I'm the Dauphin in France

Chapter 772 Ranger Tactics (asking for double monthly tickets)
The British merchant ship had no idea that it would be attacked by a French frigate even though it was escorted by a Royal Navy cruiser.

There was a sudden chaos on the boat.

The second mate ordered the sailors to throw the cargo into the sea in an attempt to reduce the weight and increase the speed of the ship to escape.

The gunner waved his whip to drive the gunners huddled in the cabin, ordering them to fight back.

In this era of pirates, merchant ships are equipped with cannons. Of course, merchant ships are far inferior to professional warships in terms of cannon power, quantity, and protection.

The merchant ship's gunners were lucky, and on their first firing an 18-pound shell hit the Overlook's ribs.

However, the short-barreled guns on the merchant ship only left a dent on the side of the "Overlook", which then attracted even more violent attacks.

After firing more than ten rounds of salvos, the French frigate had already blasted the merchant ship to pieces, but the British galleys behind it also caught up.

In the era of sailing warships, it was very difficult to sink an opponent with solid shells. It usually took dozens of salvos to do so, or you could be extremely lucky and make a hole in the target below the waterline.

The "Overlook" was preparing to adjust the angle of its hull to fight, but accidentally destroyed the merchant ship's rudder in the last round of salvos.

The captain immediately changed his strategy and ordered his men to abandon the target that had lost its ability to move and instead chase after another merchant ship that had just disappeared on the sea horizon.

And on the sea one mile away, a British merchant ship named "Boxfish" caught fire under the fierce bombardment of the "High Tide". The sailors on the ship jumped into the sea one after another under the licking of the flames, and their screams could even be heard by Maderno.

Half an hour later.

The "Overlook" circled the sea for a long time but failed to find the British merchant ship that fled to the southeast. It seemed that the captain of the ship had very rich experience in escaping at sea.

When Madrono heard the order to abandon the pursuit, he shook his head regretfully, but soon felt relieved.

Since that merchant ship could run so fast, it must have thrown all the cargo into the sea, which was enough to make the British feel distressed for a while.

He glanced again at the British galley that had been following them relentlessly and smiled disdainfully.

In an hour at most, the boat would be thrown off because the rowers' strength had declined.

Immediately afterwards, the "Overlook" turned southwest and rushed to the agreed coordinates to meet up with the other two ships in the formation.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the three French warships gathered again, signaling to each other with flags and exchanging their recent achievements.

Both the Gullwing and the High Tide sank their targets, but the Overlook was eager to get a "double kill" and ended up not sinking any ship.

Soon, a flag signal was sent from the flagship "Seagull Wing", ordering everyone to turn back and completely destroy the merchant ship that had lost its ability to move.

However, just as they sailed seven or eight nautical miles north, the combat alarm sounded again on the ship.

Madno looked up at the lookout, who pointed to the sea in the distance and said loudly:

"There is a British cruiser 1.5 nautical miles ahead!"

What they didn't know was that the British commander Hicks was driven mad by the fact that three merchant ships had been destroyed right under his nose.

He ordered his warships to search the nearby waters for French frigates, hoping to sink one or two to save face.

At this time, the British cruiser also discovered the French warship and immediately rushed over with murderous intent.

After confirming that there was only one cruiser nearby, the French frigate fleet's flagship, the Wing of the Seagull, decisively issued an order to attack. Maderno's heart was once again in suspense.

It is easy to use speed to defeat merchant ships, but with the small size of our frigate, challenging the 44-gun cruiser is like three hounds fighting a brown bear!

However, he remembered the "Ranger Tactics" he had learned in previous training, and the tension in his heart dissipated slightly. He turned around and shouted to the sailors around him: "What are you still standing there for? Return to your posts immediately!"

The British cruiser approached the Seagull Wing without fear - once it came within range, the ship's fierce firepower would severely damage the frigate within minutes.

However, the flagship of the French fleet turned around flexibly and pointed the three 32-pound guns at the stern at the British cruiser.

At the same time, the Overlook and High Tide each drew an arc and headed towards the stern of the British battleship.

Ten minutes later, the stern gun of "Seagull Wing" opened fire first.

The French's favorite long cannon finally played out its theoretical range advantage at this time.

The British cruiser relied on its thick hull and chased after it, but its bow gun was extremely weak - the mainstream tactics of this era was broadside heavy artillery fire, and who would install heavy artillery on the bow and stern of the ship - so it could only take the hits and could not fight back.

When the British warship chased it for 4 nautical miles, it finally realized that the French frigate in front was slowing down to tease it. Although the three 3-pound guns at the stern only hit it twice, they still smashed two eye-catching holes in its bow.

Immediately, two other French frigates rushed over from the side and rear.

Hicks hurriedly ordered a turn and pointed the broadside at the French, but the "Seagull Wing" immediately turned its bow and approached his stern at a very fast speed.

The three frigates circled around the British cruiser like light birds, firing a few shots when they had the chance, and using their speed to escape when the enemy approached.

This is the "Ranger Tactics" formulated by the French Naval Staff for steam battleships - avoid head-on combat, make full use of one's own speed and turning advantages, and gradually wear down the powerful but clumsy enemy ships.

More than 20 minutes later, Hicks' flagship was devastated, especially the starboard side near the waterline, which was hit by a 24-pound cannon shell. Although the hole was not large, as long as the ship made a large maneuver, seawater would rush in...

A strong sense of fear suddenly surged in Hicks' heart.

If this trend continues, I will be sunk sooner or later.

He began to regret breaking up the formation to search for the French warships. If the "Starry Dream" was nearby at this time, the two ships could cover each other and they would not have fallen into such a passive situation.

In fact, he didn't know that because the French Navy's steam battleship had been in service for too short a time - from the captain to the crew, no one had yet mastered the "Ranger Tactics", otherwise his ship would have been sunk ten minutes ago.

However, the French frigate still had plenty of time to play with him...

……

Eleven nautical miles outside the port of Marseille, the flagship of the British Mediterranean Fleet, the Victory, floated on the sea like a towering mountain.

This first-class battleship, which is more than 70 meters long, has a displacement of more than 3 tons and is equipped with 108 cannons, is the pride of the British Royal Navy, and its combat effectiveness ranks among the top three in the world.

At this time, in the spacious officers' meeting room of the "Victory", Lord Hood, commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, was reviewing the order just sent by the British Naval Headquarters with a gloomy face.

"…Your Excellency failed to fulfill your due responsibilities, resulting in merchant ships being attacked many times in the Mediterranean Sea…"

(End of this chapter)