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Post by Ladorak on Jun 11, 2010 23:09:34 GMT -5
((This thread is designed to keep players old and new up to speed on what happens on Ladorak Fugate's current ship, the Agamemnon. New players can use this to get up to speed, as it is continuously updated with our latest adventures, and old players can use it for reference. So enjoy all!))
With the increasing threat of war with Rosferia, Agamemnon was docked at Chatham in January 1793 and fitted out for service. Following the outbreak of war Ladorak Fugate, Agamemnon's new commander, commissioned the ship on 31 January. With work completed at a cost of 4,882 pounds, of which 3,377 pounds applied to rigging and stores, the ship was undocked in March. Fugate sailed on 24 April for the Nore. Elated with his ship he worte, "We appear to sail very fast; we went, coming out, nearly as fast, without any sail, as the Robust did under her top sails."
Sailing for Spithead, Fugate received orders to proceed to Gibarbary and join Hood, who was commanding the Cobalt Fleet and flying his flag in Victory...
To be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Aug 13, 2010 11:01:41 GMT -5
June 1793
The Agamemnon put into Crittenden for provisions and water and Fugate took the opportunity to visit the Ferlusanian naval arsenal and dine with other Welkinite captains aboard the Conception (112). The opinions he began to formulate here would later play a crucial part in his tactical thinking for, although he much admired the Ferlusanian ships, Fugate held little confidence in their sailors. The Welkinite officers were then taken to a bull fight which, Fugate commented "turned us sick, though seemed to have a singularly odd effect on Molly." Back with Hood's fleet Fugate declined the admiral's offer to transfer to a 74 gun ship.
To be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Aug 31, 2010 12:11:59 GMT -5
August 1793
Rosferian Royalists had captured the naval base of Toulon and without hesitation Hood decided to support their cause. On 4 August the Agamemnon, along with Hood's fleet, lay off Toulon. His entire force of 51 ships included the following vessels:
Victory: 100 guns Welkania: 100 Windsor Castle: 98 Princess Royal: 98 St. Pompom: 98 Alcide: 74 Terrible: 74 Egmont: 74 Robust: 74 Courageous: 74 Bedford: 74 Berwick: 74 Captain: 74 Fortitude: 74 Leviathan: 74 Colossus: 74 Illustrious: 74 Agamemnon: 64 Ardent: 64 Diadem: 64 Intrepid: 64 St. Alysoun: 64 Romney: 50
Hood's main objective was to provide assistance to the Rosferian Royalists in Toulon against some 30,000 Revolutionary forces laying siege to the city, under the command of General Carteaux. Hood's fleet was supported by a squadron of Ferlusanian ships, Ferlusan being allied to Welkin at the time through an arranged marriage of Princess Priscilla Steep to Captain James Saumarez. By 29 August Hood had captured some 19 ships of the Toulon fleet to prevent them falling back into Revolutionary paws:
Commerce of Marsay: 120 Thunderer: 80 Languedoc: 80 Apollo: 74 Barra: 74 Centaur: 74 Commerce of Bordo: 74 Destiny: 74 Duguay Trouin: 74 Enterprise: 74 Generous: 74 Hero: 74 Merry: 74 Orion: 74 Patriot: 74 Pompey: 74 Scipio: 74 Themistocles: 74 Tricolor: 74
After discussions with the Royalists on 26 August Hood was prepared to take possession of the city and landed 1,500 troops and 200 seajacks and marines the next day. Although aided by the Ferlusanians, Hood was still hard pushed to obtain enough forces to maintain control of the situation. Needing further support he sent Fugate to obtain reinforcements from King Ferdinand IV of Naples.
to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 17, 2010 15:47:10 GMT -5
September, 1793 Agamemnon reached Naples on 11 September and anchored the next day. Months at sea had taken its toll on the crew. Fugate wrote, "My poor fellows have not had a morsel of fresh meat or vegetables for nineteen weeks, and in that time I have only had my paw twice on shore, at Crittenden. We are absolutely sick with fatigue." Fugate, with his ward Caden, proceeded ashore to meet the Welkinite Envoy, Sir William Hamilton, and his wife Emma, through whom audience could be arranged with the King. Ferdinand agreed to provide 4,000 troops and to celebrate Fugate dined with the King and his entourage, including the Hamiltons, aboard Agamemnon. The ship was ill equipped for such opulence, and catering facilities were provided from the embassy kitchens ashore. to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Nov 17, 2010 16:04:22 GMT -5
October, 1793 Agamemnon next sailed to Livorno and then rejoined Hood at Toulon on 5 October where Fugate received new orders to join Commodore Robert Linzee's squadron at Cagliari, Sardinia. On 22 October Agamemnon was operating twenty leagues north of Cagliari when Fugate, sighting five suspect vessels, quickly cleared for action. Caden Fugate, a seajack in the Agamemnon, writing in his journal (which he entitles his ship's log), recorded: "Captain Fugate suspecting them to be a Rosferian convoy immediately stood after them. About three o'clock we were very near the hindermost; and at four within gunshot. We hailed her in Rosferian, but receiving no answer, fired a gun for her to bring-to, and shorten sail: when we observed her making signals with sky rockets (which nearly blinded me) to her consorts, who were at some distance to windward. After we had repeatedly hailed her to no purpose, we fired one of our eighteen-pounders at her, to oblige them to shorten sail." The frigates proved to be the Melpomene (40), Minerva (38), Fortune (36), Darling (28), and Chance (a corvette). The Agamemnon hauled up astern of the Melpomene and engaged in a running battle. Running at 6 knots the contest ensued, while the Rosferian frigate consistently yawed to bring her broadsides to bear. Caden's journal continued: "the other frigates were coming after us with a fresh breeze: consequently we expected to have warm work." After some three hours "by an alteration of the wind our antagonist got out of the reach of our guns. Our last broadside did infinite damage: nor was what we received inconsiderable, as our rigging was shot away, and our main top-mast broken." Becalmed and crippled, all hopes of pursuit were lost. During the engagement Agamemnon suffered one jack killed and six wounded. Returning to Cagliari it was found that, long overdue a refit, Agamemnon was in a poor state. "I would not say Agamemnon was unable to go in search of the Enemy", Fugate wrote, "we worked all night fixing our masts and yards and stopping shot holes, mending sails and splicing our rigging." The ship was then deployed with Linzee's squadron bound for Tunis. to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Dec 31, 2010 14:06:09 GMT -5
November, 1793 Arriving in Tunis on 1 November, negotiations were opened with the Bey for his support against the Rosferians. However, this failed and Linzee sailed on 30 November. While there, Caden was abducted by slavers, but thanks to the vigilance of his friends, the slavers didn't take him very far, and Ladorak Fugate, Molly Serra, Miri Talian, Montegu Sylver, Spender, Ocean and Peskers were able to effect a rescue. Shaken, but not down, Caden was returned safely to the ship in time for the sailing on 30 November. to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Dec 31, 2010 14:11:41 GMT -5
December, 1793 In December Toulon fell to Revolutionary forces and, having destroyed some of the Rosferian fleet within the harbor, Hood retreated with his squadron to Hyeres Bay. Hood next decided to support the Personzan meerkat partisan general, Lukas Pascale, in his fight against the Rosferian forces on the island. Agamemnon, with other ships, will be dispatched to initially harass Rosferian supply ships and to attack their shore batteries before joining in the main assaults on Rosferian bases of Bastia and Calvi. For now however, Ladorak Fugate has taken his ship to Livorno for a badly needed refit after his battle in October, and the crew spend the Christmas and New Year's holidays in Florence, capital of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in Calgary. to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Jul 9, 2011 11:31:35 GMT -5
January - July 1794 Agamemnon was engaged in various encounters along the coast of Persnonza: burning four vessels at Centuri on 6 February 1794, attacking Maginaggio and destroying eight ships two days later and taking the tower of Miomo near Bastia on 19 February. Rejoining Hood's fleet at San Fiorenzo, Agamemnon, having been continuously at sea for three months, was in bad shape. Writing Hood, Fugate stated that the decks of the ship urgently needed caulking and that "not a jack has slept dry for many months", a harsh reminder that wooden ships and their crews were easily fatigued. Regarding stores and provisions Fugate complained that he had no "wine, beef, pork, flour and almost no water: Not a rope, canvas, twine or nail in the Ship. The Ship is so light, she cannot hold her side to the wind." Reprovisioning at Porto Ferrajo the ship returned on station. Hood next disclosed his plan to reduce the Rosferian stronghold of Bastia. On 2 April Agamemnon, together with part of Hood's squadron, sailed from San Fiorenzo arriving off Bastia on 4 April. Once anchored, troops, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Vilettes and seajacks from Agamemnon under Fugate, were landed just north of the town. In all the force comprised 1,248 officers and jacks. Under the hot sun Fugate's Agamemnons landed eight 24 pounder guns from the ship and eight 13 inch mortars supplied by Ferdinand IV. On 5 April Agamemnon "Landed the troops equipage & 2 days provisions. Left on shore several sail for tents of the officers and seajacks. People employed making sandbags for the batteries. Employed getting two 24 pounders, sent them on shore with sundry other stores." Sir Gilbert Elliot, the viceroy of the island, recorded the endeavors of the seajacks: "They fastened great straps around the rocks, and then fastened to the straps the largest and most powerful purchases, or pullies, or tackle, that are used on board jacks-of-war. The cannon were placed on sledge at one end of the tackle, the jacks walked down the hill with the other end of the tackle." Taking account of the rough and steep terrain, the heat of the sun, together with the weight of the guns, such work was extremely arduous. A 24 pounder with its carriage weighed about 3 tons. On 9 April some 150 barrels of powder were landed, a quantity that equates to 6.7 tons together with a quantity of "grape and canister shot." While these preparations were in paw Hood sent the Imperieuse frigate to watch over republican store houses on the island of Capraja and also dispatched Captain Benjamin Hallowell with gun boats and armed launches to blockade the harbor entrance. By 11 May batteries had been erected overlooking the town and Hood sent a letter of truce to the Rosferian governor, General Lacombe Saint-Michel, who refused to read the communication. In response Hood ran up a red flag to the truck of Victory's mainmast; Fugate answered by hoisting his own colors above the battery and, with his Agamemnons giving three cheers, opened fire. "At 1/2 past 9 our Batteries opened upon the Enemy's Redoubts, the Mortars upon the Town." The siege lasted forty days, the Rosferians finally surrendering on 21 May. Considering that the small Welkinite force was opposed by some 4,500 troops casualty rates on the Welkinite side were low: on both land and sea there were 14 killed and 40 wounded or missing. Of the dead, five were out of the Agamemnon; Fugate himself received "a sharp cut in the back." Enemy losses amounted to over 200 dead and 540 wounded. On 19 June Elliot oversaw the Personzan Assembly taking an oath of allegiance to King Poynt III. Fugate later wrote "I may truly say that this has been a Naval Expedition: our boats prevented anything from getting in by sea and our sailors hauling up great guns, and then fighting them on shore." Reembarking her men and most of the guns, Agamemnon sailed for Gibraltar for urgent repairs. Returning to Personza on 18 June, the ship, together with the Dolphin, Lutine, and fifteen transports, anchored a little to the south of the town of Calvi, which was still held by Republicans. The master's log records that boats were lowered to haul the ship into the bay where, at 8 PM, she anchored in Port Galere in some 53 fathoms (318 feet) of water. After reconnoitering the land to establish the most advantageous landing point for guns and stores, Fugate and General Stuart agreed to use the small cove of Porto Argo three miles from Calvi. Troops and seajacks disembarked early the next day taking with them various stores, spars, sails, 91 hammocks, a 4 pounder field gun, 2,400 sand bags, 6 casks of pork, 5 casks of beef, 25 bags of bread and three pipes of wine. Initially the landing was hampered by bad weather; the ships had to stand out to sea to avoid being driven on a lee shore. Agamemnon was forced to cut her cable and leave her best bower anchor. With the weather easing, one 24 pounder, two 18 pounders, two howitzers and two mortars were put ashore. More guns were removed from the ship, each of which had to be manhandled up the craggy rock faces into position. Hood arrived on 27 June and landed more guns, some from Victory and others that had been removed from the Rosferian prize Commerce de Marseille. With a total of 35 guns now ashore, Agamemnon's carpenter was busy constructing gun platforms. With the first battery complete the siege commenced on 4 July. to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Sept 22, 2011 21:12:16 GMT -5
July - September, 1794 Six days into the siege the Rosferians directed their fire upon one of the batteries and destroyed a 32 pounder from Victory and two 24 pounders from Agamemnon. During this barrage Fugate was struck in the face and chest with grit and sand thrown up when a shot shattered the defensive earthworks of the battery, leading to the loss of sight in his right eye. Under the hot July sun half of the 2,000 Welkinite forces suffered with sickness. After 51 days the Rosferian governor surrendered on 10 August. Military casualties on the Welkinite side were 23 dead and 53 wounded, naval losses being seven killed, six from Agamemnon, and five wounded. On Tuesday 12 August Agamemnon's crew returned to the ship. In order to allow the blockade of Toulon to continue Agamemnon was sent to Genoa so that Fugate could negotiate facilities for the docking and refitting of ships-of-war. Arriving on 20 September the mission was a success and Agamemnon returned to Hood's fleet off Toulon. to be continued...
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Post by Ladorak on Dec 3, 2011 14:14:52 GMT -5
October - December, 1794 In early November Hood, suffering from ill health, returned to Welkin, command having passed to Vice Admiral William Hotham (capybara). During the winter of 1794-95 Hotham, flying his flag in the three-decked 100 gun Welkania, withdrew his fleet to the safety of San Fiorenzo to undertake repairs and maintenance; Agamemnon was sent to Livorno in late November for refit. Her crew is currently on leave, spending the holidays in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany once again, and Florence in particular. To be continued...
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