His Magesty's Brig Alert: A Tim Phillips Novel

by Richard Testrake

  The first charge to explode would likely fire the rest immediately, but to eliminate possible problems, each charge that was separate from the others had a length of match that would fire it if necessary.

  The slow match was intended to burn for half a glass, giving them fifteen minutes to get away from the ship. The transport was sailing on her own now, with the wheel lashed. Alert had already dropped away to wait for her moment. One of the seamen had already pulled up the launch and the crew tumbled down into it, Cochrane being the last to leave the fireship. The men bent to the oars, to get away from the ship as quickly as possible.

  They had barely left the lee of the transport though, when the vessel exploded. No one would know for sure what happened. Cochrane thought the match was defective. Phillips thought it more likely that perhaps the burning ember of the match had found some spilled powder on deck, flashing toward a charge with unintended speed. Whatever the reason, hundreds of barrels of gunpowder exploded, sending a myriad of shells and grenades into the air, which soon rained down on them.

  Some of the force of the explosion went down and more went laterally, sending a ragged column of water and debris high into the air. Down came the water, along with baulks of timber from the destroyed ship’s frame as well as the munitions.

  Although the bombs and grenades were fused, not all of the fuses had ignited during the explosion, so these did not explode. Of those that had ignited, some fell into the sea before the burning fuse reached its charge. And some were thrown far enough way so that no one was killed by a close explosive burst. However, there were sufficient nearby explosions to keep the men from becoming bored.

  Two bombs dropped close aboard. One fell only a fathom off to port. Either its fuse had not ignited or the shell submerged before the flame reached the charge. This one did not explode. The second one did have a lit fuse and it did explode, an instant before it would have fallen in the water. A wave between the shell and the boat shielded them from most of the force of the explosion.

  After the seamen regained control of the boat, it seemed half had some type of injury from the explosion, mostly from falling debris. Able Seaman Hendricks received a piece of iron casing from an exploding bomb that struck him in the rib cage. Hendricks was immobilized in the boat’s bottom and Phillips took his place at the oar.

  Gaining the deck of Alert, they could see the fires ignited on board the many fire ships as they moved through the now demolished barrier. Cochrane muttered to himself when it became obvious that many of the ships had been fired early and were drifting off course. In the end, not a single one found its way into the French fleet.

  Cochrane had succeeded with his own immediate mission, having destroyed the log boom which had been intended to prevent access to the inner anchorage. But the main effort of the attack had seemingly failed, with the fire ships being fired and abandoned early, then drifting off course.

  *****

  Next morning however, a different picture emerged with the rising of the sun. While none of the target ships had been damaged by the fireships, it seemed the individual French captains had been unnerved by the explosion and the sight of the oncoming fire-ships. The ships of the enemy fleet had cut their anchors and some had made sail to escape the flaming vessels, apparently thinking these were also explosion vessels. Many of the ships either ran afoul of each other, or ran aground.

  The morning’s low tide left many stranded in the mud flats, laying on their beams, with their bottoms exposed for all to view.

  Cochrane signaled his admiral that the enemy was exposed to attack and asked for assistance. Gambier hesitated for several days, while Cochrane did what he could himself, under fire from shore side batteries.

  With the enemy ships aground and on their beams. It was possible to fire into their exposed bottoms. Unless the enemy crews could make the shot holes watertight before the tide came in again, the rising waters would flood the interior of each ship, ensuring she remained on the bottom.

  Finally Admiral Gambier sent a small force with HMS Theseus in to assist, but recalled the ships soon after, despite the repeated requests from Cochrane to finish the task. He was furious about the failure to finish the task when it was possible. Cochrane felt a determined attack by major portions of the fleet would have destroyed the enemy.

  In the end, five of the French fleet were destroyed, with many others badly damaged. There were recriminations, which Phillips was grateful to evade when Alert was ordered to return to Portsmouth with HMS Impérieuse.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Lieutenant Phillips, captain of HM Brig Alert stepped down into the launch in Portsmouth Harbor. Under his arm he carried all the papers he thought he might need to produce for the port admiral. In the event though, he never saw that worthy.

  An over-worked elderly lieutenant with a pronounced limp relieved him of the documents and informed him of his immediate future.

  “Alert will be going into the dockyard”, the officer informed him. “As a recent capture, she should have been surveyed before, but I gather there were reasons that did not happen. Her French guns will be replaced with British weapons. She will be emptied and her hull, spars and rigging examined. She will receive a new suit of sails as well as the proper provisions and equipment.”

  “It is expected this will take a month to complete, so you may as well go on leave until she is ready.”

  “What about my crew? I know I will lose some, but I hope I may keep some of my key people.”

  “Phillips, remember that you are a very new lieutenant commanding this brig. I would have expected you would be removed from her and placed in the wardroom of a liner. However, the Port Admiral says we should leave you on board.”

  “Admiral Curtis does not give your crew the same blessing though, so they will be treated the same as other ships entering the dockyard for an extended stay. They will be removed and sent to a receiving ship, where they will be available for draft for others ships needing men. When it becomes time for Alert to sail, she will be furnished with men from the same source.

  “When you have found a place on shore to live, you will furnish the dockyard clerk your address so we may inform you when the brig is ready.”

  *****

  Needing a place to stay after his time at sea, he began looking for rooms. He found a rather seedy lodging house near the dockyard where he could stay for a reasonable rate. The first item on his agenda was to locate the office of his prize agent here in Portsmouth. From him he learned another of his prizes had been adjudicated and he was now well financed.

  With money in his pocket, he decided to buy some decent uniforms, since his old coat and breeches were becoming worn. Another item he wanted was a sword. His father had given him one he had captured, but he felt it was rather ornate for a lieutenant’s weapon. It would do for dress purposes, but for cut and thrust on an enemy’s deck he thought a plain, sturdy blade would be better.

  Phillips spent most of the week with these tasks and had taken delivery. Wearing his new togs, he stopped by a book seller to see what they had he might occupy himself with at sea on his next voyage.

  While poring over a book, another officer approached. Glancing up, he saw the gold epaulettes of a captain. Considering a book seller’s shop neutral territory, he muttered, “Good morning, Captain” and went back to his book. The captain wandered off to another portion of the shop and Phillips forgot about the officer.

  When he made his selections and went to pay for them, the captain was already at the counter with his own purchases. The captain turned to him and said, “Pardon me, have we met before? My name is Mullins and a friend of mine, Captain Phillips, has a son that looks remarkably like yourself.”

  For the life of him, Phillips could not recall the man, but he admitted his father was Captain John Phillips and his own name was Timothy Phillips. The captain greeted him effusively and insisted he accompany him to a nearby inn where they each ordered a brandy and compared notes.

  Mullins
reminded Phillips he had served under Captain Phillips, Senior, as a midshipman and lieutenant. He wondered where the captain was at the moment.

  “Sir, the last I saw of my father was over a year ago, here in Portsmouth. He was leaving for the Channel Fleet and I was for the Baltic. Since then, our mail has not caught up.”

  “Well Lieutenant, I am very glad to have met you again. You were a child when I last saw you. Tell me, do you have a ship?”

  “Yes sir, I command the brig Alert, but she is in the dockyard for the moment and I am at liberty until she is released.”

  “You are fortunate indeed to have a command at your age. I myself am about due to sail and some friends and family will be giving me a farewell party at the Bull and Bear Inn tomorrow evening. If you are at liberty, you would be most welcome. There will be some very decorative young women at the party, if that might interest you.”

  Phillips thought about the invitation the next day. He did not really fancy the idea of attending a party attended by an old friend of his father, but on the other hand, the mention of the young women was interesting.

  Having gone to sea early, he had not much experience with the gender, but was willing to learn. In the end, he donned his new clothing, belted on the ornate sword his father had given him and left for the party. Not knowing exactly where the inn was located, he engaged a cabriolet and went there in style.

  This event was not like the typical Navy party with free flowing rum and ribald song. The men were mainly over forty and accompanied by their matronly wives.

  However, there were some attractive young women there also, mostly squired by young Army subalterns and a few midshipmen from the fleet. He stood in the rear nursing a glass of wine while observing the others dancing. This was an exercise he had never learned and was not about to embarrass himself by trying now.

  There were others standing that were not dancing. A flock of juvenile mids were in the corner acting the fool and a very attractive young woman, perhaps a little older than himself stood across the room. Phillips knew she would be busy soon, when the dance ended and those subalterns went looking for new partners.

  He had finished his wine and was debating whether he could leave without offence, when he realized the woman was approaching. He hurriedly put his wine glass down and gave her a little bow. She smiled and asked if he would get her a glass of wine.

  Snagging a pair of glasses from a passing waiter, he gave one to the woman and began attempting small talk. He was distracted by her garb. She was dressed in a white lacy garment that was almost transparent in strategic places and left little to the imagination. An elderly post captain leered as he performed the introductions. Her name was Susanne Wilder.

  She began questioning him about his parents and his naval service. His clothing was standard Royal Navy uniform, although it was evident it came from an expensive tailor. She was impressed by his sword which would have been an expensive purchase for the Frenchman who had originally commissioned it. Tim did not mention that his father had captured the thing in combat.

  When she tried to interest him in the dancing, he had to explain to her that he had been at sea since boyhood and had never had any instruction in that area.

  She was thinking to herself that perhaps she had learned what she needed already; it might be time to set the hook. She murmured that she was feeling rather faint and would like to go outside. Young Phillips offered to try to locate a physician or perhaps an older woman to help her, but she assured him she just needed some fresh air.

  Outside the inn in the rear was a small lawn and garden, with seats scattered around on the freshly mowed grass. It was dusk now and the light was fading fast. The seat she selected was separated from others, as well as the walkway by a tall shrub. Susanne thought the setting had possibilities.

  *****

  Sometime later, Miss Wilder was wondering if she had made a mistake. She had asked some discrete questions concerning the young males at the dance, as she did at every such occasion. The subalterns were, to a man, idle spendthrifts their parents had sent away to the Army to prevent them from selling the family silver to pay their gambling debts.

  This young Phillips, according to Captain Mullins, who was very fascinated by her bodice, assured her young Timothy Phillips was a well off lad who commanded his own King’s ship and had made some prosperous captures. Miss Wilders was not knowledgeable about the Royal Navy’s prize system, but another man present employed at the local Coutts branch informed her young Phillips had a most respectable balance, which she did understand.

  The question was, how must she get the lad to take notice of her? He was aware of her charms, she could see him furtively looking every half minute. But he did nothing! Perhaps the problem was his age. She knew he would not be twenty for several more years yet, while she was about to turn thirty herself. With no dowry, if she was going to snare a husband, she was going to have to do it soon, before her looks started to fade. Young, healthy, rich males were not exactly plentiful in the circles she moved in.

  Deciding to take the bull by the horns, she gave an emotional sigh and leaned back in the seat. Alarmed, young Phillips asked what he could for her. She told him in little gasps that she was feeling rather faint and could she hold his arm for a while.

  “You are so strong!” she murmured, as she held his arm across her breasts. “That ought to wake him up”, she thought to herself.

  The young fool sat there rigid for a moment, then disengaged himself, got up, went into the inn and returned with Mrs. Harkins, an ancient biddy of over fifty. After Phillips discussed Miss Wilder’s symptoms matters to her, she came over and questioned Susanne. She believed not a word Wilder told her, but told Phillips it was a simple female difficulty that would disappear soon. Sniffing and shaking her head, she strode firmly back into the inn.

  Tim could have sat there forever gazing upon her, but soon the guests began leaving and Captain Mullins came over and told him it was time to go. Mullins debated whether he should warn the lad about Miss Wilder. Women of that sort were fine companions for temporary recreational purposes, but one must not marry them. In the end though, he decided the lad must learn his own lessons, as all men must.

  The groom brought Mullin’s carriage around and he gave the lad a ride to his boarding house.

  Next day, his landlord brought him the post. In it was a notice from the dockyard that his brig would soon be ready to sail.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  HM Brig Alert swung to her mooring in the morning sunlight. Smoke drifted from her galley chimney, but no other sign of human presence manifested itself from this distance. As the shore boat carrying Captain Phillips closed though, a short statured person appeared on the quarterdeck, a midshipman with a telescope under his arm. At his shouted, “Boat Ahoy!” the cox’n on the boat shouted, “Alert!”

  There were a few people on board after all. He could see them running up from below. Before climbing aboard, Captain Phillips ordered the oarsmen of his hired boat to pull him around the brig. All in all, it was a remarkably well constructed craft. Others had warned him he would need to spend some money if he wanted especially fine workmanship from the dockyard.

  He had crossed some palms with some of his prize money and the expense proved worthwhile. The brig had been painted a rich brown, with the gun port lids painted bright yellow. A blue belt had been painted right around the hull just below those gun ports.

  Those gun ports were now filled with six pounder long guns at the bow and stern ports and ten thirty two pounder carronades in the broadside. The carronades were light weapons firing a massive ball with a reduced gunpowder charge. Phillips had little experience with the weapons but was assured the guns could achieve smashing hits at nearly long gun range in normal sea conditions.

  Man ropes had been rigged and he climbed up the side through the entry port. Two petty officers were serving as side boys and the lieutenant he had met briefly the day before in the port admiral’s office was there to
greet him. He too, was not old enough to shave yet, but Lieutenant Wainright had a commission date a week after his own and he appeared knowledgeable of his duties.

  At this early date, only a few people that had reported aboard. The cook was present, as was the carpenter’s mate who would be taking care of any problems with wooden equipment or hull repairs. He had been told Alert would have a sail maker on this voyage, as well as an assistant surgeon in the event anyone needed an arm or leg lopped off.

  The crew would begin coming aboard this afternoon, soon after their detachment of Royal Marines reported aboard. There was a fly in the ointment. When Alert had arrived at the dockyard a month before, the crew that had been removed were mostly rated as either able or ordinary seamen. He had been warned the supply of such men was now very low, so many of the new crew members would be sweepings of the press.

  Certainly, some of them would be skilled seamen pressed from merchantmen, but more would be itinerant farmworkers, runaway apprentices, criminals released from gaol and the like.

  He did have a few midshipmen he could use as petty officers. It seemed every shopkeeper in Portsmouth had a son or nephew that wished to go to sea as an officer in training. With little room available, Phillips only accepted those young men who had already been to sea for a cruise or two and could earn their keep. He wanted no ten year olds crying for their mothers on his brig.

  That afternoon the remainder of his warrants came aboard, followed by a sergeant of Royal Marines with a corporal and a dozen privates. Shortly after, the boats began arriving ferrying out the new crewmembers. Some of the people were very strange indeed.

  Phillips and Lieutenant Wainright set up a table and two chairs on the quarterdeck, where it was intended all new crewmen would pass by, give their names and a brief history of themselves and be entered in the ships books.

  One of the first in the procession was a burly man in torn and filthy clothing with a wad of tobacco in his cheek. He was one of those released from gaol to enter the Royal Navy. He was sneering and contemptuous when he stood before his captain and first officer, but Phillips made no mention of his displeasure yet. He had decided to allow the men to become used to their surroundings before enforcing discipline. With no experience at sea, the man was rated as ‘Landsman’ and his brute strength would be used to pull on ropes and haul yards around.