HMS Hector: A Charles Mullins Novel (Sea Command Book 6)

by Richard Testrake

  Looking around for hands he wished to send over to the schooner, his eyes fell on Abram Pieter, the Flemish seaman who had joined the ship earlier. Pieter had been an exemplary seaman and had even learned a little English during the short time he had served on Hector. Turning to his own messenger, Midshipman Stuart, he asked him to locate seaman Schuster and select a prize crew to take aboard the schooner. Pieter should accompany the party. Once aboard, an effort should be made to determine as much as possible of this activities of this schooner. Schuster and Pieter together should be able to make themselves understood to many members of the crew.

  Grinning with pleasure, the sixteen-year old mid prepared to take charge of his first command. Armed to the teeth, the boarding party dropped down into the launch, and were at the schooner’s side a moment later. There was no trouble at all. The obliging crew dropped lines into the boat to assist them to board, and soon British colors were flying over the schooner’s original tricolor.

  After the boarding party had a chance to take control of the prize, Mullins summoned Mister Stuart back to the frigate to make his report.

  The prize had been the Swedish schooner Arvid, but recently was purchased by the French mission to Stockholm, given a cargo of naval stores and dispatched to Brest in Brittany. She was commanded by a French master but her crew came from the docks of Stockholm, composed of hands from Sweden, Denmark and a bosun from Prussia. Stuart reported the crew had been informed their destination was Gothenburg, which had caused little comment.

  When the first mate, a Swede, learned the actual destination was France, that put a different light on the matter. French authorities were rumored to be conscripting seamen arriving in French ports to either serve on National warships or possibly even one of Bonaparte’s legions. Arvid’s crew were already disposed to mutiny when she was taken by Hector.

  One of the prize crew members originally sent to Arvid was from one of the German states and was able to communicate with the Prussian boatswain. This man, in turn, could speak Swedish to the rest of the prizes crew.

  The schooner’s people, drawn up on her foredeck, were told they were sailing on a French-flagged vessel which was at war with Great Britain. They were informed that they were all subject to become war prisoners, except for any that might choose to serve in the Royal Navy. The only member of the schooner’s crew that declined the opportunity to serve King George III, was the master, who refused any such thoughts.

  Chapter Six

  Mullins left Midshipman Stuart in command of the prize and both Hector and Arvid stretched over to starboard to inspect the Gulf of Finland. The weather had grown colder in recent days and snow was coming down heavily. Mister Drummond had the hands constantly removing snow from the deck. Visibility was almost nil, but the lookout did see HMS Plunger, gun brig, Captain Draper, as she was patrolling the Gulf.

  Coming alongside the little vessel, her captain offered to lead Hector to his squadron commander in HMS Blonde. There was a rare clear spell when the ships met and Mullins went aboard the Blonde frigate. Captain Harris was senior so Mullins would be under his orders. They spent several hours in Harris’ cabin, discussing all of the difficulties of this station.

  Harris had been instructed to depart this area when ice conditions became too bad, but was determined to remain as long as possible. His main problem, was lack of firewood. He had been forced to cut up valuable spars for firewood. He had landed on some isolated areas but had been unable to find suitable wood. He felt if he could not find suitable firewood, it would be necessary to leave.

  Mullins commented. “Sir, I have had some experience in the Baltic before. A few years ago, I had a task to perform on Bornholm Island. There was forest convenient to the landing site where we spent a day. If you wish, I could take Hector there and see what we can find. The problem being would be the time it will take to sail there, cut the wood and return.”

  Hector and Arvid set out for Bornholm immediately after leaving Blonde. Captain Harris was pleased at his offer and assured him he could easily wait a few more days. Arvid had a quantity of spars as deck cargo so Mullins offered those up to Captain Harris to use as firewood in case of dire necessity.

  The weather had cleared while in company with HMS Blonde, but now the winter was upon them. It took days before Bornholm came into sight, and even then Hector had to lie in the lee of the island until the icy winds moderated. A few local fishing craft braved the elements and spotted them but Hector was flying no flag and he thought their identity had not been noticed.

  With the winds quieting, Hector made her way to an inlet Mullins had visited once before in another ship and dropped anchor. Mister Flowers took a party ashore to bring aboard what wood and water was available. A stream ran into the inlet near where the ship was anchored and the water came aboard first. The boats were at work pulling the casks of fresh water out to the ship when Flowers came back to the ship with a rotund Dane.

  Apparently this gentleman owned this land and did have a supply of firewood cut and seasoning, meant for sale to a Danish national ship due to call at the inlet any day now. Mullins invited the gentleman into his cabin with Mister Flowers and bade his servant to lay out some of the good wine and a little cheese. Mullins quickly realized his guest thought this wine was poor stuff indeed and ordered rum to be brought to his table.

  This seemed to be more palatable to the local and he drained a glass of the potent spirits without a quiver. After filling his guest’s glass several times, Mullins thought it might be wise to get their business completed before an accident might befall him.

  When he proposed purchasing the firewood for his own ships though, the camaraderie evaporated. This wood was to go to the Danish Navy and that was all that was to be said.

  Continued refilling the man’s glass did nothing to lessen his determination. When it became time for him to leave however, it was obvious he would need assistance to be lowered into the boat.

  Their guest was last seen staggering by himself up a little pathway through the forest. Flowers had made a reconnaissance of the area while he was ashore with the watering party and reported a large amount of cut firewood was stacked in a clearing just inside the tree line.

  After some thought, Mullins decided to just load the needed wood and depart. After all, Britain was at war with the Danes. If this landowner refused to accept money for the firewood, Mullins was well within his rights to simply take it. Accordingly, fifty hands were told off and were taken ashore to carry the firewood. No trouble was expected from a single, elderly man, but to be safe, the ships’ Marines were paraded and sent ashore to escort the others.

  All was well at first, and a supply of firewood had already been stacked on the beach when an intemperate-sounding voice was heard haranguing the seamen. Seconds later, the sound of a single shot echoed from the beach, followed by the stutter of musketry. Moments later, the midshipman accompanying the party ran down to the beach. The ship’s cutter was still busy, towing out to the ship the casks of fresh water that had been filled and Mister Rogers piled into the boat and ordered it out to the ship.

  Breathless from his run and climb up the ship’s side, Rogers panted out his news. “Sir, the Dane who was aboard our ship came out with a gun. He was shouting at our Marine officer, then fired, shooting him dead with one shot. Mister Hanson fell with a ball in his chest. Sergeant Cullins of the Marines ordered his men to fire and the Dane fell also.”

  Mullins asked, “Are there any more threats of which we need to be made aware?”

  “No sir.”

  The wood was loaded aboard the ship and departed for the rendezvous with Blonde.

  Once away from the land, the winds began to increase and the seas became violent. The schooner was soon lost to their sight and Mullins was sure he had lost young Stuart. He regretted intensely not giving command of the schooner to a more experienced officer. Yet, after the winds moderated that night, there she was, hull down to starboard. Arvid had lost some of her deck cargo in
the storm, but was otherwise intact. They found Blonde in the Gulf of Finland where she had found a snug haven in a narrow fiord.

  It was now bitter cold and the ice was beginning to form near the shore. While the two crews were transferring the firewood and water, Captain Harris informed Mullins it was now time for Blonde to depart. Mullins was assured he was under no orders to leave, but should use caution to avoid being trapped by ice.

  Hector retreated out into the Baltic where she cruised for another two weeks, but then Mullins decided it was time to leave. His ship had taken two more prizes during that time, but lacking hands to man them properly and unable to send them to a secure port, he elected to remove their crews and burn the ships.

  Now exploring the possibility of leaving the Baltic, he approached Helsingborg but found the Danes were very alert on their side of the Øresund. Even by hugging the Swedish shore, they were still in deadly danger. With no pilot and possibly inaccurate charts, either ship could tear her bottom out this close to shore. Closing the narrow strait during the late night, the moon gave the Danes’ gunners ashore a good view of their target so Mullins pulled away when some of the shots came uncomfortably close. Mullins suspected those gunners had been thoroughly reamed when the other vessels of their British squadron escaped.

  Now back out again in the Baltic, ice was becoming more frequently encountered at sea and he knew many of the ports were icing up rapidly. If he could not escape, it would be necessary to find a secure place to hide his two vessels.

  With his thoughts returning to Bornholm Island, he knew he could not hide un-noticed there, but what about the nearby Christiansø Island? When he had visited the island before, there had been a French artillery battery there. If it was still present, he must find another haven for his two vessels.

  HMS Hector was becoming a familiar sight in the Baltic so Mullins sent Mister Stuart in Arvid to look over the territory, while Hector remained well off-shore. Vessels like the schooner were ubiquitous in the Baltic and might escape notice. Arvid was absent for three days. When she returned, Mister Stuart reported the. larger of the islands did indeed have a manned battery on it. However, a smaller island some distance away seemed to be empty. This island had a cove which would be suitable to moor both the frigate and schooner during most weather conditions. Of course, the vessels could be seen by passing shipping, but Mullins decided there would be little of that for the remainder of the winter. Most vessels would be snugged down in safe harbor at this time of year.

  It was a grey, frigid day when Arvid and Hector sailed into the tiny cove. While the island was empty now, there had been people here before. Stone huts were built along the foreshore. Some were in ruins, but some just needed new roofs and doors to be habitable again.

  While a few of the huts were repaired, Mullins sent Sergeant Cullins with a party of Marines to reconnoiter the island. He had only known his former Marine lieutenant for a month before his untimely death, but he was beginning to miss the man more every day. Sergeant Cullins was a good enough Marine, Mullins supposed, but he doubted if the man had ever had an original thought in his life. There was absolutely no use at all in asking the sergeant his opinion on anything.

  Mister Hanson had always been a wit when invited to the cabin. He could discuss almost anything. Sergeants Cullins vocabulary was limited to ‘Yes sir!” and “No sir!”.

  The stone huts being refurbished were coming right along. Some of them had fireplaces and chimneys built into the walls and these were the ones selected to be used. Driftwood from the beach was used to cover the roofs and old sailcloth was used to seal the huts from the weather. Most of the hands would remain on the two vessels but Mullins intended to maintain a presence on the island. With constant roving patrols, he thought there would be little chance to be taken by surprise.

  Every week, men on the ship would come ashore and change places with those who had been living in the smoky huts. For a time, men were tasked with attempting to keep their little harbor free of ice, but that soon became impossible. Before the new year came in, the ice extended out as far as one could see, and they knew they were to remain where they were until the ice broke up in the spring.

  Mullins was certain a few locals knew they were on the island. Prior to the ice forming, a few fishing boats had been spotted. None had bothered to investigate their presence and it was possible local military or naval forces had not been alerted. Still, Mullins was determined to leave as soon as the ice broke up.

  A few feral sheep roamed the island, making a poor living on the little fodder available. An occasional party would go out sometimes and it was rare that an undersized sheep was not brought back. The fresh meat supplemented the ships’ provisions the men actually lived on, so the short periods of shore duty was welcomed by many crewmen, even though conditions aboard ship were usually more comfortable.

  The carpenter had fabricated a wooden sledge with which ship’s provisions were transported to the beach. On one morning in early March, a little warmer than recently experienced, the ice under the sledge gave way. A half-dozen seamen were pulling the contrivance by ropes when it happened. With little warning, the loaded sledge simply fell through the ice and was gone. Most of the men escaped, but Don Parker, fore topman, had his line wrapped around his fist. Before he could free himself, he too was gone. The ice remaining about the hole was too thin to support much weight, and Parker’s body had to be left under the ice.

  The buildings on shore were then abandoned with all belongings possible transported back to the ships. Great care had to be taken now with these expeditions across the ice and all were relieved when Captain Mullins decreed no more trips over the ice would be made.

  Now, all eyes were on the ice that held their ships prisoner. Open water could be seen out at sea and one morning, an open lead extending into the fiord was seen. A sudden cold snap froze this potential escape route, but then the ice began to break up again. The frigate, still held in the icy grip was now starting to list as the ice began moving. The bosun was now frequently seen crawling around on the steepening deck, inspecting the shrouds which were holding the masts upright. As the ship shifted in the grip of the ice, tremendous force was put on the standing rigging. Arvid was not listing as was Hector, but had instead been pushed upward by floes that had forced their way under her.

  Mister Drummond had come to Mullins one night, wondering whether it might not be better to put all of the hands ashore until it was determined whether the ships would survive.

  They were calmly discussing the matter over one of Mullin’s few remaining bottles, when with an almighty crash, the ice that had been holding Hector suddenly lost its grip and the frigate was upright again. Just seconds later, the ice under Arvid also slid out from under, dropping the slender schooner suddenly back into the sea.

  Watching from Hector’s quarterdeck, Mullins thought at first the violence of the movement might put the gunnels underwater, but when the pitching and rolling subsided, she was safely afloat. On the next morning, the winds had blown the ice apart, so both Hector and Arvid were afloat together in their own little pond. That night, another lead opened up a pathway to sea and reefed tops’ls were set to ease the ships though the narrow opening. Just before reaching the open sea, the lead was again closed and the ships were again immobilized.

  Mullins led a party over the side to investigate. The carpenter had cut some short sections of plank to strap onto their feet and the men were able to gingerly walk a few paces away from the ships. Back on board again, Mullins reported the ice was rotten and might give away with a sudden shock. Hector was immobilized by this ice that had come together. Arvid, slightly behind her, was still free, although only by a few feet.

  Calling Mister Bond, his Master Gunner, to the quarterdeck, Mullins explained an idea he had. A westerly breeze was holding the ship’s starboard beam right up against the ice. That same wind was putting pressure on the ice on the port beam to push against the ship. Mullins ordered the gunner to prepare all g
uns on the ship to fire, all should be double-shotted.

  When he gave the order to fire, he wanted every starboard gun to fire, as close to simultaneously as was ever possible. After firing, the men should abandon their guns and rush over to the port side to ready the guns there to fire. At the order, the broadside was to be repeated.

  Mister Bond appeared anxious and Drummond was very concerned. The violent shock of the first broadside broke the ship free of its fetters and the next broadside insured she would remain that way. With ice for a few feet on either beam of the ship reduced to fragments, her topsails and headsails brought her out of the ice and Arvid followed.

  Free from their icy confinement, both vessels made their way out into the Baltic which had open water all around now. Hector and Arvid began a constant sweep through the open waters, to keep a vigil on whatever shipping might emerge from their own ports.

  Chapter Seven

  Winter was not finished yet. A week after their escape, a howling weather system came up the Baltic and the ice began to move. As it began to intrude on their waters, Mullins ordered Stuart to scout the vicinity to determine just how it might affect them.

  Arvid was out of sight by nightfall and was not seen again until late the next day. When finally sighted again, she had two strange launches towing behind her. As they came closer, it was evident the men in the launches were wearing French military uniform and they appeared to be suffering badly from the cold.

  Mister Stuart explained as Arvid came alongside Hector. He had met the launches to seaward of Christiansø Island, from which the boats had escaped several days before. After making their way out to sea, the ice closed in behind them and they were unable to return. The commander of this expedition spoke English well and willingly spoke of his mission to take the imprisoned English ships from their anchorage. It was thought by the colonel commanding the French garrison on Christiansø Island that the British seamen would be helpless from their entombment and could be easily taken by s strong assault force charging across the ice.