Hold Fast

Scenario IV: Flight From Venice

by Timothy S. Gerritsen

(Advanced scenario)
February 22,d,
1812 France vs. England

Rivoli (74 Gun third rate carrying 80 guns), Jena (16 gun brig), and Mercure (16 gun brig) vs. HMS Victorious (74 Gun third rate carrying 82 guns), HMS Weazle (16 gun sloop)

OVERVIEW:

Trafalgar did nothing to daunt Napoleon's ambitions at sea, even as the pool of naval officers from which he could draw dwindled. With the taking of the Kingdom of Italy, Napoleon began the construction of large ships by his vassal for duty in the Mediterranean, and Venice bustled with the heady noise of ship taking form. The Rivoli was completed in Venice in 1812, too late for the ill-fated battle of Lissa. She was a formidable 3rd rate and assigned under the command of the resolute, if not terribly experienced Commodore Jean-Baptiste Barre. Shortly after completion, Rivoli was sent out to sea with a fresh crew to challenge the seasoned British forces under Captain John Talbot waiting offshore.

Setup: Open Ocean
Wind Direction : West
There is a 2"x 3" (level 5) shoal 6" directly to the East of the Rivoli

Place the Victorious 10" directly to the west of the Rivoli, heading E at a speed of 3. Place the Weazle 7" directly to the west of the Rivoli, heading E at a speed of 5. Place the Rivoli 16" to the west of the eastern edge of the playing area, heading E at a speed of 2. (Rivoli was an oversized 3rd Rate and was overloaded, thus her max speed is just 2).

Place the Jena 2" directly to the west of the Rivoli, heading E at a speed of 3. Place the Mercure 4" directly to the west of the Rivoli, heading E at a speed of 2.

AIM:

French- No restrictions
English- No restrictions

Victory Conditions: Escape

The goal of the Rivoli is to escape off the east edge of the playing area. No points are scored by either side for the destruction or escape of the two French brigs. They were considered expendable for the operation (though obviously not to her crews).

HISTORICAL OUTCOME:

Ironically, as the French mastery of the seas lessened, their fighting tenacity increased. Rivoli went to sea with an inexperienced crew and Captain, but made a good account of herself. Mercure moved to stop the Weazle, but was quickly blown up, and the Jena stood off, fearing a similar fate.

Rivoli stood to broadsides with Victorious and the fighting was fierce. In a four hour battle, the Rivoli shot away much of the rigging of the Victorious and did quite a bit of damage. The cost to the Rivoli, however, was staggering. She ultimately struck her colors, but only after 400 of her crew lay dead, nearly half her complement. The Weazle gave good account of herself, coming in to rake the stem of the Rivoli repeatedly after dispatching the Mercure. Barre was captured, and Captain Talbot afforded him great respect for his conduct in the battle.

There was actually a third French brig Mamelouck present during the battle. She was half the size of the either of the other two brigs, however, and did not take part in the fighting. Purists may wish to add this ship to the battle to see if it could have had more affect on the outcome.

Hold Fast Rules for the Age of Sail

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© Copyright 2004 Hal Thinglum
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