Battle - 1721 - March 23 - Battle for Port-of-Spain

Ships in Action:
ALLIES:

 Captain Jonathan C. Hawke - HMS Cockatrice (Postillionen-class Sixth-rate)

 Captain Robert Middlemore - HMS Fearless (Mercy-class Fifth-rate)

Sixteen other British vessels, mainly assorted Fifth-rates and a couple of Sixth-rates, with a few Third-rates and Fourth-rates leading.

ENEMIES:

Spanish fleet of fifteen vessels, almost entirely Fifth-rate frigates around 40 guns.

Action Setup:
The British fleet entered the cove near Port-of-Spain with one ship stranded leeward on the opposite side of the northern sandbank, essentially reducing British numbers to seventeen total. Of those, three or four captains appeared to be privateers of Eastern European origin with little comprehension of either the King's English or the Signal Code of His Majesty's Navy - or at least, little desire to use either. Thus communications and the chain-of-command was also hindered. Although Captain Hawke and myself were assigned to lead these rapscallions, tentatively Black Group, once line was joined orders came down from Admiral Tikkas for our group to merge with Green Group. However, the members of our group were completely unable to either see or understand the signals from the Commodore of Green.

Furthermore several British ships were notably unsuited to stand in a line of battle, such as a Raa-class frigate commanded by one of the Hungarian captains. That said, I must note that Captain Hawke's Cockatrice accounted admirably for herself and her crew despite the disadvantage of her 24 guns against ships with twice that number on average.

Despite these problems the British force assumed line in good order and made for the fortress at running, with the Spanish ships taking shelter in the harbour to form their defensive line.



The Action Itself:
The British fleet split into two lines, Green and Red, as it approached the harbour; Red unfurled full sails against the wind and took the lead to turn hard to starboard around the coastline at broad reach, snaking inside the now fully-formed Spanish line as Green followed at the rear.



As Red drew along the line of the coast into the harbour and under the Spanish guns, battle was formally joined and a furious exchange of broadsides began. Possessing a temporary advantage in weight of fire as the British line completed the manoeuvre, four British frigates were quickly sunk in return for two Spanish ships. At this point Green Group followed the starboard turn into the harbour and moved to overtake and protect Red Group from the Spanish volleys, then turning back to port around the coastline and across the Spanish rear as it took the lead. This movement led to severe damage to several Spanish vessels from fire taken to their stern as Green passed and Red followed, and one Spanish ship striking her colours after boarding action.

The Spanish responded by retreating from the sheltered harbour at full sail while the British line, by this point disorganised from what nearly amounted to general melee in the tight confines of the coastline, sought to reform. Essentially the fleets' positions had been reversed, and the British force now found itself close-hauled on the port tack whilst the Spanish line reformed neatly perpendicular to the fort.



After some confusion a British line was able to form across the entrance to the harbour to afford protection to the damaged ships in the rear, and resumed exchange of fire with the Spanish. As some order was at last restored, a further Spanish frigate was sunk.

At this point the Spanish captains abandoned the fight on the sea and retreated into the fortress. The British force followed, sending longboats ashore to continue the battle whilst Captain Hawke bravely volunteered to remain on station aboard the Cockatrice in order to monitor the movement of any Spanish ships back out of the protection of the fort.

Sadly, the weight of numbers inside the fort was against the British, and an impetuous charge by the Hungarian captains against orders caused us to become flanked by an ambush. Although several Spanish captains were injured and brought down in the ensuing swordfight, the outcome was inevitable, and the attack was routed, the British captains and their marines forced to retreat to the longboats.

Captain Hawke remained behind in the Cockatrice to cover the retreat back to open waters, and brought the Spanish to chase. Facing impossible odds, he was forced to strike his colours at the last. His unflinching and selfless devotion to duty is to be commended, as is his seamanship and command - although separated from him by some distance, at several points in the battle I bore witness to the Cockatrice sustaining fire from both enemy ships and fortress guns - fire that would otherwise have been focused on other captains and ships. Yet the ship endured to the last, a "mere" 24-gun. This is, to my opinion, an impressive feat.

The Result:
An inconclusive draw leading to British retreat, to be generous. Despite major problems in the initial set-up of the chain-of-command, communications, and ship complement, the British force was eventually able to establish dominance on the sea. Once the Spanish retreated to land and the safety of their well-manned fortress, however, a stalemate would have likely been the best possible outcome.

All told four Spanish frigates were sunk or captured, for five British ships sunk, captured, or severely damaged. Again, an inconclusive result with neither side achieving or losing much of note, in the grand scheme of things.

Lessons Learned:
As ever, communication and organisation is vital - nay, key. Had the four Hungarian captains and their ships - as ill-suited as some of their ships may have been - were willing and able to communicate effectively with the rest of the British force and its leaders, they would no doubt have been able to contribute more on the sea, as well as heeding the Admiral's orders ashore. As things stood, their inability to understand the specific order not to charge up into the fort into what was clearly a trap, and in fact their willingness to do the exact opposite, was the crucial moment at which the melee inside the fort was lost.

I do not wish to be one to scapegoat, and no doubt many captains - myself included - made mistakes of their own. However this proved to be the major lesson of the engagement, and one which was noted and discussed by all captains present in the aftermath.