HMS Athena: A Charles Mullins novel (Sea Command Book 4) Read Online Free
Author: Richard Testrake
scurried away to find his boat, leaving Mullins on deck with the first officer. He learned from this officer that the men’s food had become progressively worse, but Sir John’s cook had been successful in obtaining better supplies for the cabin.
The admiral had not realized the foul nature of the food being supplied to the seamen of the fleet. Now, the first officer expected better food for the entire crew.
Back aboard Athena, Mullins ordered the ship’s cook to notify Mister Cartwright of any foul provisions, and upon the master’s approval, return that food to shore.
The Impress Service sent aboard what was said to be the last draft of hands, The Impress officer assured him the receiving ship was nearly empty and other captains were loudly demanding men. Seamen on shore had become wise in the ways of evading press gangs and were difficult to find.
About the only men available today were unskilled farm workers and equally unskilled county quota men. Mullins already had a plentiful supply of the former and had little desire to take on quota men, many of whom were petty criminals, newly released from prison.
The Impress Officer, with whom Mullins had discussed the matter, disclosed a convoy from Halifax was expected any day.
HMS Athena already had most of a crew, sufficient at least to get out to sea. Her captain resolved to sail and hope to find this convoy. It would be strange if he could not press enough hands to fill out his roster.
Accordingly, he set Hudson to work drafting such a request to the port admiral. Hours later, the flagship hoisted a signal to Athena granting permission to sail.
There was still the tail end of the ebb tide and the wind would just serve. The topmen were sent aloft with the rest of the hands being put on the capstan. This last was unfamiliar to the new hands, but fortunately required little skill, just the brute muscle power of the men.
The anchor cable was wound in and when the master’s mate up forward reported ‘at short stay’, meaning the bowsprit was over the anchor, the first officer shouted, ‘Make Sail!’
The topsails were loosed and the straining canvas pulled the anchor right off the seafloor. In an instant, the ship became alive, making her way out to sea.
Once out in the Channel, Lieutenant Farver began exercising the crew. Sail drill was of the first priority, especially for the new hands, but it was important for the hands to become familiar with the guns also.
The crew had a week to learn their new skills when a hail from the maintop alerted the crew to ships coming up the Channel.
Standing out to meet them, it was found to be a convoy with a single escort, an elderly sloop-of-war. A third-rate liner had accompanied the convoy for most of its journey, but a gale had injured the liner’s foremast, so she had put in to Gibraltar for emergency repair.
The captain of the sloop was a commander of long service. A month ago, he would have outranked Mullins. Today though, the new post captain was his superior. He could have ordered the commander to come aboard Athena, but decided to avoid subjecting the elderly officer to a wet boat journey.
Approaching within hail, he shouted through his speaking trumpet to the sloop’s captain, informing him of his plans.
In return, the commander informed him of the ships in the convoy most likely to have men he could use.
The first of these ships was a timber carrier with a deck cargo of mast sections and spars from the Canadian forests. He sent his second officer, Mister Howard to see what he could find. Before he left, Mullins ordered him to take a selection of some of the more useless hands on the ship with him as boat crew.
If the master of the timber carrier assured him he would be unable to make port if he lost any of his hands, Howard could offer to supply him with these hands in trade.
An hour later, Howard’s boat left the merchantman with a full load of men. When it hooked on to Athena, Mullins learned that
The admiral had not realized the foul nature of the food being supplied to the seamen of the fleet. Now, the first officer expected better food for the entire crew.
Back aboard Athena, Mullins ordered the ship’s cook to notify Mister Cartwright of any foul provisions, and upon the master’s approval, return that food to shore.
The Impress Service sent aboard what was said to be the last draft of hands, The Impress officer assured him the receiving ship was nearly empty and other captains were loudly demanding men. Seamen on shore had become wise in the ways of evading press gangs and were difficult to find.
About the only men available today were unskilled farm workers and equally unskilled county quota men. Mullins already had a plentiful supply of the former and had little desire to take on quota men, many of whom were petty criminals, newly released from prison.
The Impress Officer, with whom Mullins had discussed the matter, disclosed a convoy from Halifax was expected any day.
HMS Athena already had most of a crew, sufficient at least to get out to sea. Her captain resolved to sail and hope to find this convoy. It would be strange if he could not press enough hands to fill out his roster.
Accordingly, he set Hudson to work drafting such a request to the port admiral. Hours later, the flagship hoisted a signal to Athena granting permission to sail.
There was still the tail end of the ebb tide and the wind would just serve. The topmen were sent aloft with the rest of the hands being put on the capstan. This last was unfamiliar to the new hands, but fortunately required little skill, just the brute muscle power of the men.
The anchor cable was wound in and when the master’s mate up forward reported ‘at short stay’, meaning the bowsprit was over the anchor, the first officer shouted, ‘Make Sail!’
The topsails were loosed and the straining canvas pulled the anchor right off the seafloor. In an instant, the ship became alive, making her way out to sea.
Once out in the Channel, Lieutenant Farver began exercising the crew. Sail drill was of the first priority, especially for the new hands, but it was important for the hands to become familiar with the guns also.
The crew had a week to learn their new skills when a hail from the maintop alerted the crew to ships coming up the Channel.
Standing out to meet them, it was found to be a convoy with a single escort, an elderly sloop-of-war. A third-rate liner had accompanied the convoy for most of its journey, but a gale had injured the liner’s foremast, so she had put in to Gibraltar for emergency repair.
The captain of the sloop was a commander of long service. A month ago, he would have outranked Mullins. Today though, the new post captain was his superior. He could have ordered the commander to come aboard Athena, but decided to avoid subjecting the elderly officer to a wet boat journey.
Approaching within hail, he shouted through his speaking trumpet to the sloop’s captain, informing him of his plans.
In return, the commander informed him of the ships in the convoy most likely to have men he could use.
The first of these ships was a timber carrier with a deck cargo of mast sections and spars from the Canadian forests. He sent his second officer, Mister Howard to see what he could find. Before he left, Mullins ordered him to take a selection of some of the more useless hands on the ship with him as boat crew.
If the master of the timber carrier assured him he would be unable to make port if he lost any of his hands, Howard could offer to supply him with these hands in trade.
An hour later, Howard’s boat left the merchantman with a full load of men. When it hooked on to Athena, Mullins learned that
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