HMS Centaur: A Charles Mullins novel, Sea Command 8

by Richard Testrake

  Centaur left the dockyard the same day that Mullins arrived. The ships’ wounds had been repaired, now minor damage above decks was being repaired out in the harbor. He arrived at a most opportune moment. Admiral Montague was absent from his command for a few days, and his flag captain had agreed to allow a friend, commanding a frigate pulled from ordinary, to filch a dozen of Centaur’s seamen from aboard the receiving ship where they were berthed.

  This frigate was still undergoing repair, as was Centaur, and the purloined men were still on board the receiving ship temporarily.

  Hoover had protested vociferously, but his position as first officer prevented him from over-riding the demands of a post captain. Although he could collect the remainder of Centaur’s crew and taken them to the still unfinished ship, he was told the dozen men taken were lost to him.

  As soon as Mullins received the news, he went ashore to see what might be done. Admiral Montague was still absent, so he was forced to discuss his problem with the flag captain. Mullins informed him of his problem, reminding Captain Benson of the admiral’s promise. The flag captain said he was not aware of any promise, so the levy of the seamen must stand.

  Mullins next move was a visit to his Marine officer, Captain Hollister. While Centaur was in the dockyard, the Marines had been sent to barracks onshore, while Captain Hollister had taken rooms nearby.

  Although Centaurs’ Marines were no longer aboard ship, they were still assigned to Centaur and expected to return to the liner before she sailed, still deemed to be under Mullin’s overall command.

  After some discussion, it was determined a dozen Marines could be assigned for duty on the ship, preparatory to the remainder joining in a week or so. After borrowing a yard boat and crew from the superintendent, the Marines were loaded aboard. The cox’n of the yard boat was directed to make for the old hulk serving as receiving ship, where Mullins was piped aboard with full honors. An elderly lieutenant was serving as officer of the watch and, although puzzled, made no complaint when Mullins informed him he had come for the remainder of his men. Lieutenant Dreyer did require he sign a receipt, indicating he had taken custody of the men.

  Late that afternoon, all of Centaurs’ hands were busy performing maintenance on the ship when a well-appointed captain’s gig hooked on. Captain Welch of HMS Greyhound had a stormy look on his face when he was piped aboard. Interpreting the man’s mood, Mullins welcomed him into his quarters, where the officer refused any refreshment and demanded the return of the men.

  “Captain Welch”, Mullins replied. “I am afraid you may not understand the situation. Those were my own men you attempted to secure from the receiving ship. These men were not assigned to that hulk; they were and are on Centaurs’ books. If you dispute this, I would recommend you make an appointment to see Admiral Montague when he returns.”

  The furious officer left, vowing to return with a boarding party. The borrowed Marines were paraded on deck and the rest of the crew were called to quarters, but no further difficulty was experienced.

  .

  Chapter Eleven

  Eventually, Admiral Montague returned and Captain Mullins was called to the flag. Expecting to have his hand slapped for his part in the disagreement with Captain Welch, he was surprised when the matter was never mentioned. Instead, he was given a brief description of an island he was to attack and seize off Normandy.

  “Captain Mullins, I will not now give you the name or exact location of this island. A representative of the Admiralty will sail with you and provide you with all needed information when you are well out to sea. There have been unfortunate leaks of information from various sources which the French have intercepted. If this information leaks, I do not want it found to have come from us. Mister Harrow, your advisor, is presently in the wardroom and will join us on the quarterdeck shortly.”

  As his gig was pulled over to Centaur with the new guest, he saw other boats about the ship disgorging more Marines. Mister Hoover was almost frantic, faced with the requirement to find space to stow these extra people. He stated the first boat delivered a new Royal Marine lieutenant who carried an order assigning the extra Marines to the ship. Marine Lieutenant Gordon had no idea of his Marines’ mission on the ship, but was prepared to do his duty.

  Hoover suggested an extra ship be requested to accompany Centaur on the mission, to take some of these extra people aboard, but after a quick request to the flag captain, they learned no other ships were available. They must proceed on their mission with what they had. Finally, with the crowded ship ready to sail, Centaur asked for permission to depart and the voyage began. That evening, after the supper meal, Mullins asked his sailing master whether land was still in sight from the deck.

  After being assured him it was not, he asked. “Then, Mister Hardrace, I would be glad if you would pass the word for Mister Harrow, Mister Hoover and Captain Hollister to come to my quarters at once. You should come too, and I will thank you if you would bring any charts of the Normandy coast that you may have.”

  With his guests assembled in the great cabin, wine was poured and Mullins introduced the ships’ officers to the Admiralty representative. Mister Harrow put his glass on the table and spread out a large chart. “Gentlemen, this chart depicts the Cotentin Peninsula, off the Normandy coast.”

  Pointing to a small island just off the eastern coast, he said, “This is the Ile St. Pierre, the former site of a troublesome gun battery. Its guns were taken from a British frigate that ran ashore during a storm years ago. An agent ashore tells us that last year, a dispute between some of the local inhabitants turned ugly, prompting the military to withdraw the gunners from the battery to impose order on the mainland. Since then, the French military has not seen fit to replace the island garrison. The island is separated from the mainland by shoal water. At low tide, it is sometimes possible to wade across.”

  “Although we understand this to be very short notice, our people wonder if your ship might close the island at night, unload your Marines, and take control of the island and its battery, before the French can take control themselves, of course.”

  Captain Mullins replied the effort might well be feasible, but what to do if the enemy objected in strength? Centaur might well find herself with people ashore under strong attack, while possibly being assailed herself by enemy ships.

  Harrow replied. “What you say is something to consider. By rights, an entire fleet should take on this responsibility, but we just do not have the ships available. Centaur happens to be the only ship of force available now. The plan now is for your ship to make its reconnaissance, determine whether the effort is feasible, then perhaps deploy its men. A few days later, other ships will come by to determine whether further assistance is needed or worthwhile.”

  The official continued. “It is not contemplated to keep a permanent garrison on the island. Our purpose is to force Bonaparte to withdraw badly-needed troops from other areas, hopefully some of those troops now facing Wellington in Spain. When he makes a serious attempt to recover the island, we will withdraw our people and let him have it.”

  The guests surrounded the table, studying the chart that Harrow displayed. The sailing master glanced through his own bundle of charts and produced one that he also placed on the table. Hardrace explained his chart was a large-scale map that showed greater detail. The gun battery was shown, along with the quarters for the garrison. The sea to the west of the island was shoal water at low tide, but several approaches were satisfactory for Centaur to approach.

  Captain Hollister wondered just how certain he was that all French troops had withdrawn. Harrow explained the agent reported he had been unable to approach the island, since the roads approaching the port serving the island were heavily patrolled by French security forces. Some local fishermen he had spoken to said even they were not permitted to go near the island. Feral sheep were said to be over-running the site and the natives were not permitted to visit the island to harvest them. However, the agent had determined that
no deliveries of provisions or other supplies had been made to the island recently. A recent reconnaissance by a blockade vessel had drawn no fire from the battery.

  As it became obvious that they had learned all there was to know, Mullins dismissed the guests and sat by himself at the table, finishing another bottle. Centaur could be close to the island the next evening, and it might then be prudent to send a strong Marine landing force ashore to investigate.

  If Ile St. Pierre was indeed garrisoned, a strong force, if it was unable to overcome its defenders, then should be able to escape back to sea.

  Centaur approached from seaward, closing the dark island carefully. Mister Hardrace had good information of the depths here, but still Mullins ordered a boat with a sounding pole to pull ahead of the ship to hopefully discover any surprises.

  Not a glimmer of light was seen onshore, so the ships’ boats were filled with Royal Marines and sent in to investigate. Anxious hours passed on deck, while Mullins strained his eye peering through his night glass. Finally, the signal all had hoped for was seen. A faint pinpoint of light that flashed three times was seen.

  This was the signal the island was uninhabited and all was clear for the invasion. The boats went in a second time, filled this time with seamen and gunners who would take control of any remaining guns left in the battery. Mullins remained on his ship until daylight, then he had himself pulled ashore.

  The Marines had established a perimeter around the abandoned battery, while the seamen sent ashore were busily engaged in trying to make the battery functional. It was soon evident that the battery had not been recently abandoned, as previously reported. Signs of rot were evident in the gun carriages and tackle in the embrasures. Every gun had an iron nail hammered into its vent, and the powder magazine had been torn down.

  A discussion with his armorer resulted in a bow-drill being located and a succession of hands began the difficult work of drilling out the nails. The armorer reported that the nails driven into the guns, blocking the vents, were of the normal, wrought iron variety, soft and capable of being drilled by ordinary tools. Had they been hardened steel spikes, the outlook would have been more difficult. Even so, it was still necessary to work an hour on each gun before the drill passed through into the chamber.

  The gun carriages were a disaster, softened and rotted by the weather, likely to come apart upon the first firing. Since the guns were of standard British manufacture, although of an early pattern, Mullins sent the longboat back to the ship with orders to bring back four of the ships’ gun carriages as well as tackle and tools for the guns. A supply of ammunition was ordered to be delivered, also.

  Before the ammunition arrived on shore, it was necessary to rebuild the destroyed magazine. Fortunately, the former pit could be excavated and the stone-work piled up around it. No mortar was available to seal the masonry, so sailcloth was used to cover the structure. One of his Marines had served an apprenticeship with a mason back home and reported a large midden containing an age-old accumulation of oyster and clam shells on shore could be burned to make mortar for a more permanent repair. This would be a task for the future though. For now, it was necessary to get the guns functioning again in case the French attacked.

  There had been no indication the French forces were aware of their presence, until a skiff was seen approaching through the shallows on the mainland side A lad was at the oars while an elder sat importantly in the bow. Clad in his Sunday best, the gentleman, upon being greeted, uttered a torrent of Norman French in Mullin’s direction.

  Mister Hoover came forward, being the only officer immediately available that could handle that language. After listening a few minutes to the impassioned speech, Hoover turned to his captain and said, “This man says he is the local magistrate, or such-like. It seems we are in a prohibited area. The military here has denied access to all, and it appears we must leave, forthwith.”

  Mullins nodded gravely, “Tell him that we are indeed sorry for any inconvenience and will certainly depart when possible. Tell him we will gladly purchase fresh food from him and pay for it in silver.”

  A long discussion followed, after which Hoover said the official was confirming what provisions were required. If payment was readily available, a few bullocks might be produced within hours. After some discussion about price, Hoover said three bullocks would be driven to the mainland shore where they could be collected by a party delivering the proper payment.

  The pair in the skiff departed and the Britons continued their work. The boats delivered the necessary supplies for the battery, including timbers and tackle necessary to lift the old guns from their rotting carriages and drop them on the replacements. By evening all four guns were ready and prepared to fire out to sea, just in case the enemy came by that way.

  In the meantime, the Marines and a party of seamen had dug emplacements along the shore facing the mainland. A pair of boat carronades with a supply of grape was emplaced to cover that route and a strong force of Marines was detailed to defend the guns.

  A band of locals appeared on the far shore with a few cattle. The tide was out, but there was sufficient depth for the launch to closely approach the party. The silver, in British coin, was placed in a wooden box and Midshipman Harris carried it ashore and handed it to the magistrate. Mister Hoover, who had accompanied the party ashore later told Mullins the locals were upset upon finding this was British coin instead of French. When Hoover offered to simply return the money to the ship and forgo their purchase, the mood changed.

  It did not seem practical to load the cattle aboard the boat so leads were made for the animals and they were led through the shallows to the island. The animals did not seem to become unduly distressed as long as their feet were touching bottom.

  The first sign of enemy displeasure occurred at mid-morning the next day when a troop of French cavalry approached the opposite shore. With them, they had a little four-pounder galloper gun which they efficiently set up. An officer sat his horse on the beach, waving a white cloth. Mullins walked forward, looking over his own defenses at the same time. His men were all concealed, down in their trenches and the boat carronades well concealed by their covering of vegetation.

  The enemy officer spoke English and assured Mullins he was in an impossible position and must surrender immediately to avoid defeat in a most bloody battle. After informing Mullins he could surrender his men with the honors of war, he awaited a reply.

  Politely informing the enemy officer that he was obeying his orders to take this island for Britain, Mullins said he was afraid he must decline the enemy’s courtesy.

  As he walked back to the trench, he wondered how this cavalry officer with a few dozen men thought he was to take this island with only a tiny gun to assist.

  Just after Mullins dropped into the trench, the enemy gun barked and its little ball slammed into the little glacis of earth piled in front of the position. In reply, one of the carronades sent its charge of grape into the enemy gun position. There had been no time to conceal or protect that gun and the grape charge laid almost every member of its crew on the ground, wounded or worse.

  Now it was the turn of the Marines with their Sea Service muskets. While at long musket range, Captain Hollister believed he could inflict casualties upon the horsemen even at this distance. On command, all rose to their feet, and a hundred muskets began crashing in ordered volleys. Even if they charged, the shallow water could slow the enemy’s’ horses enough for the defenders to reload their muskets and fire another volley. The enemy attempted to reply, but they were far fewer and their carbines could not equal the range and accuracy of the longer muskets. At a rate of three shots every minute, the Marines soon destroyed the enemy formation. The end came when one of the carronades took a shot at the cavalry horses being held behind the lines.

  Apparently, the horse-holders thought they were out of danger while so far in the rear but the carronade gunners proved them wrong. The spreading charge of iron grape-shot struck the horses, killing
or wounding a dozen animals. The surviving cavalry left their positions, mounted what animals were on their feet and galloped away.

  Later, a party crossed over to the mainland to retrieve the enemy gun. One wheel had been smashed, but a replacement was carried on the limber. Once the wheel was mounted, and the gun pulled across the narrow channel, the former French gun could be used to reinforce the island defenses.

  Days later, a strong infantry force arrived on the enemy shore, complete with guns and a detachment of sappers. Apparently, the French navy received incorrect information about the British strength, since a small frigate also came along the coast to argue the point with Centaur. One look at her yawning gun ports sent the small ship away, but Mullins knew the writing was on the wall. Very soon, he could expect a French fleet to appear to either drive Centaur away or very possibly take her.

  If not for the strong enemy force on the far shore, he would consider embarking the landing party and sail away, but that would be difficult now, with the enemy in close contact.

  With the situation appearing grim, moods lightened when Centaur signaled that friendly ships were approaching. An eighty-gun third rate was approaching with a pair of frigates and a few transports.

  Captain Mullins recognized the battleship. HMS Indominable was a powerful ship-of-the-line with a good record. He could not identify the frigates from this distance and of course knew nothing about the transports. He was sure however their days of poverty were over.

  Chapter Twelve

  Captain Mullins, Captain Hollister and Muster Harrow were summoned out to HMS Indominable where they met Commodore Hasker in his great cabin. His concern was the ability of the Marines ashore to hold the enemy at bay, and for how long.