for his Mr. Lao's Chicken, he is well-known on the lower deck for providing both tasty and healthy food for British seamen.

Contact: Kai Chang Lao.

Lupus Enterprises
Mr. Lupus is the proprietor of the Wolf's Wood Trade and Sweet Fang Supplies. He produces and sells teak planks, refined sugar, molasses and, to a lesser extent, common wine. Mr. Lupus can proudly boast a healthy surplus of molasses and sizeable stocks of teak and sugar.

Contact: James Lupus.

Grey Shipyards
Grey Shipyards have the capacity to produce any vessel. They are a well organised and structured company and this is reflected in their delivery times. An excellent choice of contractor for the Captain considering a new command.

Contacts: Munitia Grey, Nexeo Grey.

Council of War
AN ACCOUNT CONCERNING THE MUSTERING OF THE ST. GEORGE SQUADRON AND THE COUNCIL OF WAR CONVENED AT PORT ROYAL ON THE EIGHTEENTH OF APRIL IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1721

Officers in attendance:


 * Captain Earl Rodger Berett
 * Captain Baron James Raleigh
 * Captain Sir Leo Davis
 * Captain John R. Lapenotiere, Esq.
 * Captain Nathan Blatchford
 * Captain Will Collister
 * Captain Victor Dist
 * Captain Nexeo Grey
 * Captain Jonathan Hawke
 * Captain Robert Middlemore
 * Captain Anton Pryde
 * Captain James Wilmore

''All captains gathered at the first within the Admiralty Office, where much discussion was given over to the current run of bad luck that the Royal Navy has suffered of late in the West Indies against His Majesty's enemies. It was noted that a string of recent defeats has damaged the fabric of British morale, although all captains of course remained unerringly enthusiastic towards the prosecution of the war.''

A precise analysis was conducted of British performance in battles at which the attending captains had been present, and from this it was attempted to discern useful lessons and suggestions which might be made.



''In general it was thoroughly agreed by all present that the effectiveness of communication and signalling was of the utmost importance to future success, and that in order for the commanding Admiral and his Commodores to be able to properly effect their tactical aims all captains involved should be able to receive and understand such instructions through every means possible. In this the responsibility is shared between both captains, who must make every effort to be able to hear and see signals, and commodores who should make clear and concise instructions in every available medium of communication so that there be a minimum of confusion.''

''The point was also raised that confusion and disorganisation can often arise when an Admiral's flagship is forced out of battle - although the Admiral may still be able to offer signals, they may not have a full tactical appreciation of the battle any longer. The suggestion was made by Captain Collister, and commended by all captains, that in future the Admiral of the Fleet in a given battle designate a Vice Admiral and a Rear Admiral, so that in the regrettable situation of the first's indisposal there remains clear and present leadership to direct the battle.''

''After a tactical dissection, discussion turned to the wider strategic situation of British forces in the West Indies, and the disposition of their enemies. It was noted that the Spanish have recently received considerable reinforcement from Cadiz in the form of several sail of the line, and that these have been put to most effective use in recent battles against British and French fleets alike. Therefore it was agreed that despite French superiority in occupied territories and ports at the present time, it was in matter of fact the Spanish fleet which posed the greatest threat and should constitute the primary target of the Royal Navy's efforts. To this end an entente with the French was considered a distasteful but necessary temporary condition to allow such focus as required upon the reduction of the Spanish ships of the line.''

''Finally, attention was given to the state of British forces in the region and the strength of His Majesty's fleet. It was quite agreed that a necessary precondition of further progress was the deployment of greater number of British lineships to the waters, in order to counter the new Spanish ships, and that a flourishing economy was in turn necessary to this shipbuilding endeavour. Captain Grey made several proposals for the harnessing of available economic resources to construct new Third, Second, and First Rates for the specific command of captains of St. George Squadron, and all present found these proposals to be most agreeable and urged them to be taken further in formal writing so that the appropriate ordering and provision of material may begin.''

Captain Earl Berett ended the council of war with a short speech to bolster the morale of all in attendance, and despite the hard lessons of recent weeks, the captains left the Admiralty Office confident of Britain's ultimate dominance.

''Following the council the captains invested themselves within the sanctity of St. Peter's Church to partake in Evensong. Captain Middlemore passed on Lord Seaborn's apologies for his inability to conduct the service in person, and proceeded to lead the prayer as a layman.''



After confession and remission of sin, Captain Collister kindly took the pulpit to offer a most eloquent reading from the Book of Leviticus, which was taken to be most pertinent to all that had been discussed at the Admiralty Office, and bolstered the hearts of all captains, knowing that with the Lord's blessing the Royal Navy will be able to defeat all enemies:

"If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword."



The Apostles' Creed was then recited by all captains, and their faith reaffirmed, St. Peter's was vacated and the convocation retired to the comfort of the Grapes.

Several toasts were offered, particular to His Majesty the King, to the Lord Earl Berett, and to the Squadron; Captain Collister then regailed the gathering with an heroic tale of one of his first battles in the West Indies, an epic story of ingenuity overcoming a greater foe, in recital and in scope worthy of Homer.

''Pleasantries and general well-natured banter was exchanged between all present, and a couple of interlopers who were genially welcomed to the gathering. Several sherries were drunk before most captains most sensibly excused themselves to return to their ships, so that alcohol might not get the better of their duties.''



''A friendly duel of swords was undertaken by Captain Collister against Captain Blatchford, upon which Captain Middlemore and Captain Sir Leo Davis placed a gentleman's wager. Sadly Captain Middlemore's purse was lightened as a result, for which he suitably chastised Captain Collister following the duel. ''

''The evening's jocularities were then drawn to a final close, with the remaining captains retiring to their cabins and lodgings. All seemed agreed that a most productive, spiritual, and enjoyable time had been had in one another's company, with keen anticipation of further such gatherings in future.''



Naval Engagements
Here follows a summary of all engagements, actions and battles, in which our British ships have taken part during the month. For ship-to-ship duels and flotilla actions, the result column depicts the damage given to each ship. Critical damage in this column represents that the ship sank but lost a point of durability rather than being lost forever.

The red text depicting losses is also used in tables summarizing Port Battles. The black number under each column gives the amount of ships of that class present, and the red number in brackets gives losses from that group.

If any Captain finds any errors in the following account, feel free to edit the erroneous details.

April 2nd
Engagement off Santiago:

April 3rd
Battle of Maracaibo:

Battle of West End:

April 4th
Battle of Bartica:

April 6th
Battle of Portobelo:

Battle of Riding Rocks:

Battle of Jaqueme:

April 9th
Battle of Les Hattes:

April 10th
Battle of Nassau:

April 11th
Battle of Port-of-Spain:

April 12th
Battle of West End:

Battle of Spanish Town:

April 14th
Engagement off Charlestown:

April 16th
Battle of Gibara:

April 18th
Engagement off Spanish Town:

April 19th
Battle of Spanish Town:

Battle of Orleans:

April 21st
Engagement off Irish Point

Action off Cartagena

Second action off Cartagena

April 23th
Battle of Santiago:

April 25th
Battle of Cartagena:

Engagement off Irish Point

April 26th
Action off Matthew Town

Action off Port-de-Paix

Action off Turtling Bay

Action off Irish Point

Action off Tortuga

Battle of Spanish Town:

April 27th
Battle of Port-de-Paix:

April 28th
Battle of Turtling Bay:

April 30th
Battle of Nassau:

Battle of Maracaibo:

Ships Launched in Europe
The following ships were launched in Europe this month:

Mary Read dies in prison
Mary Read, the notorious female pirate, passed away in prison this month. Official statements released reveal that she died due to complications associated with giving birth. She was convicted of piracy and sentenced to hanging in late October 1720, but recieved a temporary stay of execution due to her being with child. Dying in child labour thus saved her the noose.

Mary Read lived almost her entire life masquerading as a man. This beahviour was inflicted upon her by her mother, the widow of a sea captain, after Mary's brother died. The reason being, so that she could fool Mary's paternal grandmother into continuing paying financial support to her family. As she grew older she continued dressing as a boy and found employment as a footboy and then aboard a ship. She served as a seaman for many years but fell in love with a Flemish soldier. The two eloped and purchased an inn. However, upon her husband's death, she took up arms and enlisted in military service for Holland.

Losing interest in this, she left the army and joined a ship bound for the West Indies. Read's ship was taken by pirates and given the choice of a life of piracy or death she joined the pirates led by John "Calico Jack" Rackham. Aboard the ship, The Treasure, was also Anne Bonny (also later to be convicted of piracy). She was captured along with the rest of the pirate crew in October, 1720, by Captain Jonathan Barnet.

HMS Victory burnt
HMS Victory of 100 guns was partly burnt due to an accident at Portsmouth harbour this month. She has been broken up pending reconstruction. Our mighty first rate, the Victory was orginially launched as HMS Royal James, but was renamed HMS Victory on March 7th, 1691, and given to Captain Edward Stanley. She served under Admiral Sir John Ashby as flagship of the Blue Squadron in the Battle of Barfleur on May 27th, 1692.

In february 1694 she was broken up to be rebuilt and was launched again in 1695. She served for another 26 years (briefly being renamed HMS Royal George in 1714) until the horrific accident occured at Portsmouth. A small number of her timbers are still sufficiently in tact to be used in rebuilding the mighty ship. Projections for her reconstruction estimate a completion date somewhere in the latter half of the third decade of this century.

Sir Robert Walpole elected "Prime Minister"
The whig statseman Sir Robert Walpole has been appointed First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. His official title is now First Minister and he has expressed his upmost intentions to deal with the current financial crisis at home.