HMS Centaur: A Charles Mullins novel, Sea Command 8

by Richard Testrake

  Accompanying the individual across the harbor to the moored merchant ship, Mullins went aboard. There, he found cask after cask of salt fish, tightly packed into the hold, perhaps the results of the efforts of Dooley, that had been foisted upon the French supply system. Insisting on a closer inspection, a crewman was summoned who opened the cask that Mullins selected.

  Finding the contents satisfactory, Mullins went to the master’s cabin and used his pen to write out the document and handed it to the man to examine. With only the briefest of inspections, the fellow placed it in his pouch and pronounced the sale complete.

  Not wishing to give anyone ashore a chance to summon authorities, Mullins had his launch crew tie onto the transport’s stern and come aboard. With all of them seamen, they were capable of taking this ship out, and he could certainly command her. Using few words, he told his people what they were to do, and it was done.

  The anchor cable was slipped and canvas set to the land breeze. Under reefed topsails, the big merchant began to ghost out of the harbor. Once away from the land, Mullins put the transport alongside Stalwart and went back aboard his frigate. To command the transport, he sent over Mister Doolittle, who had proved his worth on similar tasks before.

  Now, it was a matter of returning to Centaur Island to deliver the food they badly needed.

  Back at the island, Mullins had a difficult time explaining to Admiral Brewer the exact circumstances of how he had obtained the ship and cargo. Brewer assured Mullins no one would ever believe an enemy business person would ever voluntarily hand over a valuable ship and cargo to an enemy officer handing them a hastily scribbled note-of-hand.

  Mullins gave his own thoughts. “I told him if I caught the ship at sea, I would take her and he would not receive a penny from me for the fish. When I told him I did not have enough funds ready to purchase the ship and cargo, he was the one who suggested a note-of-hand.

  He also took my purse, which had nearly enough coin in it to pay for the fish itself. I think he will report the ship taken by us and file claim for the insurance. I suspect he may know some third party who could negotiate that note. Since he already has payment for the fish, and can expect payment for the ship and the fish from his insurance, anything he can get from the note-of-hand will be pure profit.”

  Admiral Brewer grimaced. “I will tell you that the food you have delivered will save this little conquest. I will draft a report to Admiralty and attempt to explain your maunderings. If they do not send me to the madhouse for listening to you, perhaps they will examine that note of yours when it comes to your banker. They may even reimburse you for your expense.”

  Centaur and some of the other warships had returned, escorting the transports bringing new rations. The transport carrying the fish Mullins had purchased, was emptied and filled with wounded and ill members of the island garrison and sent home. It would be months before he found about the disposition of his request for payment. For now, he must act like any impoverished new captain and live to his now diminished means. He sent letters to his wife and banker explaining the circumstances. With his account with his banker severely depleted, no wild spending could be envisioned for the near future.

  Back at sea again, he was acting in partnership with his old Centaur. The third-rate’s captain was acting as commodore of a small fleet, consisting of a pair of ship-sloops in addition to Stalwart.

  Searching far out to sea, they were looking for any evidence of that French fleet previously reported bound in their direction. Weeks of searching failed to find any sign of the enemy and the hands’ tempers were becoming short. Another cause of the frayed nerves was the contents of a new cask the cook had opened, instead of the usual beef, this contained the salt fish Mullins had purchased.

  Informed ahead of time, he had his steward prepare some for his own meal a day prior to the hands receiving theirs. He was well used to the seamen’s dislike for anything new thrust upon them.

  To counteract the dismay, he privately told his steward that he had personally purchased this food and now there was trouble about being reimbursed for it.

  The men thought it served him properly for serving them this strange, foreign food and almost agreed to eat it. Not quite though, until Mullins agreed to sweeten the dish with an extra ration of an ounce of straight rum to every man when fish was served.

  The sun was rising on an overcast morning, when the call came out. “Strange ships ahead.” Centaur, with her higher masthead, identified them as enemy before the other members of the fleet. There was a pair of third rates in addition to a brig scouting ahead. Both sides spotted each other at about the same time and each fleet began maneuvering for position in the light and variable winds.

  The day passed slowly as the ships began trying to find a slant of wind that suited them. About noon, the French side had some bad luck when their brig was caught in a calm pocket, when one of the ship-sloops brought up the wind and pounded the little vessel while she was temporarily becalmed. One of the enemy liners crept up to her rescue, but the fighting was over when she arrived.

  With the wind beginning to intensify, now from the east, the other ships began to sort themselves out. Wearing about across the wind, Centaur, Stalwart and the sloops awaited the pair of enemy seventy-fours. Centaur’s captain selected the leading third-rate and drove for her, her starboard batteries belching smoke and fire.

  Stalwart and her companions were to harry the other enemy. They had no real business going after a ship of this force, but the intention was for one of the smaller warships to always be on an undefended portion of its adversary’s hull. Separating, the three British ships waited their chance. Like a bull, the big liner made straight for Stalwart. The agile frigate turned to cross her bows, trying for a raking shot down the length of the seventy-four. The big ship turned, a little late but ended up exchanging fire with Stalwart, both receiving damage before turning away.

  But now, little Otter had found herself on the enemy’s port stern quarter. The little ship sloop began pumping fire into the enemy ship. Most of her guns were nine pounders, not especially damaging to a massive ship-of-the-line, but two were thirty-two pounder carronades, and these were lethal.

  While Otter was pummeling her adversary, Stalwart had continued her turn and was now coming up again off the enemy’s starboard bow. A target for the forward guns on that beam, Stalwart had to take a few punishing hits, but her undamaged broadside had the whole beam of the enemy to fire at. Now the other ship sloop came into position. HMS Dancer came right up on the enemy stern and fired off her own broadside. Now, the individual British ships abandoned their maneuvering and concentrated in slamming as many shot into the enemy as they possibly could.

  The enemy gunners responded as best as they could, but their targets were at the bow and stern of their ship, not out on their beam where their guns were most effective. One of the officers on the enemy ship-of-the-line went forward to have a party trim a sail to push the bow around for a better chance at HMS Stalwart, but a Marine’s musket ball felled him before he could do this.

  At the same moment, a little nine-pounder ball jammed the rudder of the big ship, making it impossible to steer. The ball did not disable the ship long, soon falling out on its own, but it did give Otter’s carronades a chance to fire several loads of grape into the shrouds of the mizzen. With some of the port side shrouds badly damaged, others began breaking under the enormous strain they were under.

  Seeing the effects of the concentrated grape charges at this close range, Mullins gave the order for his own carronades to change to grape. Almost at once some of the enemy foremast shrouds were shot away and the mast began to lean. Moments later, the main topmast yard was shot in two, and the battle ship was in trouble.

  When the foremast fell, the enemy captain gave it up. Seriously wounded with a ball in his thigh, the captain was seated in a deck chair. With many of his people in the same condition as himself, or worse, he felt it useless to continue the contest. Moments after her f
lag came down, so did that of the liner engaging Centaur. That enemy had been turned almost into matchwood by the smashing broadsides of Centaur. Centaur was in little better condition, but would eventually lead the vanquished ships into harbor.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  It was to be an almost impossible task to make repairs and recover their prizes. Centaur herself had received desperate damage and her captain was forced to leave Stalwart and the sloops to seek refuge in the nearest port.

  Stalwart was left behind to make what repairs were possible to her late adversary with the assistance of the two sloops-of-war. Centaur’s opponent was judged to be too damaged for salvage so she was left in peace while the other line-of-battle-ship was seen to. This one had only the mizzen complete and standing, although it had a frightening lean due to the severed shroud lines. The main was still up, save for her topmast, which had an alarming notch which had been caused by a carronade ball. Her topmast yard was gone, as was the entire foremast.

  The priority, was to keep the mizzen erect and stabilized so new shrouds were rove and made taut. When this work was complete, a spare topmast was salvaged from the derelict wreck of the abandoned battleship, and raised. Working through the night, the exhausted hands sent a yard up and then it was time to put up a foremast. Her old mast had been broken near the base, but the carpenter trimmed this and the old stub was pulled from its seat on the keelson. Lines and tackle were used to raise this shortened mast upright and slip it into its seat.

  The repairs were crude and would doubtless be commented upon in the dockyard, but Mullins thought she might be able to carry sail. While this work was in progress, hull repairs were being completed. Fortunately, the smaller guns of Stalwart and the sloops had not inflicted serious damage to the strengthened hull of the prize, so some temporary repairs were judged sufficient to get her into port.

  By the end of the next day, the crews put the ships to the wind and made their way toward port. The abandoned enemy liner slipped beneath the waves, but the ravaged enemy brig was still afloat. Mullins was beginning to think she too might be saved, but his men were exhausted and the wind was picking up. He gave the brig a broadside at close range and she too was gone.

  The crew was able to bring Stalwart to the Nore anchorage off the mouth of the Thames estuary. The sloops had escorted the prize battleship to another port but Mullins thought it best to bring the frigate closer to London. Shortly after arriving he was ordered to leave the ship in the hands of is first officer and proceed up the Thames with all speed to report to the Admiralty.

  It was necessary to spend days there, briefing innumerable officials with the minute details of everything from the vast amount of powder and shot expended to the purpose behind the private purchase of all that salt fish for which he was asking to be reimbursed. There was astonishment over his effrontery in making the purchase and doubt was expressed whether he might ever receive any payment.

  Considering her hard service in the North Sea and the battle damage she had received, HMS Stalwart would go to the dockyard and Captain Mullins would be placed on the half-pay list. A faint possibility existed that he could possibly be called back to another command in the future. With a final admonition to leave an address where he might be reached with the clerk, Captain Mullins was sent on his way.

  Additional works available

  Other books by this author:

  War at Sea Series in Kindle e-book format

  On The King’s Sea Service, print version also available

  For the Honor of the Flag, print version available

  Trafalgar and Beyond

  Frigates of War

  HMS Dreadnaught

  HMS Resolve

  His Majesty’s Brig Alert, print version available

  Sails Across the Sea, print version available

  Across to America, print version available

  Ships of Oak, Men of Iron (print version available)

  Thunder on the Sea (print version available)

  Sea Command Series in Kindle and print

  HMS Aphrodite

  HMS Valkyrie

  HMS Aurora

  HMS Athena

  HMS Vigilant

  HMS Hector

  HMS Falcon

  On to Berlin Series in Kindle and print

  A Road to St. Lo

  Assault on the Rhine