Battle - 1720 - November 9 - The Plucky Assault on Cayo de Marquis

Ships in Action:
ALLIES:

Virgil Kyle - HMS Striker ('Conquistador' Sleek Frigate)

-23 other British ships, all of them heavy frigates

ENEMIES:

-French fleet of 24 vessels, consisting of heavy frigates and multiple first, second, and third-rate ships-of-the-line.

Action Setup:
In order to explain the make-up of our battle fleet, it is first important to understand the events which took place in the British Council meeting immediately preceding it. For a detailed transcript of the meeting, please consult the appropriate thread in the Junior Officer's Wardroom forum. The short explanation is that the Council decided to go through with the attack on Cayo de Marquis, a critical ship-building mecca akin to our Turtling Bay, but it was decided that we would impose a strict handicap on ourselves of only ships made with one lineship bundle or less. With this decision made, we all prepared for the port battle ahead, and steeled ourself for a hard fight against overwhelming firepower.

Upon entering the battle room, things were understandably chaotic. Luckily, however, everybody had obeyed the agreement, and had brought appropriate ships, per the Council's orders. As we left the battle room, we had no real strategic plan worked out, but we resolved to face the enemy with the tenacity expected of true Englishmen and women. Once we saw the enemy fleet, we realized we'd need every bit of it for the fight ahead...

The Action Itself:
Upon entering the battle, we set our eyes upon the heaviest French fleet that I had ever seen. True to the predictions and indications from them, the had brought their heaviest fleet to oppose us. However, we did not let this daunt us. We made for the rear of their line, intent on doing whatever damage we could. Unfortunately, their initially spread-out line tightened up, and they started pounding us hard. As we turned our line to gain distance from their onslaught, our commanders suddenly became alarmed as an enemy 'Trinity' second-rate under the command of Vincent Jervis broke away from the French line and started savaging our sterns at close range. The call went out for one of us to turn and engage the ship and pull the pressure off the rear of our line, and I answered the call.

Unfortunately, as I tried to board the offending vessel, the Striker was bombarded by the combined firepower of half the French fleet, and my ship's battered hulk ran aground on a nearby beach, completely devastated and out of action. As I watched our fleet sail away, though, I felt satisfied in my sacrifice. I bought them time to regroup, and hit the enemy again!

As I watched on, I saw our ships fall one by one, but each fought valiantly, and each held out with remarkable pluck and valor. The French still had quite a fight on their hands, and it took them a long time to take us all down. Unfortunately, take us down they did, and as the hour ticked by, our fate became more and more certain...

The Result:
This battle, alas, resulted in defeat, but it was not as complete as it might seem. Although we lost a total of 18 ships in this battle, and sunk none of theirs (a sore point with me, I admit), we scored a major diplomatic victory in the process. We averted a potential mass exodus of French players from the server by doing what we did, and brought them back to the negotiating table without crippling their ability to make war. Thus, we may have lost the battle, but we ensured that we'll have many more well-fought battles to win in the future. And that, my friends, is what I call winning the ultimate war - the war to forge a server where everyone can have fun.

After all - it's just a game ;)

Lessons Learned:
The only lesson I took from this battle was that, if I'm going to charge a force of French lineships again in the future, perhaps I should reserve enough morale to activate 'Invulnerable' when doing so. That may have changed the outcome of my little suicide boarding run against Jervis, and it's the only thing I wish I would have done differently in the battle.

Eh, live and learn, right?