The Fox of France

Chapter 232: Storms and a Cunning Plan

In the eyes of the British, the "Leviathan" had been in hot pursuit of a fast-clipper for nearly half a day. Throughout this chase, the steam engine of the "Leviathan" must have been running under a heavy load. The British were unsure about the capabilities of the French steam engine, but they figured it couldn't be much better than the British ones. After all, Britain was the birthplace of steam engines.

If a steam engine on a British ship continued to operate under such a high load for so long, there was a good chance it might malfunction. So, the British were convinced that if they accelerated their chase, they would catch up and eliminate the French steam frigate.

"It would be great if we could capture this warship. After all, it's even more potent than us, worth learning from, like the fact that it doesn't have paddlewheels, one less significant weakness," thought Commander Nevill, a lieutenant colonel, on board the "Tremor," the steam escort ship leading the pursuit.

After making a turn, the "Leviathan" began to accelerate, but its acceleration wasn't swift. The distance between the two ships continued to decrease.

Indeed, regarding the level of steam engines, the one on the "Equality" was not more advanced or powerful than those on British ships. But in terms of propulsion, the screw propeller significantly exceeded the paddlewheel in efficiency. Furthermore, another hidden feature, the submerged, normally invisible bulbous bow, made the "Equality" face significantly less resistance when reaching considerable speeds. These two factors combined meant that the "Equality" could reach a speed of around eleven knots without needing to run the steam engine at full capacity.

Therefore, whether it was a short sprint or a long race, the "Equality" was far superior to the British steamships it faced. In fact, if the goal was merely to escape the British pursuers, Lieutenant Marthen only needed to continue accelerating. Before long, he would leave the British far behind.

However, Marthen didn't want to do that. He knew that, following his first successful sortie, several shipyards under the Military Industrial Consortium were preparing to produce similar warships. Perhaps it wouldn't be long before the second and third ships of this kind were launched.

Marthen knew that when that time came, achieving more victories would be much harder. At that point, there would be too many wolves and too little meat. When would he ever become a general? After all, General Napoleon Bonaparte was only a year younger than him and had already become the First Consul!

So, Marthen quietly made up his mind to play a big game, one that the British would never forget.

However, Marthen didn't dare to directly engage the British in combat. The British had more ships and more cannons. But the British ships had a glaring weakness: their paddlewheels were so large, so crucial, and so vulnerable. Hitting the paddlewheel with a few cannonballs during battle could render the ship immobile. If Marthen were British, he might have gone straight for the attack. But he was French.

For years, the French Navy had a history of being defeated by the British Navy when they lacked overwhelming superiority in numbers. So, the French Navy was always cautious when facing the British. In essence, without a dominant force, they couldn't afford to take the initiative.

For example, in the original historical account, the French and Spanish joint fleet had a relative numerical advantage over Nelson's fleet. Yet, when they encountered the British, their first thought was, "Let's get out of here!" Their second thought was, "We must escape faster than the Spanish (or the French)!"

Marthen wanted to defeat the British ships to make a name for himself, but he also feared the Royal Navy. Therefore, he chose a sneaky approach: to lead the British in a chase.

Marthen had been on British steamships before and knew that about eleven knots was their limit. At that speed, they could last until the evening at most. Afterward, they would either have to reduce the steam engine's pressure to prevent malfunctions, or, more likely, come to a complete stop. That's when he could seize the opportunity.

But Marthen soon realized he didn't need to wait until evening. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, a dark cloud drifted in from the west, and the wind and waves intensified. The British steam escort ships couldn't keep up with him on the rocking sea. Their paddlewheels were dipping into the water or rising above it, significantly reducing their propulsion efficiency. Their speed rapidly dropped, even falling behind regular sailboats.

"Damn it! The French are escaping again! Curse this wind!" Lieutenant Colonel Nevill cursed and slammed his fist against the ship's rail. Just before, they had been closing in on the enemy, and a little more, they could have fired their 24-pounders at the target. But now, it was evident that they couldn't catch up with the "Leviathan."

"Colonel, the enemy ship is changing course!" At that moment, a lookout's shout reached his ears.

Nevill quickly looked ahead and saw the French steamship making a swift turn amidst the storm. The maneuver was so rapid, and it seemed unaffected by the storm's power.

"What do they intend to do?" Nevill was surprised. According to logic, the French should take advantage of the storm to escape. Why were they changing course?

But Nevill quickly grasped the "Leviathan's" intent.

"The one commanding the 'Leviathan' is an extremely brave and cunning opponent. They've noticed our predicament in the storm and want to take this opportunity to divide and conquer us."

"The storm has made our paddlewheels nearly unusable, greatly reducing our maneuverability. He must be hoping to use this opportunity, leveraging his speed advantage, to get alongside us, pass us from our stern, and use his broadside cannons to strike at our rear!"

Realizing this, Colonel Nevill immediately ordered, "All ships, hoist the sails immediately, prepare for battle."

With the paddlewheels no longer functioning efficiently, they unfurled the sails, relying on the more reliable wind power to control the ships and counter the French.

The six British steam escort ships set sail again, turning back into sailboats.

However, these steam escort ships had fewer sails than normal escort ships due to the space occupied by the chimneys. Additionally, if they allowed the paddlewheels to continue providing power, they would have difficulty turning, as the power kept shifting from one side to the other in the rough seas.

But if they stopped the paddlewheels, they were essentially adding more resistance. These steam escort ships, already less efficient due to their incomplete sails when relying solely on wind power, became even more sluggish with the added resistance, which compounded their problems.

On the other hand, the "Equality" began increasing the boiler pressure, and despite the storm, its speed not only didn't decrease but actually continued to rise.

With its enhanced power, the "Equality" passed the British from the starboard side, beyond the reach of their cannons, then began to turn, preparing to insert itself at the rear of the British fleet. The British fleet, in turn, started to turn, attempting to keep their broadsides facing the "Equality," and both sides danced in the midst of the storm.

This maneuver, known as "cutting the T," was common in naval warfare during this era. Typically, ships of this time had their cannons mounted on their broadsides, so they could only unleash the most firepower when they faced the enemy. If their bows or sterns were directed at the enemy, they had very few cannons capable of firing.

In naval battles, once one side gained the advantageous position of having their broadside or stern facing the enemy, they had an overwhelming firepower advantage. Therefore, naval engagements always involved trying to gain this position of advantage through maneuver. This principle remained significant in naval battles for many years to come.

For instance, in another era of a different timeline, Admiral Togo's combined fleet employed the daring maneuver of "crossing the enemy's T" to seize this advantageous position during the Battle of Tsushima; and in the ultimate battle of battleship gunnery, the Battle of Tsushima Strait, the United States Navy, with the T advantage, effortlessly defeated the Japanese fleet at the cost of almost nothing, all due to this strategic advantage.

Sailing and turning were significantly impacted by the wind's force. However, the "Equality" remained unaffected by these forces. With its greater speed and more agile turning capabilities, the "Equality" effortlessly gained the upper hand in this game of "cutting the T" against the British's clumsy steam escort ships.

The "Equality" first approached the "Serene," the last of the British ships, from the starboard side, swiftly turning from behind the "Serene" and using its eight right-sided cannons to fire a broadside.

In this broadside, the "Equality" used chain shot ammunition, aiming to damage the "Serene's" sails and further diminish its maneuverability.

Due to the relatively high relative velocity, the rocky sea, and the fact that Marthen was experimenting with these tactics for the first time, he acted conservatively, leaving a bit more distance when lining up the broadsides with the enemy's stern. The accuracy of this broadside was abysmal - not a single shot hit. But Marthen was undeterred. He held the initiative now, and the enemy had no effective means of retaliation. If one round missed, no problem; he could try again. As long as the storm continued, he had the confidence that, slowly but surely, he would send these British ships one by one to the ocean floor. Now, these British ships were the prey, and he was the true hunter.

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