Chapter 22: Sardinia

March 1813

Commodore Harold Hastings was a gracious host. He had welcomed each of his captains in person at the port, together with Captain Benning, and then led them aft to where his cabin had been prepared for the guests. He had been a successful frigate captain, and the quality of the foods and wines bore witness to his affluence.

Northumberland was 15 years old, of 1900 tons burthen, carrying 32-pounders on her main deck and 18-pounders on the upper deck. She was one of the better 74s in the Navy.

Now they all sat in the spacious after cabin and enjoyed the excellent food. It was a strange feeling for Thomas to be one of the senior captains at the table, with Captains Murtaugh, Muir and MacAuliffe being very recent appointments.

They went through the four courses, each accompanied by matching wines, and finally arrived at Port wine and cheese. Toasts had been drunk, and while his guests sipped on their Ports and nibbled on the excellent Stilton cheese, Commodore Hastings asked for their attention.

“Gentlemen, this squadron, as you know, will be detached to the East, with the express purpose of disrupting the shipping through the Genoese and Tuscany seaports, but also to disrupt the trade between Corsica and the French or Italian mainlands.

“According to our reports, the French keep three or four frigates at Genoa and Porto Vecchio. There are also two old line-of-battle ships in Genoa, small sixty-fours from the old Genoese navy. Our sources doubt that they are ready for sea or that they ever will be ready again.

“This gives as free rein to operate along these coasts. For our initial strike, I propose to sail to the South from here and to round Sardinia. As you know, Sardinia is our ally. Cagliari is the main port, located near the southern tip, where we shall pay a call and gather intelligence. We shall then cruise northward along the coasts of Sardinia and Corsica, sailing in line athwart similar to what most of you gentlemen did under Captain Benning last year.

“Once past Bastia, we shall then head for the Tuscany coast and continue our cruise along the Genoese coast. We shall then explore Genoa from up close, if only to make the Frogs nervous. This is the general plan, but I expect us to adapt it according to what we find. Of course, engaging and capturing the remaining French and Italian men o’war must take priority over cruiser warfare. Any comments or suggestions, gentlemen?”

“Are we planning any landings at this time, Sir?” Thomas asked.

“Only when a tempting opportunity arises. Most coastal towns are protected by heavy fortifications, and the French keep sizable garrisons in them. I can see cutting-out actions, obviously, and for those you should be prepared.”

The captains nodded. That was understood. Hastings now looked at his flag captain.

“Captain Benning has a proposal to make.”

“Thank you, Sir,” Benning said. He looked around the table. “Gentlemen, last year your ships were all part of a small squadron that interrupted trade along the Spanish coast. We, the captains of Caroline, Circe and Thisbe, agreed to share the prize monies amongst our ships equally and regardless of who was in sight at the time of the capture. When Captain Grey joined us in Dido, he also joined that agreement. I believe that it made the squadron more effective since captains could be detached for important tasks without feeling deprived. I propose to enter into a similar agreement between us. Obviously, Northumberland will have the greatest advantage from that since we are not likely to make captures. Yet, Northumberland will provide a degree of protection for you gentlemen and can contribute prize crews, minimizing the need to scuttle captured vessels. We can also engage shore fortifications for you, but in that case, we would be sharing anyway.”

Melrose nodded. “I second that idea. I favoured the sharing agreement last year, and I favour it now, for the very same reasons Captain Benning named. It is also fair to include Northumberland. We shall profit from her presence and firepower during the planned cruise. We can also send more prizes for adjudication if we have more prize crews available.”

The eyes turned to Thomas. He nodded.

“I agree with what Captain Benning and Captain Melrose said. As a newly posted captain, I profited from the very close collaboration between our ships. Of course, I and my ship also profited from Captain Clancy’s decision to terminate the agreement, but this also precipitated a rift within the squadron that made it less of a unit.”

Captain Murtaugh of Circe was next. “I believe that the advantages of such an agreement outweigh any negative impact, say, on individual initiative. I can agree for my ship.”

The captains looked at James Muir. He nodded. “I can see the wisdom in a sharing agreement, and I cannot see the downside that Captain Murtaugh mentioned.”

Murtaugh looked at Muir. “May I ask your reasoning, Captain Muir?” It was a question of polite interest, and Muir saw it this way.

“Except for Captain Benning, we are all rather junior captains. We want to distinguish ourselves. Prize monies are fine, but I believe we value recognition much higher.”

“Hear, hear!” MacAuliffe seconded. “I agree with Captain Muir.”

“Viewed like this, I also agree. Well spoken!” Murtaugh nodded.

“Then we are in agreement?” Benning asked.

One after another, the captains nodded.

“I propose a toast then: may there be much to share between us!”

They drank to that, and Commodore Hastings took over again.

“Splendid, gentlemen! I take great pleasure from this fine display of co-operation. It bodes well for us as a squadron. To further this co-operation I suggest that we shall convene like this once weekly whenever possible.”

“That would be very agreeable, Sir,” Melrose answered. “Perhaps with the stipulation that Captain Grey and I may host some of these dinners?”

That was astute of Melrose. Both he and Thomas had the wherewithal to host such dinners, both having had luck with prize monies and being in command of rather large frigates.

“A change of the venue will be quite welcome,” Hastings replied, obviously pleased with this turn. “I trust that Captain Grey brought some produce from England?”

“My steward, Bartleby, sent ahead some excellent smoked and salted meats, but also potatoes from my lands,” Thomas answered easily. “He also made certain to have some of our local ale. I could certainly promise you a dinner of true English fare.”

“Marvellous! At the risk of sounding greedy, could you agree to host the next dinner? My mouth waters thinking of your ale, Captain!”

“I will feel the honour, Sir,” Thomas answered. He grinned inwardly when he imagined Bartleby’s face. That worthy man had earmarked a good part of the delicacies for his own enjoyment. “I can only hope that my hospitality can hold up to what we enjoyed today, Sir.”

“We shall be the judges of that, my dear Grey,” Benning laughed.

“It is a true pity that Captain Grey will entertain us at sea, for he has a well earned reputation of conjuring up beautiful ladies at his dinners,” Muir added.

“I shall let my dear wife know of your favourite opinion, Captain,” Benning laughed. “Of course, she reported everything to me in her latest letter. Why, do not despair! As I recall, Captain Grey could conjure pretty women and lasses directly from the sea, even when he was but a young master’s mate.”

“I shall endeavour to dive for ladies, Sir, come the summer. To pick them from the wintry sea were poor judgement. Who’d ever want a cold woman for company?”

Their banter and the resulting levity provided the ideal point for Commodore Hastings to rise from the table and to see his captains on their ways. There was some more banter whilst they waited for their gigs, and they all left in an upbeat mood.

After a night spent hove to in close proximity, the six-ship squadron set sail with the first light. Unicorn was forming the van, followed by Northumberland, Caroline and Circe. This four-ship line was flanked by Dido and Thisbe, the fastest ships. The general course was south-southeast, sailing close to the southwesterly breeze. Under these conditions, Unicorn performed well enough, no doubt profiting from her freshly cleaned bottom.

They consistently logged 4 knots over the day and during the night, and on the next day, towards the end of the Morning Watch, the lookout sighted the northwestern tip of Sardinia. They changed their course to due south to sail along the western coast. No sail was sighted during the day, and the squadron kept their course during the night, albeit with shortened sails.

Thomas had used the two days at sea for more gun drill, driving his officers and crews relentlessly, and eliminating shortcomings. It was painfully clear by now that Mr. Treleven was not equal to the demands on a 1st lieutenant. He was too timid, too eager to please, and his authority over the wardroom was close to nil. Pons was another weak spot among the lieutenants. Even after eight years in the Navy, he was a poor sailor, a listless superior, and a tireless complainer. He had never grown up to be an officer in Thomas’s opinion.

For the moment, however, he had to make do with both men since no replacements could be obtained, and therefore he pushed and cajoled them into doing their duties.

After a quiet night, Thomas appeared on deck at sunrise, already fortified by one of Bartleby’s excellent coffees. Master’s Mate Jameson had the Morning Watch.

“Good morning, Sir! Course south, sailing under tops’ls and t’gallants. The last log cast had us at four knots. Flagship is four cable lengths behind us, Sir.”

“Very well, Mr. Jameson. Carry on!”

“Aye-aye, Sir,” the man answered. Jameson had passed his lieutenant’s exam in Gibraltar and was waiting for a berth in a wardroom.

Thomas nodded. Jameson was still young, and to Thomas it seemed that he was adapting willingly to the change in command. Perhaps there was hope for him. He looked around. The Sardinian coast was visible to port, with the first faint light silhouetting the hilly terrain behind the coastline. Over their port bow, Thomas could see the Isola di San Pietro, a few miles west of the main island. The maps indicated a small town on the eastern side, but the rest of the island was largely devoid of settlements.

They would skirt the island at a safe distance and then turn to southeast. Behind San Pietro was another island, Sant’Antioco, twice as big and with several settlements. There was an artificial dam, built in Roman times and linking Sant’Antioco with the main island.

“Sail ho!” the lookout in the foremast hailed. “There’s five, no six, seven craft coming up, lateen sails, and hailing from southeast!”

“Rouse both watches, Mr. Jameson!” Thomas snapped, already heading for the foremast. The climb was awkward since he did not know Unicorn’s rigging very well, but he made it to the top in an acceptable time. Breathing deeply, he tried to steady his hands and pointed his fine glass in the direction the lookout indicated.

Yes, there were seven craft coming up with three masts each and the lateen sails typical for the xebecs of the Barbaray Coast corsairs. They were heading for the Sardinian coast, possibly for the two islands. That was ominous. San Pietro was barely populated, but Sant’Antioco had a population in the hundreds, mostly along its eastern shore. A raid? Sardinia was allied to Great Britain, but so were the Barbary states, at least in name. The corsairs left British ships alone, but Thomas knew that they frequently raided the coasts of the Christian nations to catch slaves for the Ottoman empire. He snapped his glass shut and quickly climbed back down to the deck.

Both watches were on deck and Thomas strode aft.

“Mr. Treleven, we need signal lanterns! Signal midshipman! Night signal to flagship: enemy in sight! Hurry!”

There was Bartleby with a small repast and more coffee. Before he enjoyed that, he looked at Treleven.

“Let the men have some food, Mr. Treleven. Ten minutes. Then we’ll clear the ship for action. There is a small fleet of corsairs ahead, heading for Sant’Antioco island. Probably out to raid and make prisoners for their slave markets. Let’s spoil their fun.”

“Aye-Aye, Sir!” Treleven answered without enthusiasm.

Whilst Thomas was washing down the last piece of bread with thin ale, the signal midshipman had managed to hoist three lanterns to the mizzen top, one red and two green ones. Of course, Northumberland had to find lanterns first to reply, they had to roust Captain Benning, send an officer to the mast head to assess the situation and then formulate their answer.

It was some ten minutes later therefore, when four lanterns, green, red, green and blue showed.

“Flagship signals, Sir,” the midshipman almost shouted. “E-engage enemy. Make all sail!”

“Thank you. Mr. Treleven, clear the ship for action! Mr. Hearn! Have foresail and mainsail set! Mr. Pons, don’t have the guns loaded yet, but have canister ready for the carronades and dismantling shot for the 18-pounders!”

There came Bartleby with Thomas’s fighting coat, dark vest, sword and pistols. Captain Benning had given him the advice years ago, to wear a simple blue coat without epaulettes into a fight. There was no advantage in drawing the attention of the enemy sharpshooters to his person by wearing a splendid uniform. The dark vest was there to conceal the wounds he might sustain, thus preventing a panic on the quarter deck in case of his injury.

Soon the bustle died down and the gun crews stood ready. Thomas had a moment to look about. Dido and Thisbe were already gaining under the full press of their sails, Northumberland had set every stitch of canvas and was plowing through the soft swell of the Mediterranean, and behind her, the rearguard was getting closer as well.

“Masthead! What can you see of the corsairs?” Thomas hailed.

“Disappeared behind yon island, Sir, looked like they changed to northeast.”

Thomas nodded. That had to be a raid, but the corsairs had been careless. There was no free passage between Sant’Antioco and the main island. Once the squadron closed in, the corsairs were trapped, unless they escaped to the north. But even that loophole was now being stopped. Circe and Caroline changed course to due East, most likely to block the passage between San Pietro and the main island. Hastings was reading the situation the same way as Thomas.

They were passing San Pietro now, and in a few minutes they would have to wear ship. Thomas had another quick look at the charts. They did not indicate any rocks or other navigational hazards within the bay, but it would be narrow in there, perhaps too narrow for sailing a big frigate. Those xebecs shipped sweeps, making them more manoeuvrable in narrow waters, but they would be quite vulnerable to Unicorn‘s 18-pounders. Still, the corsairs might succeed in boarding.

“Mr. Treleven, let’s rig the boarding nets. Have swivel guns mounted on quarter deck and fo’c’sle to repel boarders. See to it that the arms chests are unlocked!”

Now it was time to change course. Looking aft, Thomas saw that the huge bulk of Northumberland was already eight cable lengths behind them.

“Helm to starb’d!”

Unicorn wore nicely before the wind. There was enough light now to make out the coastline. After a few moments, Thomas could even see Caroline and Circe coming from the North, but still four miles away.

With an almost ideal wind, Unicorn now raced along at over eight knots and they quickly reached the northernmost tip of Sant’Antioco. A half mile further, they could round the northeastern tip. Before them, a wide natural harbour opened, and the first rays of the morning sun illuminated the seven xebecs. One of them was already alongside a quay, with another on her free side. There was musket fire along the water front. The other five vessels lay in a waiting position as the quay was too small for more ships.

The corsairs had already lowered their lateen sails and were using their sweeps. So far, they must have been unaware of the presence of the British squadron, but when Unicorn entered the harbour mouth, two of the xebecs lying in wait turned to confront them. None of the Corsair ships were flying any flags, an important point which disqualified them as legitimate combatants and allowed the British squadron to interfere.

“Mr. Treleven! Double-shot the 18-pounders! Canister for the carronades and the six-pounders.”

“Sir, their rowers may be slaves!”

“All the more reason to make certain that we do not end up on those benches ourselves. We still have time to launch the boats, so let’s do that!”

It was a basic precaution to lower the boats when a battle loomed. When hit by roundshot, boats were reduced to flying splinters, a major cause for fatal injuries.

The two xebecs approached them head-on, as was to be expected. They would try to avoid Unicorn‘s broadside, block her progress and then board her. If he tried to bring his broadside into play, they would probably try to ram him. It was an interesting situation.

“Mr. Treleven, we shall engage them with our starboard battery first. I want the gunners to aim low. First the main deck, then the upper deck guns. There’s between a hundred and two hundred men in each of those xebecs, so let’s not invite them to board!”

They continued on the head-on course. The courses were taken in, and then Thomas had the topgallant sails furled. Unicorn proceeded under her topsails only.

“Main deck, double-load with ball and canister!” Thomas ordered. The greatest danger would be a boarding, but a broadside of canister would greatly reduced the numbers of boarders.

In this moment, the xebecs opened fire with their bow chasers, 12-pounders from what Thomas noticed. Those did not make much impression on the sturdy bows of the frigate. Thomas watched his adversaries closely. Then, when he saw his opening, he almost smiled. Moving under their sweeps, the xebecs had to keep a distance between them and could not easily close that gap. Sailing directly between them would allow Unicorn to fire both her broadsides to good effect. Yet, he had to mask his intentions up to the last moment.

“Four points to port!” Thomas rapped, and Unicorn turned as if trying to pass in front of the xebecs. Thomas could see their response, their sweeps now moving faster, preparing to ram the frigate. They were now almost athwart the first of charging xebecs, and it was time.

“Gun deck, prepare to give passing honours! Quartermasters, helm to port! We’re breaking through between them!”

Unicorn turned neatly, only two pistol shots away from the first xebec’s bows. There were panicked shouts on both corsairs, and their sweeps stopped. Before they could take the sweeps in, however, Unicorn broke through, close to the larboard xebec. Thomas heard the first of their sweeps snap and blew his whistle.