HMS Aphrodite (Sea Command Book 1) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Richard Testrake
the bow was the first to fire.
The heavy ball struck the frigate’s forward hull, low, doing troublesome damage. An eye-blink later, the eighteen-pounder carronades on her beam began firing into her. At the first shot, the frigate attempted to come about, but it was too late. She was savagely bow-raked as the impacting balls struck her about the bow, the balls then ranging aft, destroying anything they came in contact with.
One ball took out her helm, and for the moment she was helpless. The guns were ordered to change to grape or case shot and the carnage kept mounting. A blast of grape took out many of the shrouds and the forestay of her foremast.
A big eighteen-pounder ball had made a big notch in that foremast in the last exchange, and now, with the supporting shrouds and forestay severed, the fore came crashing down.
The enemy guns were still thundering away, although slowly now that so many of her crew were casualties. The frigate drifting helplessly now, Havoc made her way around to her quarter where none of her guns could reach her. She sat there, her guns silent, while she waited to see what the enemy commander wished to do.
In Mullin’s eye, surrender was the only possible option, but the frigate captain did not view it that way. Only fathoms away from the crippled warship, Havoc’s crew could see a party of seamen hauling a nine-pounder gun to an empty port. Mullins waited as long as he felt he possibly could, but then ordered a sections of carronades to fire on the enemy quarterdeck. The ensuing blast eliminated all on that quarterdeck, including the captain and the crew of the gun.
The only sounds heard now were the screams and cries of hideously wounded men. There was no reaction now as the wind pushed the brig and frigate together. One burly seaman clambering up the frigate’s side gently removed the sword with which a young aspirant was threatening him.
The frigate had suffered desperate damage, and the crews of both ships were kept busy, insuring she would not come to grief during a bad blow later on. As soon as Mullins was satisfied as to the safety of his own ship, he went over to the frigate and inspected the prize. She had lost almost all of her quarterdeck officers, with only the aspirant who had been handling the signals emerging more or less intact.
Having sailed from port very recently, the prize was well supplied with necessary ship’s stores, enough to cover much of the repairs for both ships. After Havoc had repaired her most serious injuries and the prize was able to make the journey to Gibraltar, the pair separated and went on their ways.
Chapter Four
Shipping along the Ligurian coast was plentiful, the difficulty was determining just who the vessel in question was working for. To an extent, this question was alleviated when they came upon a coaster just off the coast. The dilapidated vessel came to at once when a gun was fired and Mister Waters took a boat over to investigate.
Waters was becoming a most promising deck officer. Smaller vessels like Havoc were often supplied with a master’s mate instead of a master. This would often lead to promotion to master sometime in the future
.
Mullins had discussed the matter with Waters on a quiet night watch. Waters informed him he was of course happy to have the honor of serving in his present position, but hoped to someday attain commissioned status.
He had already proved his merit when he took much of the initiative in repairing the battle damage incurred in the action with the enemy frigate. That ship had been hastily patched and sent to Gibraltar, along with her former crew, now prisoners. Havoc herself was as ready as his crew could make her. A major difficulty was the twenty casualties she had incurred in that fight with no immediate means of replacing them.
When Waters returned, he brought with him a British Army captain of Hussars, although his uniform was in a sad state of disrepair. Nevertheless,
The heavy ball struck the frigate’s forward hull, low, doing troublesome damage. An eye-blink later, the eighteen-pounder carronades on her beam began firing into her. At the first shot, the frigate attempted to come about, but it was too late. She was savagely bow-raked as the impacting balls struck her about the bow, the balls then ranging aft, destroying anything they came in contact with.
One ball took out her helm, and for the moment she was helpless. The guns were ordered to change to grape or case shot and the carnage kept mounting. A blast of grape took out many of the shrouds and the forestay of her foremast.
A big eighteen-pounder ball had made a big notch in that foremast in the last exchange, and now, with the supporting shrouds and forestay severed, the fore came crashing down.
The enemy guns were still thundering away, although slowly now that so many of her crew were casualties. The frigate drifting helplessly now, Havoc made her way around to her quarter where none of her guns could reach her. She sat there, her guns silent, while she waited to see what the enemy commander wished to do.
In Mullin’s eye, surrender was the only possible option, but the frigate captain did not view it that way. Only fathoms away from the crippled warship, Havoc’s crew could see a party of seamen hauling a nine-pounder gun to an empty port. Mullins waited as long as he felt he possibly could, but then ordered a sections of carronades to fire on the enemy quarterdeck. The ensuing blast eliminated all on that quarterdeck, including the captain and the crew of the gun.
The only sounds heard now were the screams and cries of hideously wounded men. There was no reaction now as the wind pushed the brig and frigate together. One burly seaman clambering up the frigate’s side gently removed the sword with which a young aspirant was threatening him.
The frigate had suffered desperate damage, and the crews of both ships were kept busy, insuring she would not come to grief during a bad blow later on. As soon as Mullins was satisfied as to the safety of his own ship, he went over to the frigate and inspected the prize. She had lost almost all of her quarterdeck officers, with only the aspirant who had been handling the signals emerging more or less intact.
Having sailed from port very recently, the prize was well supplied with necessary ship’s stores, enough to cover much of the repairs for both ships. After Havoc had repaired her most serious injuries and the prize was able to make the journey to Gibraltar, the pair separated and went on their ways.
Chapter Four
Shipping along the Ligurian coast was plentiful, the difficulty was determining just who the vessel in question was working for. To an extent, this question was alleviated when they came upon a coaster just off the coast. The dilapidated vessel came to at once when a gun was fired and Mister Waters took a boat over to investigate.
Waters was becoming a most promising deck officer. Smaller vessels like Havoc were often supplied with a master’s mate instead of a master. This would often lead to promotion to master sometime in the future
.
Mullins had discussed the matter with Waters on a quiet night watch. Waters informed him he was of course happy to have the honor of serving in his present position, but hoped to someday attain commissioned status.
He had already proved his merit when he took much of the initiative in repairing the battle damage incurred in the action with the enemy frigate. That ship had been hastily patched and sent to Gibraltar, along with her former crew, now prisoners. Havoc herself was as ready as his crew could make her. A major difficulty was the twenty casualties she had incurred in that fight with no immediate means of replacing them.
When Waters returned, he brought with him a British Army captain of Hussars, although his uniform was in a sad state of disrepair. Nevertheless,
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