The Fire Ship

Cats…. Cats…. don’t talk to me about cats Baptiste look what happened last night when you let that kitten in here.

The blasted thing drank the last of my Brandy, I’ll have no more talk of cats do you understand.

What do you mean Hermione - you like cats! Well I can see they have their uses, keeping down the mice, and they don’t take up all the heat from the fire like dogs do, but that’s about the best I can say for them.

What do you mean Hermione – you would like a cat! Well in which case there must be more about them than I’ve discovered so far, you will have to explain. However, we transgress, it’s as cold as the grave outside and I believe Baptiste that it’s your turn to buy the drinks and if Madame Tricoteuse has any brandy left after the cats rampage last night I will have a large glass if you please.

Come now Hermione, tell me about cats and why you like them so. Oh - you would rather hear another of my seafaring tales, well that’s perfectly understandable my dear.

Baptiste while you are at the bar would you be so good as to ask Madame Tricoteuse if you could borrow her blackboard chalk, I have the perfect story for such a cold winters night, it’s about a Fireship and a burning. No Pierre not a witch burning, you’ve been thinking too much about cats, I never understood why black cats are associated with witchcraft but people do have such strange ideas.

Thank you Baptiste now to illustrate my story I need to draw an outline of a harbour so you may understand the difficulties with this operation. Pierre mind you keep a sharp eye on Madame Tricoteuse, if she stops her knitting and wanders over here we must rub out the chalk outline quickly, you remember the fuss the last time I drew on her new table tops.

Right – on this diagram, you see these stars, here and here, they are two forts on the promontories that guard the harbour the smaller one is to the south and the larger the north, and this block outline are the ships we were to attack. It was a safe haven and a difficult nut to crack, but first I should explain what this was all about.

PIRATES

We had been ordered to clear out a nest of Pirates, and for some reason our Admiral wanted to use a fire ship to do it, so had allocated the poor Sloop Le Fortune for the task. I was sure that there were better ways to achieve this without burning a beautiful French ship but you must understand I was young then and it took some people quite a long time before they were to realise my advice was of importance.

Yes Pierre by now I was an Aspirant in the great Marine de la France, yes Pierre my Father the doorman at Madame Le Fifi’s had secured me a position in the Navy, yes Pierre he was sad to know that I would probably never come home again but he thought it was for the good of the family. Yes Pierre my glass is empty and another tot of the 98 Brandy will help me keep my temper so you had better go and fetch one, no make that a double, I can see it’s going to be a long night.

Are you sure you don’t want to go and sit with Baptiste and the Blacksmith, I’m know Hermione would be perfectly happy, just the two of us in the alcove by the fire and I wouldn’t have to shout above your inane chatter, it’s worse than a hurricane in June.

Ahh you are back quickly Pierre, well I waited for your return and now will tell you about our Capitaine de Fregate Robert Auclaire who was as crafty a Capitaine as I’ve ever served under. Indeed some of his exploits almost matched my own for cunning and daring, and this was as cunning as any plan he conceived.

The Capitaine took one look at the chart and declared “This will not do, we can’t just sail into the harbour and set fire to the Pirate ships, it will be a death sentence for the fire ship crew” “No - I will follow you in with Sibylle and pick you up from the water”, and he looked directly at me when he said those words.

And so it was, that I Jean le Vagabond, was chosen to command the Fireship Le Fortune and sail first into the harbour. There was a lot of grumbling from the crew, they said we should follow the larger ship, they complained that the grog ration was too small, indeed they complained about almost everything. When I looked at the men I realized they were the worst of Sibylle’s crew, the malingerers, thieves, landsmen all. The Capitaine had put the dross of the crew in the Fireship and he had put me in command. I was so proud that he trusted I could handle these scurvy knaves and make them pull together as a crew, although I don’t mind admitting I would have liked 1 or 2 sound men from the crew.

My orders were to arrive at the mouth of the bay at 05:00 just as it was getting light, I wondered why we didn’t try and get past the fortifications in the dark but didn’t want to question him too closely on my first independent command. On the stroke of five there was a flash of light, followed by a big cloud of smoke and I realised the battery on the south side of the harbour had fired on us, just then their cannon balls struck home.

It was pandemonium, our ship was loaded with combustibles and a fire started in the main sail, presumably some burning wadding adhered to a ball, it’s unusual but I’ve seen it happen before. Then the ship shuddered and the call went up “We’re holed and shipping water” Another broadside like that and we would be sunk.

You understand Hermione the predicament we were in, I shouted to the crew to man the pump and some hands to go aloft and cut that sail free before it set fire to the combustibles on the deck. This was a perverse situation, putting out a fire on a fire ship but it had to be done or we would never make it into the harbour.

I could see musket flashes from the nearest fort, the larger one on the northern side of the harbour and knew that Capitaine Auclaire’s plan had worked. Looking astern Sibylle was right behind us, we both had full sails set, a risk it’s true but speed was essential to get through the entrance before we were shattered by canon fire.

The musket flashes were because the crafty Auclaire had landed Sibylle’s marines further along the shore and they had made a landward attack on the fortification, our trained Marines had caught the pirates unprepared for this and they were overrun in no time at all.

We entered the zone of fire from their guns just as the fort fell and so suffered no damage, which after that first salvo from the southern fort would have destroyed us completely.

You can see Hermione the wind is blowing out of the harbour mouth and we were going to have to put in a tack or two unless we are very lucky or skilful. Yes that’s very kind of you to say so but yes I think I can say without contradiction that I have more skill than most when it comes to helming a ship.

The poor sloop Le Fortune was flying like the wind, she was a weatherly craft and I encouraged the helmsman to steer a little to starboard, full and by as we sailors say, and we maintained the wind in our sails which enabled us to set a course directly for the target.

The south battery had time to re-load and they blasted away again but we were out of her zone of fire Sibylle though was so close that the balls missed the ships hull but struck high, sending splinters of wood cascading down on the crew. I knew this would be a major concern for our Capitaine because part of his crew were on Le Fortune and all the Marines were ashore so he was manning the ship with a skeleton crew only.

After successfully putting out the fire in the rigging we had to set fire to the combustibles and get the ships boats over the side. The men were still manning the pump trying vainly to stem the inflow of water, but they were keeping pace with it and I felt the elation that comes with knowing you are going to succeed.

If only we could get off this tinder keg we might even succeed and live, but you understand that for a man such as I, success and glory are the only drugs that fuel life.

Behind us I could hear the guns from Sibylle as she opened fire on the fort giving them a taste of their own medicine. From the noise I knew the Capitaine had loaded double shot and was giving them hell.

This knocked the stuffing out of them and no mistake, we gave a quick cheer before dropping our boats in the water. No Pierre - dropping the boats in the water is not meant literally, we lowered them quickly but carefully, because our lives depended on them.

Dust and debris flew in the air from the Sibylle’s guns and she nearly destroyed the battery in one broadside.

It’s a shame they couldn’t be holed and lose a mast or it would have been much worse.

Le Fortune crashed into the nearest pirate craft and my crew took to the boats, there was a lot of jockeying for position but with the flat of my sword blade I made the men move which give me space to clamber into the lead boat.

Yet again I wondered why the Capitaine hadn’t spared any steady hands for this venture, but cast that thought aside as I got the men rowing in something like unison.

If you are wondering why the ships boats look like Greek Penteconters that’s because they are.

As we rowed to the centre of the harbour to rendezvous with our mother ship I wondered if this would happen after all. There was very little space in the harbour but Sibylle with judicious use of sail power only just managed to make it round. If it hadn’t been so steep too she would have grounded I’m sure, as it was some wag said she had fewer layers of paint on the starboard side when she came out than when she went in.

One by one the pirate ships caught fire and there were not enough of their crew to extinguish them.

We all made it on board, and we had a following wind.

By now all the pirate ships were ablaze and so we just had to get past the battered fort to be away from this place of destruction and start our celebration.

To try and make the passage safer we jinked the Sibylle to larboard and gave a lacklustre volley at the fort, even with the Fireship crew assisting with manning the guns it was a poor thing.

Fortunately we were still out of the angle of their guns because as we turned to avoid the cliffs we would have made an easy target for them.

With our final turn to larboard, we had them lined up for a full broadside that was sent with gusto and finished all resistance, we lost the fore topsail with a lucky shot from the Pirate fort but that was the end it. A most successful mission and I gained a new nickname, Fiery Jean.

Quick Pierre rub out the chalk lines Madame Tricoteuse is coming over and you don’t want to get into trouble for drawing on her table top.

Hermione, you have been an attentive pupil tonight but I must say adieu and I hope to see you again in the near future.

The final view of the Pirates.

If you read any of this you will have gathered that the yellow string marked the angle of fire from the Pirate fortifications.

Yo ho ho and a barrel full of tar is I think the naval equivalent of Cheers.

Pre Aspirant Jean le Vagabond in Who Fired the First Shot

May 2015 solo mission - 'Who fired the first shot.....': By Vagabond

This is a scenario from the Sails of Glory site, one that they used in a campaign run back in 2015. The site has sadly sunk below the waves but has been raised from the sea bed as a section of the Wings of Glory site, but I've decided to repost my stories of Jean le Vagabond on here, Sorry!

These tales are told by that old French Sea Dog Jean le Vagabond to anyone drinking in Martine’s Bar in central Provence some time in the 1830’s. His usual audience is Baptiste and Baptiste’s handsome daughter Hermione, but in general includes anyone who will listen and then fill up his glass with the proverbial 98 Brandy, or indeed anything alcoholic.

I have stolen my style from Arthur Conan-Doyle’s Memories of Brigadier Gerrard a Light Cavalryman in the Napoleons Wars, it is a great read if you like tongue in the cheek humour.

I wasn’t even an Aspirant back then but my Father had managed to get me a passage on the Commerce de Bordeaux, a fine 74 gun ship of the line in the magnificent French Navy. I believe I mentioned some time in the past that he was the Doorman at Madame Fifi’s and seemed to have some influence with the Admiralty and for a reason unknown to me at the time thought that a life at sea would be good for the family.

No Baptiste you don’t have to listen to another of my interminable tales of my life at sea, you can go and sit with the Blacksmith and reminisce on how you spilt his beer. I’m sure that Hermione would be more than happy to chew the lardons with me, we can sit here by the fire on our own but before you go I believe it is your turn to buy the drinks again and I’ll have a 98 brandy, and if you are going to sit with your friends all night you had best make it a double.

Shall I continue Hermione, of course, well as I was saying we were on patrol in the Atlantic and had been shadowing a squadron of Johnny Rosbif’s finest ships. The situation was tense in Europe, war was inevitable again, it was only a question of when and who would start it. Our instructions were clear, we should not start a war by firing first on our smug enemy but we should not let him do the same to us.

They had four ships of the line including one of their 1st rate ships the Royal George, she was a great big lumbering thing and a ship with a male name is an abomination to Neptune the Sea God but we can discuss that some other time.

We were up wind of the Rosbifs but their lead ship started to turn, to cut across our line just as we saw a sail in the far distance.

Will that be a messenger and will it be a glorious French messenger or a dastardly Rosbif one and what would she have to say. Is war declared and are we to be fighting our first battle against the odds? We were not afraid Hermione, don’t think that for a moment, we wanted to bring glory to France but the Rosbifs had a superiority in the number of ships even though we had the superiority in élan.

She drew closer but her sails were obscuring her colours, she had the fine clean lines of a French built ship but there were many of our ships serving in the old enemies fleet, taken by subterfuge and occasionally in a straight fight, but not many of the latter. 

She looks like the Artésien muttered our Premier Lieutenant, I’d recognise the lines of a ship built by Joseph-Louis Olliver, am I not his nephew. I looked at him in awe. The Nephew of Olliver, I’ve served with some great men in my time Hermione, I will tell you of them if we can keep your aged Father from falling asleep, but first I will tell you of this action.

As she drew near we could see she was flying signal flags but we could not discern the signal. Every ship in the 2 small fleets was prepared for action, slow matches burning, shot and charges prepared, marines up in the tops, the Captains cabin squared away, the stern guns rolled out, and the galley stoves doused.

As the ship drew close enough to recognise her I heard various hands confirming what our premier Lieutenant had already said “it’s the Artisan” and just then, before we could make out what signal she was flying, she fired a broadside into HMS Defence the leading British 74.

Every gunner dropped their slow match to the touch hole, no one waited for the command, everyone was at fever pitch and the sound of cannonades blasting out in the still afternoon air shattered the silence.

At the head of our column Artisan and my ship the Commerce de Bordeaux fired into HMS Defence who returned our fire most effectivly. The noise and smoke was unimaiginable, many of our crew were laid low but I could see we had struck Defence below the waterline but beyond her, flames shot up in the air from Artisan.

Further down the line and just to our rear I could see HMS Impeteux taking a severe battering from the Ville de Varsovie our flagship and further in the distance, right at the rear of our line Genereaux was brutally struck by the enemy flagship Royal George.

In response Genereaux turned to larboard with the intention of breaking the British line between Royal George and the last ship in the line HMS Bahama, if this works it could win the battle but she had a long way to go before she would be able to pour a volley from either side into their weak stem and stern’s.

Artisan made a similar move to try and sail behind Impertuex but their steering must have been damaged because she came to close to Impetueux who fired a devastating broadside down the length of Artisan and she dropped her colours, too badly damaged to continue the fight.

The Hulk of Artisan can be seen bottom right but HMS Impetueux didn’t have time to send a prize crew on board, the battle was raging and there would be the opportunity to do that later. She fired a full starboard broadside into the Ville de Varsovie who was reserving her fire, in a bold move she sailed in to get to a closer range before firing her salvo in retaliation and I thought she would then board Imperteux.

At the head of the line, our ship Commerce de Bordeaux and HMS Defence were slugging it out out, toe to toe and we were getting the better of the exchange.

Back at the rear of our column, Genereaux continued to turn to larboard but HMS Bahama was turning to starboard, there was the sound of splintering wood as they collided with each other, but not as big as the explosive broadside from Genereaux blasting Royal George at close range, although the return volley from Georges forward battery started a fire and did some damage to her rudder.

I know that the rules don’t call for collision damage between enemy ships but I’ve included it and used A tokens rather than B because it’s a bow to bow collision and so will cause potentially less damage than bow to beam.

In the distance the Ville de Varsovie fires her close range broadside into Impetueux this causes Impeteuex to pull out of the line to make repairs but in retaliation HMS Royal George poured a withering fire into Ville de Varsovie who strikes her colours.

As Genereaux and Bahama drift apart they fire into each other and the Bahama comes off substantially the worse from the exchange losing her foremast which falls to the deck killing a number of the crew before it topples overboard.

This doesn’t stop her marines from inflicting heavy crew casualties on Genereaux.

And then they fire again causing even more casualties as they break away from each other.

The smoke from the gunfire obscures my view and I can no longer see their valiant fight.

The capitulation of our Flagship allows HMS Impetueux to make repairs but we continue to hammer HMS Defence who finally has had enough and strikes, but with the Royal George foaming through the waves, closing the gap to the battered Commerce de Bordeaux’s our Captain decides discretion is the better part of valour and so with 3 of the French Fleet out of action he decides four is too many and shouts the order to raise full sails and we make our getaway.

It was a sad sight Hermione, our glorious fleet battered into submission but my ship the Commerece de Bordeaux had defeated her opponent, even though we could not put a prize crew on board and sail her home in triumph.

I can tell you Hermione, I have known great glory and victories in my life and as you now know the occasional sour taste of defeat. This was one of the low points for me. Yes I know you are right I was not in command or even on the books of the Commerce de Bordeaux and so no one could ascribe blame to me and as you say, we defeated our opponent HMS Defense but as a man of honour, I share in the sad day for my fellow countrymen and comrades in arms.

We were able to avenge this day and sooner than Johnny Rosbif would have liked but it’s late and I must take my leave.

Your sorry father has fallen asleep over his glass of wine, luckily he has not spilled it, pass me the glass and I will see if this can not warm my poor body enough to tackle the cold and snow outside.

Adieu Hermione, until next time.

Well my poor French fleet took a pounding, but on the bright side my British Fleet won a famous victory.

I realise the chits and ship cards will mean bugger all to most people but to the cognoscenti out there they will be like wine at a feast.

Bon Voyage Mes Amies,

And Cheers to those who don't speak foreign.

East meets West in the Trading Post with no Name

This just a short introduction to some of the characters who will be operating out of the Trading Station that still has no name. If you’ve been following along you will have already come across the Mabel Street Mob and in the last post you may remember Lian Su Smith in protracted discussions with a trio of Chinese chaps and chapesses, they are the leading members of the White Hyacinth Tong. No one is sure what the nature of their business is in SE Asia but it will be a cause of trouble and heartache. Trouble and heartache for the local inhabitants, not for the White Hyacinth, that’s for sure.

Anyway, without further ado I’ll introduce the The White Hyacinth Tong.

The inscrutable Yu Lon Chi the head man of the White Hyacinth Tong based in Ürümqi - capital of Xinjiang Province in North West China, pictured here in the Tianshan Mountains 1926.

Urumqi was ruled by the warlord Yang Zengxin from 1911 to 1928, it was a wild and dangerous place. It grew to prominence due to its position on the Silk Road and every bandit, con man, bully boy, and lowlife was attracted by its easy money and fast living.

The White Hyacinth Tong were the top of the pile, they say scum rises. They were bad men and none badder than Yu, he ran protection and prostitution in the downtown area, and also the cities most influential bank in the uptown area, he had fingers in many pies.

The Tong could easily be recognised by the White Hyacinth embroidered on their clothing. Recognised and then avoided - unless they came up behind you, in which case you were normally washed up on the banks of the Urumqi River or left to rot in some remote corner of the Tianshan Mountains.

This is a photograph of Chang - bodyguard and general enforcer to the inscrutable Yu Lon Chi the head man of the White Hyacinth Tong based in Ürümqi, in North West China taken here in the Tianshan Mountains 1926.

Changs mother died of typhus when he was 6 months old and his father of an equally deadly virus, an unpaid gambling debt to the Rickshaw Drivers Union who ran gambling and racetracks on the north side of town. Rickshaw racing was the hottest sport in Xinjiang Province in the 1920’s.

Chang wandered the streets stealing and fighting until he was spotted by Yu Lon Chi one day when he had just beaten a boy twice his age in a fist fight for a stale loaf of bread.

Chi took him in, fed and clothed him and now Chang reveres Chi as the father figure he never really knew.

Everyone knows that to get to Chi, you have to go through Chang, and no one goes through Chang.

The deadly but beautiful Mai Ling the second most powerful person in the White Hyacinth Tong, pictured here in the Tianshan Mountains 1926.

The triumvirate of Yu Lon Chi, Chang and Mai Ling maintain a grip of iron on the White Hyacinth Tong (note the symbol of the Tong discreetly embroidered on her pantaloons) and through the Tong a stranglehold the on vice and crime in Xinjiang Province, North West China.

The silk road may no longer carry silk but there are darker goods traded along the road in the 1920’s and the White Hyacinth is in the trade up to their necks, with Mai Ling masterminding most of it.

No one knows for sure where Mai Ling came from – she drifted into town and naturally gravitated to the centre of power, rising quickly to the top, leaving a trail of broken men behind her.

The leaders of the White Hyacinth will not be here alone, they have a small army of thugs, murderers and lowlifes at their beck and call. For them to be so far from Ürümqi there must be a very good reason that I expect will come to light some time in the future.

We will just have to be patient.

Sorry for the short and rather lacklustre post but I’m off the Scandinavia tomorrow and wanted to keep up my ridiculously low self imposed target of a post a month and I should get back in time to make June’s post as well.

I will have a host of Viking pictures from various sites but not the ship museum in Oslo because it’s closed until 2027 for renovation, would anyone be interested in seeing that sort of thing. It’s not why I started the blog but over the years Mrs V and I have visited many European sites of interest to a wargamer building his or her own scenery, it could be quite a resource!

Cheers

The Trading Post with No Name

Vagabonds China Station

I’ve long admired the photographs I’ve seen of Bob Murch’s China Station and always wanted to emulate, read steal his idea and place some games with a connected storyline in South East Asia. I envision a setting that is a crossroads between East and West, a mix of Asian, Chinese and Japanese workers, merchants and crooks forming the East. Combine them with Western adventurers, Imperialists, Missionaries and of course crooks it’s an interesting combination of cultures and characters that a fair number on my figures will fit into.

Over the last week or so I’ve been building a trading post and finishing it yesterday I wanted to try and put a bit of flesh on what is still a fairly loose idea. Hopefully anyone who reads this might like to throw in some ideas either of building styles, culture or storylines that I might follow.

This is a picture of one of Bob Murchs games You can see the mix of building styles, oriental obviously but also generic trading warehousing and workshops. The one with the corrugated roof behind the steam launch is the one I’ve taken for my inspiration.

This is another picture of the same game setting. I will set my station on a river in a similar manner; I intend to create a quay/wharf structure as a separate piece or pieces so the building’s that I make will sit on top of that, rather than have their own stilts. I can then also use the buildings in a more standard setting, planted on solid earth rather than over a river.

If you look at this picture you can see that there is no base under the wooden piles front centre and front right and I’m not sure how I can build this so that it is substantial enough to store and wargame with. Does anyone have any ideas how I could get sufficient glued area for that to work, and if I have a number of legs, how I can glue them accurately enough to not wobble in play. I believe the wooden piles under the wharves will only be 10 to 20mm high, I need to check on my boat height to see what’s going to look best but it’ll be fairly short.

I don’t have a name for the place yet, I’ve been seduced by Bobs name ‘China Station’, it conveys everything that I want to include, but of course I can’t pinch his name as well as his ideas. I did think of Little Shanghai because I had thought of using Shanghai as my Oriental setting until I came to my senses thinking about the amount of work building something even remotely like that.

This is just to show the style I went for with the building, a mix of painted wood and printed paper, the sign is just rested there because I’ve not decided who will be the owner or operator of the first warehouse in the trading post with no name.

This is just an atmospheric picture that I liked, it doesn’t add anything to the post, except maybe a little class.

This is a more useful shot to show that side of the building.

And round the back, my idea is that the other side will face the river and this side will be for truck access. The outhouse shows my normal old wood painting style which is why I went for printed paper on this build. My only issue with the paper is that it looks a little clean. I’m sure I read of someone who used tea to distress and age printed paper, any thoughts?

I’m thinking that the trading post will be on a large river that runs down from the Golden Triangle, Opium will flow down and guns and other desirables will flow up, I haven’t got round to looking at the geography to see if this is feasible but maybe I don’t care either.

Lian Su Smith on the right, the head of the Mabel Street Mob from the States is in complex negotiations with members of a Chinese Tong who are intending setting up a river shipping business. The existing river traffic operators are unaware of these plans.

Meanwhile Lian’s second in command Nicole is in similar complex negotiations with Amelia Eckhardt to see if they can fit floats on the Peashooter and cut down on shipping times along the river with no name.

Honey Driver is inspecting the radial engine in the Peashooter and wondering how she might turn putting sugar in its tank to her advantage. It would mean she needs to acquire a plane herself but that wouldn’t be a problem to a resourceful woman…..or would it?

The woman in red is from the British S.I.S. You may have come across Miss Scarlet before and if so just be pleased to be alive. The shifty character in the red fez may even turn out to be the owner of the Trading store with no name, in the trading post with no name. and so for the minute he will remain nameless.

I’m hoping to use a number of my building from other genres and periods, the flat roof workshop is from my Viking village and fits in quite well I think.

Once the goods have arrived from up river they will need to be transhipped by road and this character is wondering how to get into road transport, with no truck and no money. This should be easier than getting into the air transport business……probably.

Ok that’s as far as I’ve got which as you can see isn’t very far, I’d appreciate any thoughts you might have both on construction and storyline, maybe even names for the post/station.

There are rumours of a gangster who died back in the States having interests in these parts but these are only whispered rumours and no one is sure what his interests were and if anyone would inherit them, but even then, finder keepers, is the general rule in my part of the Orient.