Brest, France. The navy reports that the ship of the line, "La Fromage," led a small squadron of ships against British raiders in the Eastern Atlantic last week, fighting the English seadogs until dusk forced the two forces to disengage. The combined Franco-Spanish squadron won a strategic and moral victory over a superior English force that temporarialy gives France and Spain a strong presence in the Eastern Atlantic.
Winds out of the ENE gave the English approaching from the NE the wind gage and prevented most of the Spanish forces approaching from the NW from engaging quickly. The carnage opened with the French line, apporaching from almost due west, crossing the English tee and pounding the van of the English line; the 100 gun, "King George," struck early. Later, the Spanish 100 gun flagship also quickly fell prey to the combined attacks of the more numerous English enemy. Before night fell, only "La Fromage" remained of the French squadron; of the two other ships, one blew up near dusk, and the English captured the other. However, the audacity of the French attack delayed the English line and fractured it enough to give the Franco-Spanish forces a chance.
After the Spanish rear unfouled itself and joined the battle, the action seesawed back and forth. About mid afternoon, the wind veered until it blew out of the south, passing the wind gage over to the Franco-Spanish force. At one point, four different tangles of fouled or grappled ships, almost two thirds of the forces involved, drifted in a confusion of spars and fallen masts with struck or surrendered ships in every direction. The English took one Spaniard by boarding only to have the prize sunk out from under the prize crew's feet just before dusk. The English dismasted another Spaniard, but were unable to finish it off. One Spanish ship collided with a burning Frenchman, but managed to unfoul before the fire reached the burning ship's magazine; instead, a passing English 74 under full sails took the brunt of the explosion and lost two masts which fell on opposite sides of the ship. Several vicious boarding actions threatened at times to change the course of the battle, but luck came down on the outnumbered Franco-Spanish squadron's side more than once as various ship's crews managed to ungrapple or unfoul before English boarders overwhelmed them. Once the Spanish joined the fight, they proved tenacious for a change, trading punches with the English, seriously damaging or forcing several English 74's to strike. Spanish boarders eventually took three prizes, including the "King George." Still Spanish success resulted from French courage! While really fighting the English to a draw, the Franco-Spanish force won on points, snatching a tactical and moral victory from the (previously unbeaten in our campaign) bulldogs of the Royal Navy.
Rules: "Wooden Ships and Iron Men"
Figures: 1/2400 sail
Situation: Wind from ENE with English in a single column heading SW and fourteen hexes from a French column of three ships approaching from almost due west and the same distance away from a Spanish column of five ships approaching out of the NW.
Forces (Ship size in guns + crew quality of Green, Average (AVG), or Crack):
English: 100 gun AVG, 74 gun Crack, two 74 gun AVGs, 74 gun Crack (French Prize), 80 gun AVG (Spanish prize), and three 74 gun AVGs in single column heading SW
French: 74 gun Crack and two 74 gun Greens in single column heading due East and escorting a single transport
Spanish: 100 gun AVG, two 80 gun AVGs, and two 80 gun Greens in single column heading heading SE and escorting a single transport
Analysis: Both sides should have disengaged sooner, but they stuck it out and pounded each other into flotsam and jetsam. The 100 gun flagships were quickly put out of action. Several early collisions resulted in tangles that reduced the English advantage of the wind gage and eventually negated it, but also slowed the Spanish line. The slow closure of the Spanish line may have prevented a wider margin of victory. Had the Spanish closed early while the French tangled up the English van, the Franco-Spanish force would have effectively capped the English tee before all of the English line could have engaged effectively. As it was, numerous struck ships of both sides drifting around the battle area often blocked lines of fire. The Royal Navy player broke his line into two columns after the French line disabled his van. That action also contributed to narrowing the margin of victory and did allow the Royal Navy to close on some of the wrecks; unfortunately, the Royal Navy was unable to exploit the advantage. The various tangles of ships from fouling or grappling turned the battle area into a traffic jam. The most novel of these tangles remains the Spaniard fouled for five turns with a Frenchman on the verge of exploding! The Spaniard managed to unfoul and clear off just before the wreck exploded doing fourteen rigging hits, two guns, and two hull in damage to a passing English 74 under full sail. Talk about luck! Damage to both sides was so extensive that few ships remained to take advantage of any momentary lulls or momentum to swing the battle one way or the other. Well played by all three sides!
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