Battle of the Maunch - Continued (3)

End of 1st Battle Squadron; here comes 2nd.

Tardy as it was, the arrival of 2nd Battle Squadron could not save the 1st. Already San Pareil had blown up, and Thunderer was falling out of the battle. The badly damaged cruiser Endymion was valiantly trying to rejoin the fray in the hope of doing enough damage in its own account that might compromise at least one Azurian battleship. Eighth Torpedo Boat Flotilla, all three vessels reduced to wrecks barely able to swim, was making their way out of the action.

HMS Hood takes on alone the whole Azurian fleet;
whilst the badly wounded Thunderer crawls away 
from the action (although its parting salvo scores a 
hit on Charles Martel)

HMS Hood had got the bit fairly between the teeth, all the same. In almost berserk fashion it drove round the head of the Azurian battle line. That allowed Chevalier Blanc to pass under Hood's stern, with the dire consequences that will soon be related. Hood was going after the most powerful ship in the Azurian Fleet, ANS Gaulois. 

Terrible carnage aboard Gaulois; devastation 
aboard Hood.

At near-on point blank range, Hood shoved four shells aboard Gaulois, three of them 12-inch. Holes appeared along the waterline, more fires broke out, and the last of its secondary guns were knocked out. Already without its rear turret, Gaulois's feeble reply did little damage in return.  Reduced to a wreck, aflame everywhere, its speed reduced by the amount of seawater taken aboard, Gaulois had perforce to swing out of the line.

Retribution was swift - and terminal. Directly astern, unengaged and at point blank range, Chevalier Blanc's gunnery savaged Hood, knocking out the bridge before placing two shells into the hull beneath the forward barbette. There was no saving the magazine from the huge fire that broke out (I had to roll for both critical hits, 5 -OK; 6 -Boom). HMS Hood vanished beneath smoke, flame and flying debris. Vice-Admiral Doughty had earned his Imperial Cross.

The end of the gallant Endymion - though not without 
some doing some hurt to Marceau

HMS Endymion didn't last much longer. Two critical strikes upon Marceau its guns scored, but there was no faulting Azurian gunnery in response. Already badly damaged by the early torpedo strike, and barely able to join the action, there was no surviving the seven hits scored upon the cruiser. In a welter of flame, smoke and wreckage, Endymion went down. 

Agamemnon and Commonwealth open fire...

One might say that the Azuria Oceanic Fleet had won a battle, but Admiral Jellibene's Squadron was in range, and coming up hand over fist, the survivors of 8th TBD Flotilla scattering before it. Opening salvoes from Agamemnon and Commonwealth struck Amiral Gantheaume, already somewhat wounded from the earlier action.

Quickly surveying what he could see of the action, the Admiral formed his plan. The Destroyer flotilla he signalled at once to engage the enemy. Seeing that the whole Azurian fleet was still afloat, he had reason to apprehend a sudden dash eastward to shoot up the invasion fleet. He signalled Royal Sovereign to direct its course due southward to cut off that likelihood. His two remaining ships set out upon a course in pursuit of the enemy battleships.

Now, I missed a picture, here, but the sceptical reader might be wondering how the Azurian torpedo boat flotilla had teleported itself from one edge of the board to the other. This is the effect of 'scrolling' the table. Ordered to engage the big Ruberian battleships the flotilla swung northward, whilst the rival battle squadrons continued their southwest courses. I had in fact to scroll east-west as well as north-south to centre on the action, and keep the ships on the board. This sized action is probably the largest that could be contained upon a table 12x15 grid cells.

A running fight develops as torpedo attacks go 
in from both sides

The next phase of the battle was characterised by torpedo attacks by both sides' flotillas. Twelfth flotilla was fresh; the Azurians were down to their last torpedoes. Coming up to Amiral Gantheame, S12 scored a hit, and put a 4-inch shell aboard as well. Distant Agamemnon and Commonwealth added the weight of a 12-inch shell or two upon the unfortunate rear-most Azurian vessel. Suddenly she stopped, smoke pouring from many fires, and went down.

S12 scores a hit - a fatal strike?

But the big ships had suddenly to deal with incoming torpedo boats. TB1 ranged up alongside Agamemnon, ready to fire off its missiles at close range. The Agamemnon secondaries, aided by R19, blew TB1 apart before its crew could launch. TB4 was luckier. Ahead of Agamemnon, it launched its last torpedo - and scored a hit! The damage was, however, but slight, and Agamemnon sailed on undisturbed. What of the remaining surviving torpedo boat? Sweeping in to attack, TB2 found itself in the path of the oncoming big ship. Badly damaged by gunfire already, TB2 had no chance. Rolled underfoot, TB2 disappeared. Damage to Commonwealth was trivial.

TB4 scores a hit on Agamemnon - which quickly 
contains the damage ( the '1' for effect)

Amiral Gantheaume goes down in flames.

What remained was a pursuit - and Amiral Génépi was now faced with a dilemma. Two of his ships, Gaulois and Marceau were badly damaged, their speeds reduced, and barely under command. Gaulois was also without its rear main turret, and most of its secondaries; Marceau holed, on fire where the sea water wasn't pouring in. Neither could possibly outrun the Ruberian battleships. Should he make off with his remaining two vessels (the gunboats had long left the scene, Phlegeton escorting the badly wounded Styx)? Or should he try to rescue them, hoping the combined gunfire of four ships could discourage the enemy. The other ships had also taken some shrewd knocks before 1st Battle Squadron could be beaten down. The major worry took the form of the modern 12-inch guns carried by Agamemnon and Commonwealth, which outranged his own best weapons. 

The Azurian fleet tries to escape...

For good or for ill, the Azurian commander chose the latter option. Chevalier Blanc would assist Gaulois; his flagship would help Marceau. But all ships had been badly knocked about. There was no question of taking the fight seriously the the enemy, but he had somehow to induce them to keep their distance. If he could escape without further loss, he might yet claim a victory ... of sorts...

Marceau and Charles Martel try to develop 
a rearguard action

That proved impossible for Marceau and Charles Martel. Although getting at first somewhat the better of the gunnery duel between them and the two big enemy ships, they couldn't keep off the 'R' class destroyers. Despite taking damage from Charles Martel's secondaries - assisted by Gaulois - R19 shoved a torpedo into Charles Martel. Now the Azurian flagship was in as parlous a state as the ship it was escorting. A long range hit from Royal Sovereign contributed to the carnage aboard the Azurian flag. 

Further torpedo attacks by 12th flotilla.

Chevalier Blanc did succeed in driving off S12. Although failing to sink the destroyer, the latter missed with its torpedo, then, barely afloat and under power, drew out of the action. 

But it was all up by now with the Azurian Fleet. The torpedo strike had left Charles Martel dead in the water and in a sinking condition (0FP remaining), later to be scuttled by its crew. ANS Marceau, damage to steering affecting its course, didn't last much longer. The gunners aboard Agamemnon and Commonwealth hit their straps, and slammed seven shells in quick succession aboard Marceau. That was more than enough. Ablaze from end to end, Marceau capsized and sank.

The loss of three Azurian battleships in quick succession:
Gaulois and Marceau sunk; Charles Martel in a sinking 
condition before being scuttled by its crew.

Perhaps more spectacularly, and to everyone's (i.e. my) surprise, just a single hit from Royal Sovereign was enough to finish off Gaulois. Adding to the destruction aboard the big ship, there was no saving it. 

That pretty much ended the battle - one highly destructive to both sides. Chevalier Blanc managed to get away (I just called it at this point, but it seemed reasonable), as did both gunboats and the sole torpedo boat remaining, TB4. So the Azurians lost four battleships and three torpedo boats. The cost to Ruberia, was pretty steep, however. Only Thunderer survived out of 1st Battle Squadron, and that only as a crippled wreck. Admiral Hood and Sans Pareil were both sunk, and the protected cruiser Endymion as well. Strangely, not a single destroyer was lost - although four out of six of them would be a long time in drydock undergoing repair.

Of course, the Ruberian press trumpeted the victory - a huge strategic success that had practically written down the Azurian Oceanic fleet as a factor in the war. The Azurian naval defeat in the Mesogesian (see 'Prologue') also augured badly for the Azurian war effort at sea. Not the most lavish praise - unstinted by both sides - of Amiral Génépi's gallant battle and rearguard action could disguise the disaster to Azuria's naval campaign. 

And let's not forget: the beach landing half of Operation Archduke could go ahead unmolested...

To be continued... The Beach Landing