Sails Across the Sea: A Tim Phillips Novel (War at Sea Book 8) (14 page)

HMS Badger swung at her anchor until the signal tower reported the Commodore of the North American station was nearing the harbor with his fleet. Phillips reported aboard the flag with his accounts of the ship’s activities since leaving Portsmouth. Commodore Gibbons acknowledged his efforts in ridding the Atlantic of a potentially dangerous pest, and gave orders seeing to the ship’s necessary repairs. Each watch was granted a brief run on shore, with the warning that any man failing to return would void further leaves.

The dockyard was unwilling or unable to furnish paint to improve the appearance of the ship. Phillips, by now having expended all of the funds he had brought with him on the voyage, had to negotiate a letter of credit to purchase paint and cabin stores. He knew there was slim chance he would be reimbursed, but knew he had done well financially in recent years and was resigned to paying the expenses on his own.

At length Badger, now freshly painted with new rigging re-rove, received her sailing orders. She was to escort a forty ship convoy back home under the orders of the convoy commander, Captain Byron of HMS Fortitude, 64. A non-rated brig, Mastiff, ten guns, commanded by Lieutenant Whipple would assist.

They left harbor on a cold and rainy day. A fresh breeze out of the northwest pushed them out to sea. Fortitude took the weather position on the convoy flank while Mastiff brought up the rear. Badger was ordered to take the leeward position near the head of the convoy. As usual, there was the normal confusion as individual merchant captains attempted to assert their self-perceived authority and try to jockey other ships out of their way.

Phillips was forced to expend more than a few rounds from his starboard bow-chaser as a means to obtain the errant captains’ attention. The weather, while still cold and rainy, remained tolerable for the first few days and no enemies were encountered.

Then, the winds increased, the seas piling up dangerously. Sudden squalls reduced visibility to nothing, and the helmsmen and sail handlers had to remain ready for sudden emergencies. Fortunately, Phillips had been able to prevail upon the dockyard to replace their old and fragile storm canvas with fresh material. That, with the new rigging, saved the ship from sudden disasters several times.

Not so the Fortitude. She was old and worn out, having been on the North American station long past the time for a needed re-fit. Even before the worst of the storm hit, Badger’s deck hands noted the water streaming from Fortitudes scuppers as she pumped out the water that was flooding into the hull with the working of the seams.

A blinding squall hit Badger, and Phillips was fully occupied with sailing his ship. Massive seas were piling up as they scudded before the wind. This was a dangerous point of sailing, for it was very possible for one of the following wave crests to sweep over the ship, from stern to stem.

As the squall passed, Midshipman Simmons pointed to the Fortitude. She was broadside to the waves, and they watched as a wave went right over her hull, rolling her until Phillips thought she would go right over. By some miracle, she did not quite, and a brave party in her bows got a scrap of topmast staysail set to pull he bows around.

Before she disappeared in the next squall, she hung up a signal telling Badger she was unable to proceed and for Phillips to take charge of the convoy.

The next twenty-four hours were a blur, as the ship went from one emergency to another. When the gale moderated, only six ships were in sight, one of them the Mastiff. Surprisingly, the small brig was still in good condition and was able to locate and bring in a few more of the missing ships. With the remaining merchants closed up, their homeward course was resumed, hands being kept busy repairing storm damage.

Moderating weather brought clear skies and cold temperature. With all the wind that they needed, each ship had a mustache at its bow. Phillips stationed Mastiff up forward to windward where he took the rear lee spot. With only nine merchants to shepherd, he felt more confident than he had before with the mass of wayward shipping he had had to contend with then. The individual ship captains were more cautious now, and caused only minimal trouble.

With clear skies and a following wind, Phillips felt optimistic one morning. The dawn had brought the ship to action stations, in case any enemy might appear with the daylight. With the lookout having newly mounted to his perch on the maintop and pronouncing the horizon clear of strange sail, he left the deck to Mister Hardesty and went to his cabin for breakfast.

Having recently left port, the bread was not completely stale yet, and he had some toasted with fresh butter. One of the hens taken aboard at Halifax had laid an egg, so he had that with tea and some salt ham that had been first boiled then fried. Finished, he called for pen and paper and was considering what to enter into the report he would file upon reaching port, when he heard someone on deck report the brig was signaling.

Knowing the signal was likely to be one of a hundred routine signals, he paid no attention until he heard Simmons speaking to the sentry outside his door. Simmons came in and reported, “Sir, we think Mastiff is signaling, but we can’t make it out.”

One of the merchants had had a problem with her rigging last evening and had fallen back to make repairs. Badger had remained with her, while the remainder of the convoy forged on ahead. The problem had been solved by now, and Phillips had ordered the merchant to make more sail, but having a tiny crew, the merchant captain was slow to comply.

Phillips knew the signal from Mastiff was probably nothing important, but he knew he must act as though it were. Going on deck, he was unable to see anything of Mastiff but the notch her topsails put in the horizon. Badger again signaled the slow merchant to make more sail, then a gun was fired to give the merchant’s crew an incentive to work faster.

With all available canvas set, Badger put a bone in her teeth and raced forward. Soon it was apparent the convoy ahead had heaved to and was awaiting Badger. A midshipman was sent aloft with a glass to try to read the signal Mastiff still was flying. Since the wind was following, the signal flag was streaming forward and it was difficult to see enough of it to read.

Before Badger had closed enough to see the signal clearly, the lookout reported, “Sail in sight, off the starboard bow, hull down.”

A moment later, a second sail was reported, then a third. All coming their way. Surely nothing to be concerned about. Probably another merchant convoy coming their way.

Mister Simmons took that moment to shout down, “Deck there, Mastiff had sent up another signal. “Enemy in sight!”

This was another matter altogether. Badger made for the head of the convoy toward which the strangers were heading. Now, it was possible to see more of the newcomers. Two ships and a schooner were approaching. Soon, it was apparent the ships were corvettes, one of about the size of Badger, the other smaller, probably ten or twelve guns. The schooner would have been of no particular importance, except the corvettes could easily occupy Badger and Mastiff while the schooner wreaked havoc in the convoy.

Now, Phillips regretted not having one of those Indiamen he had sailed with in the Indian Ocean. These traders were small vessels, almost unarmed and with small crews barely enough to make sail, let alone fight a ship.

Knowing he might be sending the brig to her doom, he signaled the escort brig to engage the schooner, while he continued toward the larger corvette himself. The two corvettes had separated by now and were coming toward either side of the convoy, while the schooner was coming straight toward Mastiff.

The foreboding Phillips had been feeling began to dissipate as he realized the mistake the enemy was making. He was sure the enemy would have been better advised to evade the little brig and have the two corvettes concentrate on Badger while the schooner tried to cut out a merchant or two. Instead. The stranger boldly approached Mastiff and tried to turn across her bow to rake her.

The crew of Mastiff was able to get her around in time and meet the schooner with her broadside at close range. The crew of the brig were well drilled and got in two broadsides to one from the schooner. The British brig had only a few small guns, but they were well aimed and well served. The schooner had few guns that were not used effectively. Seeing his consort effectively managing his opponent, Phillips put that fight from his mind and concentrated on the two corvettes approaching the convoy from the front.

Phillips signaled the merchants to remain in formation, but that order was ignored. When the small corvette closed, the merchants scattered like a flock of chickens threatened by a fox. With the merchants going in all directions, any thoughts of strategy were gone. With all sail set, Badger tore after the small ship as she went for a big ship-rigged trader. Almost colliding with the forepart of another ship, Badger came around another and found herself beam to beam with that corvette. His midshipmen and Acting Lieutenant Hardesty were at their stations behind the guns, while Mister Tringle handled the ship.

The ships fired at the same moment. Both broadsides were well aimed, but Badger had twice the number of guns the little opponent did, and they did more telling execution. Before firing, Hardesty had loaded a charge of grape on top of the ball of each gun and the results were spectacular. The port mainchains and braces were ruined on the enemy, and Phillips doubted the mast would stand much longer.

Alongside, steadily pounding shot into the small ship, Badger’s main tops’l was backed, and she slowed. Exchanging fire with the enemy. Several blasts of grape came on board Badger, and men were being carried below with fearsome wounds.

The fire from the enemy had almost ceased, but one of her final shots brought down a block from above, which struck Mister Santini on top of his skull, laying him out motionless on the deck. Phillips was distressed by this event. Midshipman Santini was a most valuable petty officer. Quiet and soft spoken he was rarely heard but managed to finish all his tasks in a seaman-like way.

Another broadside brought down the enemy’s foremast, and Phillips ordered Mister Tringle to drop this opponent and head for the other corvette. This was a larger ship, the equal of Badger in guns and size. Her commander had made a bad mistake though and Badger was going to capitalize on it. When this corvette had seen the drubbing Mastiff was handing out to the enemy schooner, she went to the schooner’s assistance.

She would have been well advised to have removed Badger from the scene while she had the chance. As Badger closed on the big corvette, her captain saw his danger and turned to meet the British warship. The fight was no longer as equal as it would have been earlier, since the fight from the smaller enemy had put several guns out of action, Badger’s rigging was damaged, and many men were dead or below being treated by the surgeon. Nevertheless, Badger’s crew greeted their new adversary with a cheer and got to work.

The two opponents went at it hammer and tong, men being sent below every moment with dreadful wounds, but their own ship’s guns were also doing fearful execution upon the enemy.

When an enemy shot came through a port and destroyed the carriage of one of their own nine pounders, Phillips began to have a moment of doubt. The enemy now had more operational guns than Badger, but the well trained Badger gunners were firing faster. Phillips thought the outcome of the conflict would depend on whichever opponent was able to disable some critical portion of the enemy. The fight could go either way.

Mister Hardesty and Midshipman Simmons were going by the guns, encouraging the crews and lending their backs where they were needed. As the men tired, Hardesty relieved some of the most affected and replaced them with sail handlers. The men had all been cross-trained in the different jobs, so with tiring men slowing, it was not difficult to send a man to an entirely different job. Seeing some men pointing to starboard, he saw Mastiff coming to assist them. The brig was in a bad way, her sails and rigging had been shot to rags, but she had dismasted the schooner and was knotting and splicing as she came.

She came up on the corvette’s quarter just as that ship’s mizzen fell like an axed tree. Parking on its quarter, the brig began firing its remaining guns into her hull while Badger came up on her bow and began pouring shot down the length of her hull. Her flag having gone by the board, someone on the enemy quarterdeck began waving a white shirt and the action was over. The victors began making what repairs were possible but it was shortly decided to abandon the schooner, since she was badly crippled and Mister Tringle did not like the cloud system coming up on their rear.

It was necessary to rig jury masts for the two corvettes and hope weather did not become too severe for the ships to cope. The ships limped into Portsmouth where it was learned all of the convoy had arrived, save for two. Whether these had been lost in the storm, turned back or were taken by the enemy was not known.

Phillips reported to the port admiral, who furnished him a warrant to post up to London. It seemed there were officials who wished to speak with him there. Not knowing whether he would be returning to Badger, Phillips reminded the admiral Mister Hardesty had done exemplary service as his first officer, but the young man had only an acting commission. The admiral assured him he would see that Hardesty stood before his board to make the commission official.