[COR-CH4B] A Storm is Coming

[Bregir]

Prior builds:

In the Captains Cabin (Bregir)

Pieces Of A Puzzle (Ayrlego)

Balls of Steel (Elostirion)

Traitor at the Livery (Silentwolf)

Arriving at Mooreton Bay (Bregir)

Undercover for the Final Piece (Bregir)

Plundering the Treasure Fleet (Ayrlego)

 

The glass was falling, and fast, and large specks of grey cloud were forming an impenetrable heavenly roof, while the waves were growing taller by the minute. The Ironsides were on a chase, running under reefed courses alone through the swell. Only hours ago, the look-out had reported the flash of guns reflected in the heavy clouds, and short thereafter the thunder of the great guns had reached the deck, and since then. A hushed silence and tension had fallen over the crew. This would not be an easy battle, not in this storm, and not against this enemy.

 

 

Only a few days since, Cooke had looked on in horror as the Black Oak had departed with Allcock and his consorts on board. Their plan had been simple: Allcock should have left the Oak under the cover of night after acquiring the "smoking gun" - the evidence to legitimise pre-emptive action against the privateer. Returning to the Ironsides, they would then have taken up station to intercept the Oak before she were to catch her prey. But as ever, the plan had only worked until the first encounter with the enemy, and he had had to improvise.

Rushing back to the Ironsides in Mooreton Bay, he had taken on as many volunteers from Major Allcock's Light Company as could be accommodated aboard, and set sail to intercept the Oak. And they had been rushing on just this side of recklessness ever since, the timbers moaning and the rigging singing from the stress.

 

 

"Deck ahoy" the look-out shouted through the cacophony of sounds, "Sails spotted, just off the starboard bow. Two ships, apparently damaged."

Cooke, with a firm hold on a stay, trained his spyglass towards the enemy, and as they reached the top of a swell, his mark, clear and true. "An extra ration of grog to that man - AFTER the battle." he replied, before barking out a number of orders, putting the Ironsides about, setting her on a course towards firmly gaining the weather gauge of the enemy.  "…and shake out another reef in the fore and main course. They shall not escape us now!" he added with a confidence he did not feel.

In fact, he had little doubt of catching up, as the Ironsides had proven a very stiff ship, well-suited for harsh weather, and the crew would have their fight. However, he knew as well as the crew that the odds were now very different. It was clear that the privateer had taken its prize, and this meant he now had two enemies to deal with. But would this prove to be two undermanned, heavily damaged cripples, or two battle-readied warships? Cooke had seen the Oak close by, no doubt more than a match for the Ironsides, and he knew enough of the Eslandian Treasure Ships not to disregard the formidable power of the prize galleon.

 

 

A plan was forming in Cooke's mind, which always seemed to take on a life on its own in these situations. He expected the Eslandians to have put up a ferocious fight, and therefore assumed at least some damage on both ships and crew, but more importantly, he expected the pirate crew to be in a state of disorganisation. With a prize just taken, some would be drunk, and all would be exhausted from repairs, as well as spread out across the two vessels.

He reckoned he had three things at his advantage: The element of surprise, the sharpshooters of Allcock's light brigade, and the heavy, short range carronades. Armed with 24 pounder carronades and with a crew trained to near perfection by their former commander, the Ironsides could release a hellfire of heavy steel, if only she could get close enough. Cooke's mind lingered for a second thankfully on Ferguson, who, during the voyage to New Terra, had drilled the crew to near perfection at the great guns.

He would rush down between them, fighting both broadsides, forcing them to a swift surrender. Two things worried him, though. First, if the privateers were ready for him, his command on the Ironsides might be ended prematurely, as would many lives under his command. Second, there was the risk of maiming or killing prisoners on board the two vessels, or Allcock and his men. But this was a risk he had to take.

If only the privateers would give some sign as to the level of damage and fighting ability. If only….

"They flee, Captain!" hailed the lookout.

Cooke smiled. "Beat to quarters! And let's show those ruffians a measure of Corrish justice!"

Considering their current positions, battle would be inevitable…

 

__________________________________

 

A few words on the Ironsides: She is a small razee galleon of considerable age, cut down in '04 to improve her characteristics. She is armed with four long 12 pounder chasers, two fore and two aft, and a broadside of eight 24 pounder carronades on the gundeck. Further, she carries a number of 18 pounder carronades on the upper deck, currently two per broadside. Alongside the scantlings of a much heavier vessel, she is a very effective brawler, able to take on heavier opponents if she can get to close quarters. However, her rather outdated rig makes her somewhat sluggish in light airs.

While Cooke had the pleasure of a spacious cabin in the Athena, he must now content himself with a bulkhead aft, enclosing the aft part of the gundeck, allowing him to sling his hammock between the chasers and broadside carronades. Before being cut down, the Ironsides would have had a spacious cabin above deck, but in the name of true Corlander utilitarianism, this had to be sacrificed.

 

 

______________

 

Thanks for looking! We hope you have enjoyed our little story (even if you are Eslandian). For now, this is the final entry, but perhaps time will show the outcome of the battle? ;)

C&C welcome as always.

Edited October 2, 2016 by Bregir

[blackdeathgr]

Whoa! That first pic took me by surprise! It looks like an actual painting! And the quality of rigging is always of your high standards. Also a nice trick showing the cannons on one side (portside?) and having them protected on the other side. Overall a great ship with a nice accompanying story.

[Legostone]

Didn't you have that ship done for around a month? Why do you have to post it last minute? I already told you elsewhere that I generally like this ship, so I'll be lazy again and just mention the few points that throw me off - why is the mizzen mast so  thick? it looks like it is missing something (and, after all, considering its thickness, you could easily retrofit a topmast to that one). Besides that there is only the headrails I've already told you about, it just seems odd that they end mid-air. Oh, and that capstan seems a little bit difficult to access with those carronades:D

Oh, I would like to see this one under full sail before you tear it down - why else would you put all that time into functional rigging?

[Captain Braunsfeld]

Fine build, fine ships!

First pic is epic, yet a bit dark.

[Kai NRG]

Great ship Bregir, excellent job on the rigging and the shape of the hull!

[dr_spock]

Epic first photo.  The waves and ship look great.  You captured the impending darkness well. 

 

[Mike S]

Awesome entry! Love the first pic!

[Ayrlego]

As I think I mentioned elsewhere, the waves and positioning of the ship really make this scene come alive. It is superbly done and makes my battle scene look depressingly flat and dull! The Ironsides herself is a beautiful looking ship and a fine addition to our glorious navy.

On 10/3/2016 at 8:31 AM, Legostone said:

Didn't you have that ship done for around a month? Why do you have to post it last minute? 

Possibly my fault! I was late getting my ships done and we felt my story needed to be posted before this section so that the overall story made sense. Also I think the waves took alot of time to perfect (time well spent IMHO!!  )

[Capt Wolf]

I love that first picture. Very dramatic!

[Puvel]

That first picture is epic indeed!

Excellent story as well, enjoyed reading the storyline

[Captain Braunsfeld]

On 3.10.2016 at 9:02 PM, dr_spock said:

Epic first photo.  The waves and ship look great.  You captured the impending darkness well. 

 

Ah, ok, impending darkness ... then it is fine

[Garmadon]

 Gorgeous first picture there, Bregir, love the rising sea and the on-coming storm it so clearly portrays!  Excellent story as well, and I really hope we can get to see the final part some time! 

On the ship itself - in the first dynamic shot, as well as in the next closeup, it look absolutely splendid! - but I must say, that in the last two pics it stricks me as being a bit over-wide down near the waterline.  You've definitely captured the cut down galleon look though and it fits your description perfectly - and your rigging, as always, is superb!  Great job! 

[Elostirion]

Why would I even comment on the great story and great ship when there is this first picture!

Stunningly beautiful, absolutely fantastic, simply amazing, mega impressive. What else to say? Perfect!

[Bregir]

Thanks guys - I am so happy you like what I did with the first photo - that is the centrepiece of this entry, so I am happy it worked out!

On ‎02‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 11:11 PM, blackdeathgr said:

Whoa! That first pic took me by surprise! It looks like an actual painting! And the quality of rigging is always of your high standards. Also a nice trick showing the cannons on one side (portside?) and having them protected on the other side. Overall a great ship with a nice accompanying story.

Thanks, BD - this was exactly what I was hoping to achieve!!  I am so happy it worked out!

Well, about rigging - I must admit that this is not as finished as on the blazer as I simply hadn't planned for all the appropriate running rigging!  (Plus, it would make minifig placement rather complex...) However, it does have the necessary rigging to actually function pretty much, so at some point I will probably show her under full sail!  It has proven to have a few structural issues too (see the mainmast chains in the last picture...), but overall, it was a very effective learning experience, and I am quite happy with the result.a

Hehe - glad you spotted my little broadside trick - as the lids are functioning, this was an easy way to do it. Further, I don't actually have the bricks to build all 16 broadside carronades!  Also very happy you liked the story - we (Ayrlego and I) were trying to create a coherent and exciting story people would enjoy to follow over a few weeks. Hope we succeeded!

On ‎02‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 11:31 PM, Legostone said:

Didn't you have that ship done for around a month? Why do you have to post it last minute? I already told you elsewhere that I generally like this ship, so I'll be lazy again and just mention the few points that throw me off - why is the mizzen mast so  thick? it looks like it is missing something (and, after all, considering its thickness, you could easily retrofit a topmast to that one). Besides that there is only the headrails I've already told you about, it just seems odd that they end mid-air. Oh, and that capstan seems a little bit difficult to access with those carronades:D

Oh, I would like to see this one under full sail before you tear it down - why else would you put all that time into functional rigging?

Well, I could blame Ayrlego and continuity issues of the story, but even that aside, I hadn't actually finished rigging (mainly the sails took a lot of time) her, and tuning the wave and getting the right photographs were only done immediately prior to posting - so that's why!

About the thickness of the Mizzen - well, first of all, I am limited in my bricks, secondly, I think the next level of thickness (1x1 rounds) would be too slim for a lower mast. We are a bit limited in the availability of round bricks with different diameter. Perhaps Cooke will retrofit a topmast at some point, but he only just took over command at this point in time, and I wanted to maintain the classic galleon rig to go along with the story. I did experiment a bit with different headrails, but for the basic construction I had, this was my favourite. And I suppose those carronades will have to be turned aside when the capstan is in use. Space is a luxury commodity in the Royal Navy!

On ‎03‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 8:31 PM, Kai NRG said:

Great ship Bregir, excellent job on the rigging and the shape of the hull!

Thanks, Kai - I am quite happy with it myself!

On ‎03‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 11:50 PM, Ayrlego said:

As I think I mentioned elsewhere, the waves and positioning of the ship really make this scene come alive. It is superbly done and makes my battle scene look depressingly flat and dull! The Ironsides herself is a beautiful looking ship and a fine addition to our glorious navy.

Possibly my fault! I was late getting my ships done and we felt my story needed to be posted before this section so that the overall story made sense. Also I think the waves took alot of time to perfect (time well spent IMHO!!  )

Thanks, Ayrlego - and as I wrote above, the delay wasn't entirely your fault, although it is a convenient excuse...

And a small piece of advice for everyone - angling one's vessels just a bit to one side or the other makes it look dramatically more dynamic!

On ‎06‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 8:16 PM, Puvel said:

That first picture is epic indeed!

Excellent story as well, enjoyed reading the storyline

Thanks, Puvel - glad I was able to convey the drama of the situation, and we are very happy you enjoyed following our story!

On ‎06‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 8:47 PM, Captain Braunsfeld said:

Ah, ok, impending darkness ... then it is fine

Haha, thanks, Captain!

On ‎08‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 4:10 PM, Garmadon said:

 Gorgeous first picture there, Bregir, love the rising sea and the on-coming storm it so clearly portrays!  Excellent story as well, and I really hope we can get to see the final part some time! 

On the ship itself - in the first dynamic shot, as well as in the next closeup, it look absolutely splendid! - but I must say, that in the last two pics it stricks me as being a bit over-wide down near the waterline.  You've definitely captured the cut down galleon look though and it fits your description perfectly - and your rigging, as always, is superb!  Great job! 

Thanks, Garm - it seems my efforts were succesful! As to the last part of the story, we have considered at some point telling it in retrospect, but no promises. But as should come as no surprise, the Royal Navy prevailed, and Cooke captured both vessels with the help of Allcock and his men, who liberated and armed prisoners on the privateer to aid in the boarding actions!

And yes, she is a chubby old tub - modelled after a galleon, after all! But as I am sure you will agree, real ships have curves!

On ‎08‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 5:12 PM, Elostirion said:

Why would I even comment on the great story and great ship when there is this first picture!

Stunningly beautiful, absolutely fantastic, simply amazing, mega impressive. What else to say? Perfect!

*blushes*

[TitusV]

I'm picking my jaw back up after that first image

[ArchitectureFan]

Great ship - and I also like the miniature.