Battle - 1724 - July 28 Port Battle Offense of St. Johns

Ships in Action:
ALLIES: SGS Captains in Bold.

ENEMIES:
 * Captain Aaron Jones
 * Captain Matthew Talbot
 * Captain Horatio Alexander
 * Captain Jeffrey Roberts
 * Captain Claude Foxhunter II
 * Captain Ben Riggs
 * 5 Other of His Majesty's Squadrons
 * French fleet consisting of 19 vessels, Mixed Frigates and 4th Rates.

Action Setup:
Prior to the Battle of St. Johns, I was patrolling off the coast of Port Royal. I had observed an increase in Pirate numbers near our great capital, and engaged several small groups (npcs) of the Merrymen Pirates. After sinking several small groups of the Merrymen criminal element, I ran full sail into Port Royal to obtain proper rest and provisions. As I finished up in port, a young lieutenant near the Admiralty office informed me of the near to time offensive in regards to St. Johns. I dashed back to the docks and barked to my crewman to prepare for best speed to St. Johns. I confirmed before departure the attack order with my fellow Captains. I then set full sail East to St. John's. On arriving in the ready room, I found that it was quite orderly. The Captains present seemed full of energy and seemed well prepared to retake this important economic port. The fleet entered the battle from the West, with the wind coming from the West. All Captains present set full sail and began to form the line as expected.

The Action Itself:
As our mighty English fleet entered the harbor, we observed a line of French Ships directly to our front. As we approached I was not surprised to see All 19 of the French ships turn into the wind and begin to run straight and true to the nearby fort. During the mad French dash to the port, two French ships were lost. It was decided at this point to form line on the port exit, which was done in due accord. Approximately 20 minutes passed, at which time a group of four British ships sailed to the town to begin the ground attack. The remaining ships in his Majesty's fleet remained at sea for the impending rush of French vessels. As expected, the French left the Fort and proceeded to press all speed towards the Town of St. John's. During this exchange, 5 French ships were lost. The remaining French made safe harbor and proceeded into St. John's. A single French ship remained at open sea, which was dispatched with utter justice. I along with my Squadron entered St. John's on foot and prepared for the foot assault. The entire fleet minus 2 losses entered the town, and began to slowly push forward. The group defeated several French patrols, (Npc's) and the remaining French Captains in town, with no further losses! We then began to secure the town and restore order with Marine deployments and house search's. No further French Captains nor citizens were found to be present.

The Result:
Victory!

The French resistance to His Majesty's rule was broken, and order restored rightfully in the name of His Majesty and Justice.
 * French - Loss of 19
 * England - Loss of 2

Lessons Learned:
This was my second port battle, the first one being straight open sea combat. This time however the French retreated into the Fort and tactical applications had to be made to counter the impending rush of the French. I found it would have been wise to form a line with the wind to keep speed with the French push to the town. The French were able to spawn even though a Gun Emplacement existed, and all did spawn on the side of the Gun Emplacement. Five French ships were defeated during the push, but it seems that some Captains could have possibly been in better position to keep speed.

Screen Shots:

 * [[File:Battle of St. John's 1724 July28 11.png]]
 * [[File:Battle of St. John's 1724 July28 12.png]]
 * [[File:Battle of St. John's 1724 July28 13.png]]

--Jeffrey roberts 17:08, 28 July 2012 (CDT)