[OL-CH4B] Treasure Fleet Part 2

[Franco Clarke]

This entry ended up being very long, even with part of it removed. Ye have been warned! 

This follows on from this http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/140595-ol-fb2-treasure-fleet/ so some things might not make sense unless you have already read that one. 

 

The next half of the day passed un-eventfully. Although he did not know the exact location of the fleet, Erwin guessed they were about a few hours sailing away from rejoining them.  Then came the inevitable call 'Ship ahoy.'

Erwin signalled for Collins to take the wheel and sprinted to the rigging. He climbed up to the crow's nest where the lookout handed him the telescope and pointed out where the vessel was located. Placing the glass to his eye, he observed the ship in question. In fact it was not one ship, but two moving in close formation. To his dismay they both had red flags, and one was unmistakably a Corrington Merchant Raider. He lowered the telescope and wondered if they were going to attack them. He didn't put it past Corrington to attack the treasure fleet, and a lone Terraman filled with gold was a tempting target.

'Thank you keep me informed if they do anything' 

As to answer his question, a shot rang out and a cannonball fell hopelessly short of the Stingray. Erwin grabbed the rigging and slid back to the deck. The Corries weren't stupid, they wouldn't open fire so far out of range unless they wanted to draw his attention. Therefore these two vessels were probably meant to distract him from the main attack. Back on the stern deck he signalled the Terraman to inform them of the incoming vessels, and to advise them to cover the port side ready to engage the enemy.

'Move all guns to the port side and prepare to engage the incoming Corries' Erwin commanded, turning the wheel to stay on course with the terraman.

Private Collins looked surprised and asked 'Shouldn't we cover the starboard if the Eslandolans are watching the port side?'

Erwin smiled 'Indeed, but they don't trust us, so they'll probably cover starboard anyway just in case we are trying to trick them'

The deck rumbled as the two guns were rolled over to face the incoming threat. Erwin was beginning to wish he hadn't sent the Vif away, as if his suspicions were correct, then they were in serious trouble.  The Corrington ships appeared over the horizon, firing as they came.

A shot flew over Stingray, landing in the water beyond and raising a column of seawater that came splashing down on the deck.

'All cannons fire FIRE!'  Erwin shouted.

The long guns found their mark smashing chunks out of the prow of the Merchant raider. The guns on the Terraman's top deck also opened up and began ranging in on the incoming Corries.

 Erwin shouted up to the crow's nest whilst the guns were reloading 'Lookout, watch to starboard, I fear we might have more company soon.'

Erwin got Collins to signal the Terraman to pick up the pace. If they were quick enough they might be able to rejoin the fleet before they took too much damage. A cannonball punched through the stern of Stingray, and she lurched and jolted.

'Go and check below for damage' Erwin shouted, and a marine jumped down the deck hatch.

The Corries had now closed to very close range, although their shooting hadn't been all that effective, mostly concentrated on Stingray. If there was to be a surprise attack, now was the time.

'Sail ho' the lookout shouted, Erwin whirled, fetching the telescope from his pocket. Sure enough another merchant raider was bearing down from the starboard side. The guns on the starboard side of the Terraman opened up, but missed, as the raider swerved in the water. It then corrected its course and fired at Stingray. The shots flew true and smashed in the middle of the mast blasting the topmast off. The sails crumpled as the rigging and spars collapsed to the deck. A mess of sails, rigging and mast sections covered the gun deck and hid the prow from sight.

The few remaining sails caught the wind in an unfortunate manner, swing Stingray about so that it couldn't engage the enemy at all. Erwin looked on helplessly as the three Corrington ships swept past the disabled Stingray, heading for the Terraman. All at once they ceased fire- obviously they intended to take her as a prize and didn't want it damaged.  This gave him an opportunity, if they were trying to take the terraman intact, it would not be a quick process.

Erwin turned to Collins and the few other men who hadn't been trapped by the falling debris.

'We need to move some of this stuff so that we can get a gun up onto the stern deck' he explained.

They starting lifting timbers and cutting ropes, until they were able to access the gun deck. Erwin slipped through the hole, and clambered down onto the dark gun deck. Thankfully everyone was ok, so there wasn't the problem of casualties. Erwin directed two of the gun crews to lower the anchor, whilst the rest began lifting one of the heavy cannons up onto the deck.

'Another vessel incoming!' The look-out yelled from his perch, now hanging over the sea.

With one final heave the cannon was pulled onto the deck. Erwin directed the crew to prepare the gun for action and then climbed forward to see what the new ship was. Unsurprisingly, it was not coming to help, but instead trying to steal some of the Terraman's cargo. Erwin sighed in frustration. This new arrival wasn't just another raiding sloop, but a full blown brig, probably with 10 or more guns. They didn't stand a chance of stopping such a vessel....

Then a slightly more pleasing thought entered Erwin's mind. They wouldn't really be interested in a ruined escort sloop, so they probably wouldn't attack Stingray. However the cluster of Corries would pose a threat to their profits-criminals never like sharing. Therefore they would probably fight each other, and then we could maybe finish off whoever's left after that.

Erwin clambered aft and saw that the cannon was positioned correctly, pointing over the port side of the stern. Then he worked with the rest of the crew to collect as much ammunition and powder from the magazine so that they could fire as quickly as possible when the time came.

The brig sailed close by the Stingray with its cannons poking from their ports. However as predicted, they paid little attention to the crippled sloop. The Corries noticed the encroaching pirate ship and began to disentangle themselves from the merchant ship. The brig swung to the north and it's battery of guns fired, tearing into the first of the Merchant raiders. The merchant raider's bowsprit splintered, with a piercing cracking sound. Then it snapped and plunged into the sea, ripping the mainsail as it fell. The raider in turn fired its guns at the brig, but the shot did little damage to the thick hull.

Now the second Merchant Raider was approaching, accompanied by HMS Flea, but they two were met by a broadside from the Pirate Brig. The shots must have hit something critical as soon there was a fierce fire burning aboard the Corrington ship. HMS Flea swerved to avoid a similar fate, and cut across the Brig's bow, narrowly avoiding being rammed. The other merchant raider approached,  firing into the stern of the pirate ship, smashing the gallery's windows. The brig lumbered around bringing the side smashing into the prow of the merchant raider. They fired a broadside into the shattered vessel, knocking out chunks of wood and railing. Then the pirate crew charged onto the wounded vessel, quickly killing off the surviving crew.

Erwin noticed that HMS Flea was making a beeline towards them, obviously trying to finish us off before we intervened.

'Right here's our chance, FIRE!'

The cannon kicked back and the shot flew straight and true decapitating one of the gun crew and smashing a hole in the deck. Obviously unimpressed by Stingray's tenacity, they swung away from the ship into open waters. The burning merchant raider followed suit and sluggishly turned away from the brig. However the fire must have reached the powder magazine, for at that moment the ship exploded dramatically, flinging shards of wood everywhere. Erwin grabbed Private Collins and pulled him down beneath the cover of the railings, and not a moment too soon as a splinter over a foot long sliced through his shako.

Erwin stood up, to see the pirate brig bearing down on them, ploughing through the flaming ruins of the merchant raider.

Noticing that the Terraman had made good progress in the opposite direction, Erwin quickly came up with a plan.

'Men we've fought hard, but we can't beat these odds' Erwin announced in a subdued voice, 'It would be better to stop than fight for a hopeless cause'

The crew grimaced, but seem to agree, raising their hands to demonstrate the admission of defeat.  The brig loomed high above the Stingray, and a gangplank was soon lowered to the deck. A lone figure walked down it, bedecked in black clothes, with a fancy bicorn hat upon his head. Erwin guessed that he was most likely the pirate captain.

He stood on the deck and asked 'Which one of you is in command?'

Erwin stepped forward and acknowledged him.

The captain's face turned from a grimace into a smile. 'I am Captain Nightheart, formally of the Dark Wolf, now Captain of the Black Barbarian' he said gesturing to the brig. 'I am not here to pillage the fleet, I am here for the same reason as you are, Captain Erwin, to fight Corrington.'

Erwin was taken aback, for he had never met a pirate before, especially one who didn't want to plunder ships.

'I have my own reasons to hate Corrington,' Nightheart continued, 'and I would happily help you make your way back to Breshaun, if you would like'

Together, they escorted the Terraman back to the fleet, with the Black Barbarian towing the shattered Stingray. They were joined by the Vif, and then proceeded back to Breshaun with a most unexpected story to relate.

The new build here is Nightheart's pirate brig, the Black Barbarian. This has been built in the same technique as my larger Imperial Brig, but I aimed to make it slightly lower in the water, which I hope has been partially successful.

She was originally going to be presented with sails and rigging, however, I messed up the sail making process, and I haven't had enough time to make a new set since.

The colour scheme was picked so it would greatly contrast with my mostly white imperial ships, whilst still using a nice cheap primary colour. 

At the front there is a small working capstan, and a pair of mounted guns. Further back in the centre there is below-decks access which is usually covered by a boat, and finally at the right back, there is the wheel. 

The stern was mostly influenced by the pirate ship from the Aardman pirate film, hence it has a jumble of windows at all different angles. This also lead the stern to be quite high which fitted with the more fantasy style I was going for.

Her main gundeck can carry 8 guns, and although it is a little cramped, it isn't quite as bad as some of my other ships.

Lastly, here's a photo of all the ships from this story displayed together. I must thank my friend for allowing me to borrow his Imperial Flagship, without which making this story would have been much more difficult.

[Kolonialbeamter]

Epic story, part II. I had a bucket of popcorn to enjoy it with  Glad for Erwin it turned out this way. Hope the Greens will show some gratitude towards him.

Franco, your ships are getting better and better, and this new brig has a really nice shape - kudos on a well build vessel  Next step is mast design and rigging/sails, right?  Hope you eventually find the time to give us some pics with the Black Barbarian (and hopefully the Terraman, too) under sails  

Keep it up!

@Bregir Haha, it's been the Corries after all  

[blackdeathgr]

Great naval battle FC and a worthy entry at this Challenge for you. Sometimes BoBS is more than building. Its about story-telling too and that's why i gladly joined in the first place . An entertaining story through and through and a really nice ship you made there. Especially the stern with these protruding windows etc is very nice. You are seriously getting better at this 

In my opinion, if someone wants to sum up all this lovely entry, he/she should focus on picture number 4. It is very nicely photographed and portraying the clash in a very lively manner! Good luck FC and good luck Oleon ofc!

[Capt Wolf]

Wow! A full-fledged naval battle! This is really impressive. Great story, and some great naval action pics. Blackdeathgr is correct that pic 4 is a good representative image for the thread, but there's a lot going on in all of them. I especially like the cannon firing in then first pic, and pic 5 with the ship plowing through the flaming wreckage of the other. And your new brig is a lovely example of the type. Very nicely done!

[Captain Genaro]

These stories are quite entertaining, and are well complimented by the pictures. It's great to see the Lego carnage as your ships battle on the high seas. Of course, the quality of your ships has continued to improve as well. The Black Barbarian is very well done, especially the stern details. Very ornate and I like the various angles you were able to achieve with the stern gallery. Hopefully you have better luck with your second attempt at the sails!

[Franco Clarke]

On 24/09/2016 at 11:41 AM, Kolonialbeamter said:

Epic story, part II. I had a bucket of popcorn to enjoy it with  Glad for Erwin it turned out this way. Hope the Greens will show some gratitude towards him.

Franco, your ships are getting better and better, and this new brig has a really nice shape - kudos on a well build vessel  Next step is mast design and rigging/sails, right?  Hope you eventually find the time to give us some pics with the Black Barbarian (and hopefully the Terraman, too) under sails  

Thank you, I'm glad that the story wasn't too tedious and drawn out! I have now finished the sails and rigging, it's a little sparse, but she needed to be quick to 'flatpack' so the rig is simple.

On 24/09/2016 at 0:38 PM, blackdeathgr said:

Great naval battle FC and a worthy entry at this Challenge for you. Sometimes BoBS is more than building. Its about story-telling too and that's why i gladly joined in the first place . An entertaining story through and through and a really nice ship you made there. Especially the stern with these protruding windows etc is very nice. You are seriously getting better at this 

In my opinion, if someone wants to sum up all this lovely entry, he/she should focus on picture number 4. It is very nicely photographed and portraying the clash in a very lively manner! Good luck FC and good luck Oleon ofc!

Thank you, I do really enjoy doing the stories, indeed, often the stories drive what I build. I'm glad you liked picture 4, that was my favourite. I originally intended to have the ship in the back exploding, but that was too complicated and distracting. 

On 24/09/2016 at 4:43 PM, Capt Wolf said:

Wow! A full-fledged naval battle! This is really impressive. Great story, and some great naval action pics. Blackdeathgr is correct that pic 4 is a good representative image for the thread, but there's a lot going on in all of them. I especially like the cannon firing in then first pic, and pic 5 with the ship plowing through the flaming wreckage of the other. And your new brig is a lovely example of the type. Very nicely done!

Thanks for the kind compliment, sadly I will have trouble doing anything larger as my backdrop is getting too small   

On 24/09/2016 at 5:07 PM, Captain Genaro said:

These stories are quite entertaining, and are well complimented by the pictures. It's great to see the Lego carnage as your ships battle on the high seas. Of course, the quality of your ships has continued to improve as well. The Black Barbarian is very well done, especially the stern details. Very ornate and I like the various angles you were able to achieve with the stern gallery. Hopefully you have better luck with your second attempt at the sails!

 Thank you, I have to agree there is a certain pleasure in pulling models apart to simulate battle damage! Thankfully the second set of sails came out much better and are now on the ship.

[TitusV]

Very nice collection of ships you've got there!

[Bregir]

Action-packed and dynamic as always, Franco Clarke! I love those action shots, the ramming, the exploding ship, the wreckage... etc!!

The pirate brig is, to me, by far your best vessel yet! I really like the curve of her hull, and that rear gallery is very elegant. A few comments: Historically, it is unlikely that a brig would have a closed gundeck - instead, the guns would be standing on the open deck. That way, you could get a lower profile. The headrails are very nice too, and I particularly like the use of those small antennas. The overall hull shape with its curves is really nice, and if you lengthened it with one more hullpiece, the curve would be more harmonic.

Lastly, adding rigging to the ship improves her tremendously, and I think the sails are looking good. A little more work on getting the sail plan more realistic would be nice, but I am sure that will come over time. You are showing a very nice development in your builds and stories, which really leaves me wanting more!

 

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Great action and a very fine ship!

 

[Franco Clarke]

On 28/09/2016 at 8:22 PM, Bregir said:

Action-packed and dynamic as always, Franco Clarke! I love those action shots, the ramming, the exploding ship, the wreckage... etc!!

The pirate brig is, to me, by far your best vessel yet! I really like the curve of her hull, and that rear gallery is very elegant. A few comments: Historically, it is unlikely that a brig would have a closed gundeck - instead, the guns would be standing on the open deck. That way, you could get a lower profile. The headrails are very nice too, and I particularly like the use of those small antennas. The overall hull shape with its curves is really nice, and if you lengthened it with one more hullpiece, the curve would be more harmonic.

Lastly, adding rigging to the ship improves her tremendously, and I think the sails are looking good. A little more work on getting the sail plan more realistic would be nice, but I am sure that will come over time. You are showing a very nice development in your builds and stories, which really leaves me wanting more!

 

Thanks, I'm glad you liked her. I am content with this version, and as it was meant to be semi-fantastical rather than historical, I won't change it. However I shall incorporate the suggestions into some brigs which I am planning to build. Removing the requirement for an enclosed deck will really help!