The Fox of France

Chapter 230: The Flying Clipper "Crusher"

Chapter 230: The Flying Clipper "Crusher"

This was a patrol frigate with two masts and a foremast at the front, with two towering smokestacks further back - clearly a steam-powered ship. Its name was the "Equality."

Because it didn't require the installation of paddlewheels, this ship still had a complete gun deck, but compared to fully rigged sailing warships of the same tonnage, it had one less gun deck due to the space occupied by the engine and coal bunkers. Additionally, the displaced gun deck was typically the lower deck for considerations of stability, and heavy cannons were usually placed on the lower deck for that reason. So, in terms of firepower alone, this type of warship was much weaker than a similar fully rigged patrol frigate.

This frigate only carried 16 12-pound cannons, eight on each side. This level of firepower was equivalent to arming a merchant ship.

However, when compared to the British steam corvettes, its firepower was quite formidable. British steam corvettes only had a total of five guns: a 24-pounder in the bow, and two 12-pounders on each side. Combined with the added speed and enhanced seaworthiness due to the screw propeller, this ship could be considered a nemesis to British steam corvettes.

At its top speed, although this ship wasn't faster than the flying clipper, it could maintain its maximum speed at any time, unlike the clipper. Therefore, most of the time, this ship could outpace the flying clipper.

The crew on this black ship was transferred from the "Ridiculous" on the River Seine. The reason for this was to quickly make it combat-ready and immediately deploy it in the waters near Ireland to change the maritime situation.

A month later, after various training exercises, this ship had essentially become combat-ready. Under the command of Captain Marthon, it left the Mediterranean, broke through the interception by the British navy at Gibraltar, and entered the Atlantic. After a brief rest in Le Havre, the ship set sail into the vast sea on a stormy night.

To conserve fuel, the "Equality" mostly relied on its sails for propulsion, only using its steam engine to escape from British warships when necessary. After a few days of sailing, the "Equality" approached the waters near Ireland.

"Reef the sails," Captain Marthon ordered.

The ship was already quite fast at this point, and the sails were no longer providing much assistance; in fact, they were creating drag. The "Equality" continued to accelerate, reaching speeds exceeding ten knots. Before long, the ship that the lookout had spotted while suspended from a kite appeared in Captain Marthon's view.

At this moment, the British crew aboard the flying clipper "Resolute" had already noticed the "Equality." It was natural because the thick black smoke billowing from the "Equality" had risen so high, how could they not see it? The British crew aboard the "Resolute" took only a glance with their naked eyes and thought it was a British steamship. After all, they had no idea that countries other than Britain possessed steamships, and they couldn't have imagined encountering a non-British steamship in these waters. So, even though they noticed the ship approaching them at high speed, they didn't make any defensive preparations. They assumed it was a simple mistake, thinking the lookout on the approaching ship had not seen their British flag clearly. They expected that as they got closer, the mistake would become apparent.

However, as the black steamship approached, they realized that this steamship was entirely different from the ones they were familiar with - it didn't have paddlewheels on the sides. What's more, they discovered something that left them dumbfounded - a tricolored flag was hoisting up the mast of that ship.

"Is this...is this a French ship? How is that even possible?" Captain William was almost dumbfounded. "Quick, unfurl all the sails!"

William shouted as he rushed to seize the helm to change their course.

But it was too late; the two ships were already very close. Even though the wind at sea was favorable, the "Resolute" needed time to accelerate, while the steamship had already completed its acceleration and had come quite close.

The "Equality" swiftly approached the "Resolute" until they were only about a hundred meters apart, sailing alongside, while simultaneously firing chain shot at the "Resolute."

Chain shot was a commonly used weapon in naval warfare of this era, primarily designed to damage the opponent's rigging and render them immobile.

Due to the ship's rocking, even at a distance of over a hundred meters, the accuracy of cannonballs fired from guns without stabilizing equipment was often problematic. Fortunately, the sails presented a relatively large target, making them easy to hit. Every chain shot that hit the sails tore off a significant portion of the canvas. Soon, the sails of the "Resolute" were riddled with holes.

The power of sails, especially those of a flying clipper, relied primarily on the Bernoulli principle created by the pressure difference between the airflow on both sides. When the sails were riddled with holes, these breaches disrupted the pressure difference on both sides, significantly reducing the power the sails could generate.

After several rounds of cannon fire, the speed of the "Resolute" began to slow down, and Captain William knew that his ship could no longer escape.

"Reef the sails, we surrender," Captain William ordered.

The flying clipper had no cannons, and Greek fire's range couldn't reach the enemy. The enemy outpaced them in both speed and firepower. Besides surrender, there was no other option.

"Resolute" raised a flag indicating surrender, furled its tattered sails, and dropped anchor. The ship floated on the sea like a dead fish.

"Send a small boat over and order their crew into lifeboats," Lieutenant Marthon commanded.

Several French sailors then boarded a small boat, headed to the "Resolute," and conveyed the orders to the ship's captain.

"Our ship has no space to accommodate prisoners, and we have no provisions for you. So, you must board your own lifeboats and bring as much water and food as you can. Then, we will scuttle this ship. You have twenty minutes; make good use of your time and pray to God," a leading French ensign told William.

Lifeboats could carry only limited supplies of water and food. Moreover, they had no means to return, so the British crew could only drift at sea, hoping to encounter another ship that could rescue them. Whether or not they would be rescued depended on the grace of God.

But the British crew on the "Resolute" dared not defy the French's orders. At this moment, the French behaved more gentlemanly toward them than they did to French ships.

Within the specified time, all the British crew had boarded the lifeboats and made their best effort to row away from the "Resolute." A group of French soldiers then entered the "Resolute's" hold, removed some supplies that might be useful to the French, and set a timed explosive charge in the ship's lower hold. They also rowed away from the "Resolute."

Ten minutes later, with a deafening explosion, a large hole was blasted in the ship's hull, and the vessel slowly sank beneath the sea.

This was just the first prey of the "Equality." In the following week, the "Equality" systematically sent fourteen British ships to the depths of the sea. On its most frenzied day, it sank four British flying clippers.

A week later, due to dwindling supplies, the "Equality" concluded its slaughter of British flying clippers in the waters near Ireland and returned to Le Havre. Two days after its departure, a British flying clipper discovered a lifeboat filled with British sailors. It was only then that the British realized why several of their ships had failed to return to port as planned during that time—they had encountered this black hunter.

The British gave the black "Equality" the nickname "Leviathan" and immediately formulated a plan to trap it, code-named "Leviathan Hunt." They prepared to concentrate multiple "steam corvettes" to encircle this French warship.

Meanwhile, the "Equality" spent a week in Le Havre, conducting maintenance on its steam engine and other systems, replenishing supplies and weapons. It set sail from the harbor once again, heading toward the waters near Ireland. Before its departure, Captain Marthon received a precious Legion of Honor knighthood. However, ahead of him lay more than a dozen hastily mobilized British steam corvettes, poised to encircle and hunt down this French warship.

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