All at Sea - The Capture of the Pomone, 23rd April 1794

Having now returned home after an amazing four month adventure, taking in Vancouver - Canada, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and Singapore it was so nice to get back into the routine with my first 2023 visit to the Devon Wargames Group club meeting this weekend, not only enjoying the familiar company of the chaps at club, plus getting to meet new members who have joined in my absence, but also to run and play in my first game of the year, as Tom joined me for a game of Kiss Me Hardy and a run through of the Scenario 'The Capture of the Pomone, 23rd April, 1794'.

The table is all set up ready to play 'The Capture of the Pomone' at the DWG last weekend.

This scenario follows on from the series playtest that I ran at the DWG last year focused on several actions from 1793 and designed around Kiss Me Hardy and To Covet Glory which I have put together covering over fifty such historical scenarios with a plan to complete a first group of one-hundred taken from William James' naval history see link below.

Devon Wargames Group - Small Ship Actions,1793

The background to this fiercely fought frigate action is described by Mr William James in his Naval History of Great Britain:

'To endeavour to put a check to a warfare that was as profitable to one party as it was hurtful and discreditable to the other, two or three British frigate-squadrons were ordered to sea. One of these was commanded by Sir John Borlase Warren and consisted of the 38-gun-frigate Arethusa, Captain Sir Edward Pellew, 36-gun Flora, Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren, bart.,36-gun Melampus, Captain Thomas Wells, Concord, Sir John Richard Strachan and Nymphe, George Murray

The location of our action, fought on the 23rd April 1794, 06.00, 25 miles SW of Guernsey

On the 23rd of April, at 4 a.m., rock Douvre bearing east by south four or five leagues, the Seven islands south-southwest four or five leagues, and Guernsey north-east half-east seven or eight leagues, Sir John's squadron, having just hauled round on the starboard tack with the wind at south-south-west, descried and gave chase to four strange ships approaching on the opposite tack from the south-east. These were a French squadron, composed of the 36-gun frigate, Engageante, Commodore Desgareaux; 44-gun frigate Pomone, Captain Etienne Pevrieux; 36-gun frigate Resolue, Captain (we believe) Antoine-Marie-François Montalan; and 20-gun corvette Babet, Lieutenant Pierre-Joseph-Paul Belhomme.

Commodore Sir John Borlase Warren

Daylight discovered the national character of these ships which shortly afterwards formed in line of battle in the following order; Engageante, Resolue, Pomone, and Babet. The Flora, which was the leading British ship, as soon as she had reached the wake of the enemy's squadron, tacked, and was followed by the Arethusa, Melampus, and Concorde, in succession; but the Nymphe was too far astern to be in a situation to change tacks.

Fortunately for the British, a change of wind about this time, from south-south-west to south, enabled them to fetch to windward of their opponents. At 6 h. 30 m. a.m. the Flora, being abreast of the rearmost French ship, opened her fire, and, running on, received the fire of the Babet, Pomone, and Resolue in succession, but particularly of the two former.

At 7 h. 30 m. a.m. the Flora's maintop mast was shot away, the maintop was cut to pieces, and her foremast and all her yards much damaged. In this state, with her standing and running rigging greatly injured by the enemy's shot, the Flora dropped astern, and was succeeded by the Arethusa, who had previously been engaging the Babet.

The French now set every yard of canvas they could spread; but the Arethusa, Melampus, and Concorde, being less injured in their sails and rigging than the rearmost French ships, soon approached them, and the Arethusa and Melampus, who were the headmost, renewed the action with the Babet and Pomone.

At 8 h. 30 m. a.m. the Babet, having lost her foretopmast, and being otherwise much damaged by shot, surrendered, and was taken possession of by the Flora. By this time the Engageante and Resolue had made sail, and the Pomone alone remained to sustain the fire of the Arethusa and Melampus. The consequence was, that the main and mizen masts of the Pomone, already much shattered by the Flora's broadsides, soon came down; and the wreck with the sails upon it, catching fire, destroyed a portion of the quick-work, and, for a while, endangered the ship.

In this state, at 9 h. 30 m. a.m., after a brave resistance, the Pomone hauled down her colours, and was taken possession of by the Arethusa.

Melampus 36-guns – Chris Woodhouse

The Concorde and Melampus, followed at some distance by the Nymphe, now, agreeably to a signal from the commodore, gave chase to the Resolue and Engageante. The Concorde, from her quick sailing, soon got near enough to the two French frigates to receive and return their fire. It was Sir Richard Strachan's intention to disable the sternmost ship, and then, leaving her to be taken possession of by his friends in the rear, to push after the leading one; but the latter, by bearing down and closing to support her second, frustrated that plan. This frigate, indeed, took so good a position across the bows of the Concorde, as to disable her in her sails and rigging, and compel her to drop astern.

Having partially refitted herself, the Concorde resumed the pursuit; yet Sir Richard had no hopes to effect more than to keep his two opponents in check until the arrival of either the Melampus or Nymphe. But as the day was advancing, and his companions in the chase rather losing ground than other-wise; and particularly as the Concorde's maintop mast, which had been shot through, was momentarily expected to fall, Sir Richard determined to secure the enemy's ship that was nearest to him.

The table setup based on James' description with Desgareaux's squadron drawn up in line of battle.

Accordingly, changing sides in the smoke, the Concorde was soon enabled to bring that frigate to close action. The latter, which was the Engageante, defended herself with great bravery, from noon until 1 h. 45 m. p.m.; when, the ship being silenced in her fire, and, owing to the state of her sails and rigging, totally unmanageable, her people called out that they surrendered. The other French frigate, after firing a few shot, stood on; and, as the Concorde, from the damaged state of her masts, sails, and rigging, was not in a condition to follow, and the Melampus and Nymphe were too far astern to be able to overtake her, the Resolue, Sir Richard's old opponent in India, effected her escape into Morlaix.

The Flora 36-guns leads the British squadron into the attack

With the table set up as per James' description with the British bearing down on the French line of battle just outside of extreme gunnery range we started the scenario.

The French squadron led by Desgareaux's, Engageante 32-guns, prepare to greet the British column with some iron among their sticks.

The French commenced the action by doing what they do best, namely plying the British ships rigging with extreme and long range gunnery which started to have the desired effects right from the first broadsides from Resolue and Pomone, by hitting the Flora with their first shots.

Undiscouraged the Flora bore on down on the French line with her consorts behind, with both squadrons acting under their respective rules of war unless signalled otherwise.

The Resolue and Pomone open fire on the British flagship, Flora, hitting her rigging in the foremast.

As the Flora closed to long range the French fire only increased the damage to her rigging and Warren was forced to resist the desire to return the fire, preferring to hold his fire until the effects of his Jolly Jack Tar crew could be delivered with an initial broadside at short range with hopefully the telling effect desired.

Sensing the aggressive British intent Desgareaux led his line in a gentle turn to starboard looking to bring the British column under a continued barrage from his lead ships as his centre-rear looked most threatened.

The mighty 44-gun Pomone supports the Resolue, 32-guns ahead

As the British closed in, the scenario conditions moderated closer to those described in the historical account as the wind shifted a point to the south, just as Desgareaux determined that the Flora looked likely to press the attack on his stern and the bow of the following Resolue and decided to come around to larboard with the wind to support his rearward ships.

As Flora pressed on into the attack, Warren signalled to his column to 'Engage the enemy more closely' freeing his captains to choose their targets of intent rather than maintain their column formation, with the Flora pointed towards breaking the French line aft of the Engageante.

The Flora misjudges her breaking of the French line, grazing the Resolue which in the shock brought down all three masts on the Frenchman and causing Flora to loose her mizzen. Undaunted the Flora let fly her initial broadside at short range and grappled in preparation to board. Both ships are on a strike test for losing masts, but the Resolue is in the more parlous of states.

However the French were well closed up on each other, attempting to prevent their line from being penetrated and the attack of the Flora came it at such an acute angle that a clash of bows with the Resolue could not be averted all be it with a glancing contact.

Both vessels were forced to take a test for damage with the Flora rolling a five, resulting in a lost mast and five damage points to her hull for her trouble, but the Resolue when better rolling a double six resulting in all three of her sticks tumbling overboard and fifteen damage points to boot.

The French line is broken and a general melee is in play as the British rearward frigates, Melampus and Concorde, both 36-guns come up in support, with the Resolue having already struck to the Flora

To increase French woes, the British fire and move chits coincided that allowed the Flora to pour on the hurt to the Resolue at short range, leaving the French frigate reeling, and grappled with a British boarding party pouring over her bulwarks.

Both ships were forced to take strike tests for fallen masts, but with the damage inflicted to the Resolue and just having lost the first round in a boarding action the end result was inevitable as her crew pulled down their colours to a cheer from the British flagship, having easily passed their own strike test and now eagerly taking possession of their prize. 

Captain Sir Edward Pellew (hurrah!) passes between the Pomone and Babette raking both on his way, the latter with a partial broadside as the Arethusa's crew opened fire with both batteries.

The French line was broken and the Engageante was forced to come round to come to the aid of the Pomone and Babette, with the former passing the stern of the Flora and giving her a stern rake salute that would force the British flagship to take yet another strike test, whilst the Babette also offered her salute in passing with her more moderate 20-gun battery that caused minimal damage.

The Pomone is forced to take a strike test after being stern raked and will haul down her colours in response.

With Flora licking her wounds and busy securing her prize the other British frigates closed in to bring succour to their flagship and the elite Arethusa 38-guns, led by no less a person that Captain Sir Edward Pellew, and its hard not to hear the cheer for Rik Mayall's Lord Flashheart when writing that line, opened her account with a raking broadside on the Pomone, closely followed by additional fire from Melampus 36-guns that left the Pomone facing her own strike test for the preceding rake.

Both strike tests seemed academic as the Flora was still relatively unscathed and being an elite flagship, had very robust morale, whilst the Pomone's damage, coupled with a friendly struck ship, Resolue, in sight meant she only had a 30% chance of striking herself.

With a prize crew aboard from the Flora, the Resolue is a secured prize, whilst the fighting Flora pours on some hurt to the Engageante with a passing rake. 

As expected the Flora easily passed her test with flying colours as they say, however the Pomone was not so fortunate failing her roll by a margin of 2% and hauling down her colours under the guns of the fast approaching Concorde 36-guns who swung out a boat and boarding party in response.

 

Commodore Desgareaux aboard the Engageante escapes to Morlaix as his squadron lies in tatters and captured in his rear.

The loss of the Pomone, forced Commodore Desgareaux to take a personal morale check to see if his nerve would hold and allow him to conduct a defence with Engageante and Babette or to signal a break off with each ship for itself.

Unfortunately the test proved the result to be the latter and both French ships hauled their bows to larboard in an attempt to get clear of the north-west table edge and sanctuary in Morlaix.

However the Babette was practically stranded between the Flora and the Arethusa with the former now closing in on the battered corvette and managing to get a grapple before storming aboard her deck to force a strike as the Engageante made her escape with the Melampus in hot pursuit.

The Melampus (centre), lets fly with a despairing larboard broadside on the retreating Engageante (extreme left) making her escape. 

With three French ships taken by the British squadron in a close in scrap and a change of wind to match, our scenario played out very closely to its historical counterpart.

The last French ship to strike, the Babette 20-guns, grappled by the Flora in the last turn

The brunt of the fight for the British was borne by the flagship, Flora with Commodore Warren leading from the front and taking the fight to the French whilst under harassing fire on the approach. Both the Arethusa and the Concorde were unscathed and the Melampus seen below took slight damage to her rigging

The French on the other hand show the results of the close in fight brought on by the British melee tactics with hulls pummelled and ripe for taking in a boarding action, with only the mighty Pomone unfortunate to have struck relatively intact and one would have thought still full of fight.

  

Obviously in an historic scenario the sides are not balanced, as balance is a wargaming idea and not one familiar to real life commanders and so it is more appropriate to compare the outcome with the historical one as a measure of success.

The victory calculator below is designed to help in that approach.

Victory Calculation

Each side scores victory points (VPs) for

• every ship they brought to the Action – even if she struck or was captured and
• for every enemy ship they captured. (Thus, captured ships are scored by both their captors and their original owners.) The high total wins.

The victory point value for each ship is her Hull size multiplied by her Value (5 plus or minus value modifiers). The following modifiers may increase a ship's value with no upper limit but may never reduce it below x 1.

Owner of Vessel

Hull Size x Base Value (5) less either Damage/Casualty Factor

Or if greater, the Disgrace Factor

•  -1 if part of a group and she escaped first, or escaped before half of her sisters
• Sovereignty 1: Warships can suffer -1 disgrace in their home waters.
• Sovereignty 2-3: Warships can suffer -2 disgrace in all waters if the enemy side has a lower sovereignty value.

If the enemy side has an equal or higher sovereignty value, they can suffer -2 disgrace in home waters, and -1 elsewhere.

And all the following that apply

•  -1 Damage per quarter of basic speed lost, round up.
•  +1 Over-matched if her side committed fewer ships per player than the enemy.
•  +1 in Home Waters if she carries any cargo.
•  +1 Carriage, per level of cargo transported through the gate opposite her entry, or the gate to either side of it.

Captor of Vessel

Hull Value x 5

Less

•  Damage/Casualty Factor -1 to -4

Plus

• Cargo Value

The British squadron is calculated thus;

Arethusa 38-guns 6 x 5 = 30 VP

Flora 36-guns 6 x 3 (-2 Value for Medium Damage Suffered) = 18 VP

Melampus 36-guns 6 x 5 = 30 VP

Concorde 36-guns 6 x 5 = 30 VP

Plus the captured and damaged 

Resolue (medium damage) worth another 5 x 3 =15 VP

Pomone (light damage) worth another 7 x 4 = 28 VP

Babette (heavy damage and struck) 4 x 1 = 4VP

British Total 155 VP

The French Squadron is calculated thus;

Engageante 32-guns = 5 x 5 = 25 VP

Resolue 32-guns = 5 x 3 = 15 VP

Pomone 40-guns = 7 x 4 = 28 VP

Babette 20-guns = 4 x 1 = 4 VP

French Total 72 VP

So a resounding victory to Commodore Warren, managing to match the historical result with the destruction of the enemy squadron and the capture of the Pomone only lightly damaged, with Commodore Desgareaux at least able to escape unlike his historical predecessor.

Thank you to Tom for a very fun game and a nice way to get back into the hobby for another new year.

The model ships are 1:700th scale frigates from the Warlord Black Seas range, that includes my scratch built corvette model as featured here on JJ's, and the mat is from Tiny Wargames, see link at the top of the blog.

Naval Wargames Society Weekend - Fleet Air Arm Museum Yeovilton

This weekend Steve W and I travelled up to Somerset to spend Saturday at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Yeovilton as guests of the Naval Wargames Society for their annual gathering, an opportunity to play naval wargames with other like minds, and to meet other folks and chat about the hobby.

For our debut game representing the Devon Wargames Group, Steve and I were the survivors of an original team from the club, reduced by other members forced to drop out through a combination of vaccine injections for flu and Covid the day before, family bereavement and choir duties.

The Leeward Line Scenario, seemed an appropriate game of choice to play in this, the week of the 217th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

Thus we travelled up from Exeter to arrive just after 09.00 to set up a modified version of The Leeward Line Scenario, using Kiss Me Hardy (KMH), recreating the attack of Vice-Admiral Collingwood's Leeward British column of ships on the rearward part of the Combined Fleet's line at Trafalgar, this being the week of the two hundredth and seventeenth anniversary of the battle.

The table plan for our game, which saw me adding in the Achille and Revenge to the British attack force and the Aigle, Montanes and Swiftsure to the line of the Combined Fleet.

The Leeward Line Scenario is a great game to run in a day, and one we have run several times before, representing as it does a discreet but massively impactful part of the Battle of Trafalgar as Collingwood brought his squadron into battle first, well aware of the importance for his ships to quickly overwhelm those of the enemy, as Nelson's force busied themselves dealing with Allied centre and fending off any attempt by their van to turn about and come to the rescue.

For this particular game I increased the two forces with additional ships that joined the fray later in the battle and added the Allied frigate line, purely for cosmetic purposes, this being as much a demonstration game as anything, to give the impression of the look of the battle in this part of the Allied line.

It's just after 10.00 and Steve and I are desperate for a brew, but while it was still quiet and with the game set up to go, time for a quick team picture.

This was my first time attending an NWS gathering and it was great fun meeting folks I have been chatting to via email in previous months and to wonder around later in the morning to take a look at the other games we had in the hall.

https://www.fleetairarm.com/

In addition the venue is a museum for the Fleet Air Arm, open to the public to see the amazing collection of aircraft and other items associated with the Royal Navy and an opportunity for them to see our hobby in action and to promote it to a wider audience.

Let Battle Commence - The opening stage of the Battle of Trafalgar, captured by Nicholas Pocock and reproduced in our game this weekend.

After a refreshing cuppa, Steve and I proceeded to get the game going with Steve taking command of the British and myself running the Allied line.

The Royal Sovereign, blazing away with her bow chasers prepares to open fire with her broadsides as she closes on the stern galleries of the Santa Anna, having already suffered high officer casualties and a lost main mast in the approach run

With the flagship Royal Sovereign 100-guns, positioned just beyond extreme gunnery range, and sailing on a NW quartering wind, it takes little time for her and her consorts to close the range whilst enjoying the delights of a bombardment of the rigging from the Franco-Spanish line on their approach.

Our rules for the day, Kiss Me Hardy from the Too Fat Lardies
with a few added house-rules!

The game was not without drama, as is usual with most KMH games, even in the first turn, as Steve managed to roll up a wind change, causing the wind to shift a point to westward, putting the wind on his stern rather than the quarter and reducing the British speed to basic plus 1d6 cm of movement, whilst the Santa Anna 112-guns, managed to roll a ten on a d10 on the critical hit table against the British flagship's rigging, bringing down her mainmast and causing high officer casualties, not for the first time in our game, forcing Collingwood to take a survivors die roll which he subsequently passed.

The day kept getting better as we were joined by the Penarth boys who seamlessly joined the game and added yet more fun. We're about to start turn two, so time for a new team picture.

Just as we prepared to start the second turn of the game we were joined by chaps from the Penarth Club, who had travelled down from deepest darkest South Wales to see the show and to come and chat age-of-sail and games played in glorious 1:700th scale, and so it was great fun that they were happy to join in, with the sides quickly rearranged and with me resuming duties as umpire and chit drawer.

With commands sorted out, we got stuck in, as the British ships attacking in echelon started to attempt to break in amongst the Allied line.

The Santa Anna 112-guns wreathed in smoke from her previous broadside, braces herself for the return salute as the Royal Sovereign, flying her battle signal 'Engage the Enemy More Closely', prepares to deliver her a close in stern-rake and a similar bow-rake to the French 74-gun Fougueux sailing in her wake. The British 74-gun Belleisle follows the flagship in close support.

The Royal Sovereign, battered but not bowed prepared her salute in style, issuing a crushing broadside stern rake to the Santa Anna as she passed, and a similar 'welcome to battle', bow rake to the Fougueux 74-guns, sailing in the Spaniard's wake, turning on to the starboard side of the Spanish flagship in preparation for her day long duel with the Santa Anna and the French Indomptable 80-guns. 

As the Royal Sovereign breaks the Allied line and begins to turn, she is followed by the Belleisle 74 guns, adding to the woes of the Fougueux with a stern rake added to the bow rake she has just received. The Indomptable closest to camera joins the fray with a first broadside on the oncoming British flagship. Battle well and truly joined!

As the Royal Sovereign turned to draw level with the Santa Anna, she was herself engaged by the 80-gun Indomptable and the battle was a tense struggle that would see her and the two first rates heavily engaged and seeing both flagships forced to take strike tests throughout as new thresholds of damage were inflicted and with the Santa Anna narrowly avoiding striking right at the close of our game and with Collingwood forced to test for becoming a casualty yet again as the second critical hit of  'High Officer Casualties' was inflicted on the Royal Sovereign.

The British attack develops in the wake of the Royal Sovereign and Belleisle as following ships arrive in echelon of attack.

The Royal Sovereign was like the herald sounding the charge as the rolling attack began with Belleisle gliding in to cross the stern of the Fougueux causing a fire amid the carnage of the fire received, before turning to cross the bow of the Algeciras 74-gun flagship of Rear-admiral Magon herself taken in a stern rake by the Mars 74-guns; leaving the Frenchman shattered as the Mars came on to bow-rake the Spanish Monarca 74-guns, now further forward in the line as ships ahead were forced to take avoiding action as the British ships closed in.

The Mars 74-guns (centre of picture) having fired her bow chasers on the approach crosses the stern of Rear-admiral Magon's 74-gun Algeciras, with his command tricolour pennant flying on the mizzen as the Belleisle 74-guns aims to cut across her bow having stern-raked the Fougeueux and caused a fire on the French third rate (extreme right of picture) .

As in most things numbers often tell the story as clearly as any description and the depiction of the ship record sheets that follow help to clearly illustrate the hammering each side was inflicting at short or point-blank range, with the Royal Sovereign below, displaying her scars of her day long struggle with the Santa Anna and Indomptable on either broadside, but clearly able to give as good as she got when looking at the damage inflicted on her assailants.

The Royal Sovereign displays medium damage, that doesn't quite capture the drama of three strike tests, easily passed, but with very high casualties to her officers and a main mast lost, resulting in over half her basic speed reduced due to the damage to her rigging, and with nearly half her batteries destroyed.

When assessing damage for our campaign and for after battle results, ships are categorised, according to their hull damage and dismasting, with the strike level on the 'Damage Points' section of the ship records indicative of Worn (5-15%), Light Damage (20-25%), Medium Damage (30-35%) and Heavy Damage (40% plus and/or dismasted).

The battle with the Royal Sovereign has left the Santa Anna with heavy damage, probably saved by the intervention from the Indomptable, only lightly damaged in comparison, but having lost nearly 40% of her gun batteries.

This scenario recreates the fight that broke out at the end of the Combined Fleet's line as the British ships aimed to pass between two enemies and then turn to luff up alongside their chosen foe to follow up the crushing stern rake just delivered with another close in broadside from the previously unfired guns, with an enemy ship still reeling from the stern rake and unable to escape with an enemy ship to leeward.

A battle within a battle as the Devonport based Royal Sovereign takes on Santa Anna and Indomptable and with the crew of the Royal Sovereign having to fight a fire as well as two enemy ships. 

As each turn progressed more British ships were doing the 'wash, rinse, repeat' on the Franco-Spanish line that was a mess at the start but becoming decidedly more so as the British ships brought on the ship-to-ship melee that only favoured them in the long-term.

The ship record cards that follow are grouped in the order of sailing and thus you can get a comparison between the discreet groups of opposing ships that ended up battering one another as these fights broke out along the line of Combined Fleet ships, with the battle below well illustrated between Belleisle, Mars, Fougueux and Monarca, with the two British third-rates carrying the damage principally from their run in and with their opponents having been shattered by the passing rakes they received, that saw both strike before our day was over.

 

The brig Argus is a spectator to the fight going on on her larboard side as the Mars grapples the Fougueux and prepares to board, and the French Pluton can be seen on fire (back left of picture).

The Algeciras, Rear-admiral Magon's flagship (right of picture) finds herself grappled by the Tonnant as Royal Marines lead a storming party over her bulwarks, as the Bellerophon closes in on Monarca just aft.

The Nelsonian melee is well underway in the afternoon session of the game as the last three ships in the British echelon, Colossus 74-guns, Achille 74-guns and Revenge 74 guns, prepare to engage, with the Montanes, Aigle and Swiftsure their likely targets.

As the British charge in, the Bahama 74-guns has just swung her bow to starboard to avoid colliding with the oncoming Bellerophon 74-guns whilst firing off a broadside at the oncoming Colossus. Behind her can be seen the Spanish 74-gun Montanes, the French 74-gun Aigle and closest to camera the 74-gun Swiftsure.

With Admiral Magon's flagship Algeciras grappled, she is forced to take a strike test now having been raked yet again by the passing Bellerophon and will strike in the next turn. Meanwhile everyone is giving the now struck but well alight Pluton 74-guns, burning in the background a very wide berth as the intensity of the fire takes hold causing the French third-rate to explode very soon.

As our game draws into its final moves, the ends of both opposing lines come to grips, with the French frigates Themis and Hermione onlookers to the melee off their larboard sides, but ready to offer a tow to a friendly comrade that needs to be dragged free from the struggle.

The last group of ship cards shows the vessels that received the least damage when the game finished as they were just coming into close action when we called an end to proceedings.

The game has reached a key decision point with the French flagship Algeciras losing its fight with the Tonnant and about to strike and with three other Combined Fleet vessels already struck or blown up in the case of the Pluton, the Allies have passed their breakoff threshold and Vice Admiral Alava will have to test to see if he loses his nerve and signals a withdrawal, but first needing to pass a strike test of his own in the fight between Santa Anna and the Royal Sovereign. 

We had had a great day, with lots of laughs and plenty of banter with like minds and it was great fun and a pleasure spending the time with the Penarth boys and we have plans to do some other future games.

Not only that but the game ended on two cliff hangers for the final result, with the Santa Anna, the only surviving Allied flagship now on the table, forced to take a strike test, and with this part of the Combined Fleet now having passed its threshold of three ships lost having to pass a break off test.

The Royal Sovereign now having put out her fire but still hotly engaged when our game ended and managing to cause the Santa Anna to take another strike test, that she passed

Our game kept on giving as all eyes turned to the dice tower as Santa Anna took her strike test and passed with flying colours, that allowed Admiral Alava to assess the situation that faced his battered end of the line as the break off test was rolled needing a 5 or 6 on a d6 to allow the Allies to continue the struggle as a cohesive force, which was also passed.

After three hours of battle, the destruction wrought at Trafalgar, captured by Nicholas Pocock

A picture straight out off Pocock's imagination, the battle lines have merged into a mess of battered opponents, leaving four of the Combined Fleet's ten starting ships, now captured or lost.

The end result was only headed in one direction when we closed the game and it was only a matter of time before the remaining Allied ships would attempt to break contact, but the Allied commanders could feel justly proud of still being on the table as a cohesive fighting force at the end and in having given the British flagship a bit of a battering, narrowly missing taking out Vice-admiral Collingwood in the process.

Kiss Me Hardy performed yet again, producing a fast flowing game with lots of drama as well as a game full of narrative that I've tried to capture here. The models featured are all 1:700th scale from Warlord's Black Seas range, a scale that works easily with KMH, with no need to change anything and the cloth is one of Tiny Wargames excellent offerings, held snug to the table with my recently acquired table cloth weights that were clipped on at each end

Thank you to the NWS for putting on the show and to the Fleet Air Arm Museum for providing their excellent facilities, that included access to the museum, something I didn't get chance to partake in but will no doubt do so on another occasion, and to everyone we got to chat to during the day and who came over to watch the game, both Steve and I had a great day and I think we might well have to do this again.

More anon

JJ