Odyssey

[ricky]

So, Since we got a chapter earlier does that me we won't see one on the Friday posting schedule mentioned? Just curious.

[ricky]

Hmmm, guessing that I have been answered.

[ricky]

Well I just saw the notice on ch 30 and thought to offer my opinion since asked.

 

Personally I'd rather have the steady schedule posting than the feast and famine. That way you have the excitement of knowing just when the next moment of happiness will occur. The sprint and drift method gives you an "OH COOL" moment like an unexpected second round of sex the same night. But you sorta miss some of the first la petite mort! And that fact sorta makes you face the knowledge that you are going to be jonesing seriously when the next normal posting date arrives and you've got no fix.

 

It's all about dosing and dependency Mark.

Consistency kills the twitch.

[ricky]

Changing stuff or just cleaning up Mark? I saw you updated 29 and 30

[ricky]

So where IS everybody? Jeeze-Louise!

CH 31 was awesome Mark. I would have liked to see them end up on the ship at sea by the end of this chapter but that may be because the excitement isn't quite over yet.

And there is a rift between Granger and Calvert! There is hope yet that the need boy will go away. At least the odds are doubled now. (Sorry, just can't stand the guy. Never did like him.)

 Wouldn't it be interesting to have the ship of the line creep up right now? Biccanti's guns and the forts together could probably make short work of her. Let's not forget that we don't have all the time in the world yet either. There is a Maidstone/Birdie issue to be dealt with. And we can see already that Maidstone is completely unscrupulous. And I think even more so than Birdie. 

 

Time will tell.

Thanks for a great chapter Mark.

[Kookie]

Intersting chapter. Sounds like Granger plans on sending Calvert and the Santa Clarita (?) back around the horn to the West Indies and then on to England. Hoping that Calvert can keep the small frigate thus becoming a post-Captain. Sending Calvert to the West Indies and having his Grandfather confirm the temporary assignment will help that cause and allow the return of the American sailors to their homeland easier. The question is which officers will go with Calvert. I suppose the whaler captains will all go as the main group of petty officers, and maybe Weston or Robey as the first officer. I imagine Scropes and another midshipman and at least 1 additional Lt. or maybe just send Fritzwilliam as an acting Lt. while keeping Humphries, Robey on the Bacchante and making Gatling an acting Lt. on it. It shoulld be interesting to see how the crew is divided, but with the Bacchante sailing with 2 extra midshipmen, it should be doable. Of course, some of this depends on how Humpheries wound up down in Chile.

 

Might just be easier to sail both Frigates to the East Indies but that would leave the Americans stranded.

[centexhairysub]

Great new chapter, I was so amazed again at how well Granger deals with everyone on their own level.  He is able to place himself at just the right level but makes sure that everyone knows he is no ones fool.  I can't believe the provincial idiot in charge thinks he can play with Granger, that was the reason that Granger made sure the first Spaniard understood how connected he was to the Court in Spain, even with the countries being at war. 

 

I was just starting to not hate Calvert after the last few chapters and then he goes and shows why he will never be suitable for Granger.  Calvert pissed Granger off enough that he did not explain what his plan for Calvert and the other ship was.  I sort of doubted that he was sending it very far away, but now who knows.  Two ships have a better chance against anything else in the region plus if they could pick up another one, they might have a chance at a Spanish gold ship...  Even better, when the arrive to deal with Maidstone, Granger will be in just that much more of a powerful position with an extra ship or two.  I don't think he needs it really for that, is letters and powers from the privy council would under normal circumstances give him more than enough authority; but against Maidstone a little firepower might not hurt...

 

I still want to hear how Humphreys and FitzWilliam ended up in a Chilean cell...  This has to be one hell of a story.  I am even going to believe that Maidstone might be behind it....  LOL...

[JimCarter]

 

I very much enjoyed this chapter, but I am also ready to wring your neck Mr.  Mark.   How could you end this chapter without finding out why Humphries and Fitzwilliam were in the Chilean prison?

[ricky]

An excellent chapter as always my Lord Arbour. Something that I noticed that I didn't expect was the talk of dividing the Marines. It indicated that they would be needed by Granger at his final destination. That would make it appear that the Santa Clarita will not be sailing in concert with Granger. I had suspected that as he grabbed more ships his ability to wreak havoc would also increase. But that assumption was based on them acting in concert against any enemies they came across. Now it appears that Calvert will be sent on his merry way at some point.

 

An interesting development. I wonder what path he would take home?

I can't wait to find out how Humpfries ended up there. And wasn't Mr Llewellyn on the same ship? Or am I wrong about that? And if I'm right, what happened to that perfect set of curves?

 

We also have a menacing ship of the line to deal with as well. They'll have to sink her, they've not enough officers to staff another ship. Perhaps Calverts ship won't survive it and he'll get to take a First Rate back to england.

 

More cliffs to hang from as usual.

Thanks Mark, now, cough up with the tale of how the guys ended up on the left coast.

[Mark Arbour]

 

 

I very much enjoyed this chapter, but I am also ready to wring your neck Mr.  Mark.   How could you end this chapter without finding out why Humphries and Fitzwilliam were in the Chilean prison?

 

If I wrote about that in Chapter 32, what would I cover in Chapter 33?

 

An excellent chapter as always my Lord Arbour. Something that I noticed that I didn't expect was the talk of dividing the Marines. It indicated that they would be needed by Granger at his final destination. That would make it appear that the Santa Clarita will not be sailing in concert with Granger. I had suspected that as he grabbed more ships his ability to wreak havoc would also increase. But that assumption was based on them acting in concert against any enemies they came across. Now it appears that Calvert will be sent on his merry way at some point.

 

An interesting development. I wonder what path he would take home?

I can't wait to find out how Humpfries ended up there. And wasn't Mr Llewellyn on the same ship? Or am I wrong about that? And if I'm right, what happened to that perfect set of curves?

 

We also have a menacing ship of the line to deal with as well. They'll have to sink her, they've not enough officers to staff another ship. Perhaps Calverts ship won't survive it and he'll get to take a First Rate back to england.

 

More cliffs to hang from as usual.

Thanks Mark, now, cough up with the tale of how the guys ended up on the left coast.

 

If we were to dive into Granger's mind at this point, I bet we'd discover that he himself isn't all that sure what to do about Santa Clarita.  He knows he needs to keep her around until he encounters San Augustin, or manages to avoid her for his tenure in the Eastern Pacific, but then he has a conundrum.  Does he send her home, or does he keep her with him? 

[ricky]

If I wrote about that in Chapter 32, what would I cover in Chapter 33?

 

 

If we were to dive into Granger's mind at this point, I bet we'd discover that he himself isn't all that sure what to do about Santa Clarita.  He knows he needs to keep her around until he encounters San Augustin, or manages to avoid her for his tenure in the Eastern Pacific, but then he has a conundrum.  Does he send her home, or does he keep her with him? 

I don't see the conundrum. There is no downside to keeping her with them. Especially in an ocean where nobody is a friendly. If he kept her with him, although we don't know the armament, he would have extra firepower. If its a ship worthy of the service he could escort her home after Amboyna. If not she could be sold there and the men returned to his ship. He also now has a ship with Spanish sails. They are distinct and could be useful for further mayhem. There IS no downside to them staying. Letting them travel back from almost exactly half way around the planet is risky. There ARE no friendlies between them and home right now. There's safety in numbers.

So I don't see sending them off as a practical choice.

Additionally, if there is a limited access to stores, when they DO provision, they are able to take on a significantly larger amount that could be shared between the two; reducing the need to re-provision at all.

 

But I think the tactical advantage really makes it a no brainer.

[JimCarter]

I think they may need to keep the two ships together once they get to their destination as well as while they are worried about the French ship of the line.  Maidstone has proven he has no scruples and John's Company is up to something that may require both ships.  I don't know how may ships they have accumulated, but I fear they have more than the Admiralty knows about.

 

Another positive is that this way, Lord Granger can make a grand entrance and s little show of force if needed, and I think it is going to be needed.  I know John's Company wouldn't do anything directly to a peer, but since when is a direct approach required for someone as underhanded as I believe Maidstone to be.

Edited February 16, 2013 by JimCarter

[centexhairysub]

Well, sorry, I got busy yesterday and just didn't have time to get to the forum for the latest chapter... 

 

I really feel that Granger hurt his position by mollycoddling Calvert.  I know that he cares for Calvert, even if I don't, but had anyone else done what Calvert did; Granger would have had them in irons.  He is doing no service to either himself or Calvert by his actions.  Calvert does that with the wrong person he will be out of the navy... 

 

Calvert should have had the sense to know that militarily Granger will more than likely keep the other ship with him.  Unless there is something else going on that we haven't been let in on; there is no strategic reason to seperate the two ships in unhospitalble waters.  If nothing else, it will give Granger a grander entrance upon reaching their destination and dealing with Maidstone. 

 

I can't wait to find out what happened with Humphrey and FitzWilliam; plus why did Humphrey not care that they were being seperated...  Bet there is an interesting story on both accounts, can't wait to see where that leads.

 

I vote that we end up with a few more ships and maybe Granger can have his own fleet when he returns to England.

[Mark Arbour]

As I said, I don't see Granger sending Santa Clarita anywhere until they've resolved the issue with San Augustin.  There are some other things to consider, though: 

 

1.  Granger does not have the authority to commission the Santa Clarita, which means that she's just a captured prize he's drafted into service.  

2.  Until the ship is processed through an Admiralty Prize Court, and is bought into either the navy or some other service, no prize money will be awarded for her.  If Santa Clarita is damaged before then, it would significantly reduce her value.  

3.  Granger is probably on solid ground here, but it's also possible that a pissed-off Admiralty would disagree with him.  He's basically established Santa Clarita as a Royal Navy ship, and will incur the expenses to operate her as such.  What if they decide not to pay for those costs?  

4.  There are some (his enemies) who will point to his creation of a little fleet and use it to damage him, suggesting that he overstepped his orders and is trying to establish himself as a commodore when he doesn't even have his three years of seniority as a post captain.  

 

The normal course of action would have been to send the Santa Clarita to a friendly port with a prize crew immediately.  Under these circumstances, that's not likely, nor is it wise, but that's the basic expectation.  

[ricky]

As I said, I don't see Granger sending Santa Clarita anywhere until they've resolved the issue with San Augustin.  There are some other things to consider, though: 

 

1.  Granger does not have the authority to commission the Santa Clarita, which means that she's just a captured prize he's drafted into service.  

2.  Until the ship is processed through an Admiralty Prize Court, and is bought into either the navy or some other service, no prize money will be awarded for her.  If Santa Clarita is damaged before then, it would significantly reduce her value.  

3.  Granger is probably on solid ground here, but it's also possible that a pissed-off Admiralty would disagree with him.  He's basically established Santa Clarita as a Royal Navy ship, and will incur the expenses to operate her as such.  What if they decide not to pay for those costs?  

4.  There are some (his enemies) who will point to his creation of a little fleet and use it to damage him, suggesting that he overstepped his orders and is trying to establish himself as a commodore when he doesn't even have his three years of seniority as a post captain.  

 

The normal course of action would have been to send the Santa Clarita to a friendly port with a prize crew immediately.  Under these circumstances, that's not likely, nor is it wise, but that's the basic expectation.  

So then the closest "friendly" port in the direction they are traveling would be Amboyna. And although he is not really commissioning it as a military vessel, it IS operated by "his" prize crew. And keeping the prize safe in unfriendly waters is both cogent and appropriate since there are obviously things afoot here. So at least until he finds out how these guys ended up on this side of the globe it would be irresponsible for him to send them off. Using a captured ship, as he has often done before doesn't mean he's creating his own fleet, but he is the senior officer in the area and has a responsibility to command those beneath him. Now if he created his own broad pennant, they might have something to say. But England is a LOOOOONG ways off and there is no safe harbor except perhaps in the U.S. but that is not the direction they are apt to travel and they would be fighting the currents to go north. Once you get up around Mexico they go westerly. Cold currents from Alaska travel south. Somewhere right around the Baja I think they join, each pushing westerly towards Hawaii.

[Mark Arbour]

Thanks for the map of the currents!  I was looking for one of them.  

 

The closest friendly port would be Rio.  The closest English port would probably be St. Helena, followed by Antigua, then England herself.  

[ricky]

A great and welcome chapter Mark.
It should be interesting to see how Granger takes down the 64. Perhaps he could use the ruse that the privateer used on them! Wouldn't that be a hoot. To take a 64 Gun ship of the line without a single cannon round being fired. And if he happened to have 10 little ships in his fleet and most of them appearing to e whalers it could be interesting. No? I mean if he took a pack of them all at once it would be pretty damn funny.

 

I was shocked that Humphries comment about them entering the pacific keeping them from being given parole didn't spark the question, "Any idea how they knew?" Perhaps Mr Fitzwilliams will know from his Spanish Officer friend. It's still a mystery how they knew to expect him. And they will have to find some way of getting Humphries ship back, just so he can save face.

 

Now to find a way to get notice back to Lord Milton's father! Perhaps an American or two will get repatriated in a passing vessel. Or perhaps one liberated from the privateers that Granger might feel returning to the American's might bring more goodwill in getting the treaty signed than it would bring as a prize. Especially if they agreed to carry the mail with them as well. London needs to know there is a spy in their midst. This might well lead them to more Maidstone created problems too. Somehow I think Granger will be ready to hang him from a yardarm himself by the time he gets there. One can only hope that between Birdie and his grandfather they have been able to hold their own. And let's not forget that Granger taking Maidstone back onboard his ship to England will still put the good doctor at risk.

 

Miles to go before we sleep.

[JimCarter]

It is nice to hear how Humpries and Fitzwilliam  ended up in Chili.  I think the way Granger laid out his plan to send the rescued men as prize masters gained him more than just willing sailors but they were excited by the possibly going home somewhat wealthier.  

 

I am sure that our fearless heroes will devise a plan that will end up putting a 64 gun battleship in the Granger flotilla.  I still think Granger might need a show of force when he takes on Maidstone.  

[Kookie]

Very interesting chapter that answers some questions but raises many more. First the Santa Clarita appears to be poorly manuverable ship, totally unsuited for the mission of most Frigates, but may be useful in guardng a port type setting. Hopefully the John's Company will have a use for her because she doesn't sound suited to the Navy's needs.

 

Granger learning of the privateers modus of operandi from the whaler ship captains raise questions as why O'higgins did not divulge this earlier and what else is he hiding.

 

In addition while Humphries explanation of how they came to be Valdivia sounds reasonable I believe there is more to that story. Lets hear Fritzwilliam side of the story.

 

Who in England is providing information on Granger to the Spanish. Could Fox be behind this whole scheme aided by the Wilcox clan?

 

Is Bertie still in the East Indies and does he retain his rank in the Army. If so, he will be useful in the upcoming (but distant future) struggle with Maidstone.

[Daddydavek]

Kookie has some interesting observations and questions.  His suspicions about Fox sound credible.  Jim's idea of puting the 64 gun ship of the line into Granger's flotilla may be a bit farfetched but with Granger who knows??????

[JimCarter]

I could 

Kookie has some interesting observations and questions.  His suspicions about Fox sound credible.  Jim's idea of puting the 64 gun ship of the line into Granger's flotilla may be a bit farfetched but with Granger who knows???

 

To be honest when I read that the Dons used native labor to man most of the ship I could hear the cogs in Granger's brain spinning.  All he had to do was enlist his native friends to have a shot at the battleship.

[Kookie]

To be honest when I read that the Dons used native labor to man most of the ship I could hear the cogs in Granger's brain spinning. All he had to do was enlist his native friends to have a shot at the battleship.

The problem would be communicating with the natives aboard the Ship of the Line. Unlike when Calvert capture the Santa Clarita, it is doubtful any ship could approach close enough for a verbal exchange. The only hope I see is for the Santa Clarita to close close enough to the battleship in its stern with Granger staying just out of range. If the battleship manuvers to bring the Santa Clarita under fire, Granger steaks in and takes on the bow. Neither frigate can handle multiple broadsides from a battleship and the Spanish tatic of shooting for the spars leave the "ironsides" of the Santa Clarita meaningless Edited February 23, 2013 by Kookie

[centexhairysub]

Hope everyone has been doing well, I have been really busy and although reading each chapter updated by Mark, haven't gotten into the forums. 

 

Really enjoyed the last chapter and hope the upcoming adventures are as much fun to read.  After reading some of the post I do understand better why Granger is so undecided about what to do with the extra ship, who knew capturing a ship just lead to so much difficulty...  I still think having an extra ship or two would be good when he gets to his meeting with Maidstone.  Plus, if he could happen to capture a gold ship along the way, all the better... 

 

It is so easy to lose myself in Mark's writing; I often feel Granger and his crew and family are people that I really know.  I can't wait to find out what happens next.

[JimCarter]

It's Friday and I am starting to get the shakes needing my Odyssey fix.  I know I am not the only Granger Junkie needing a fix.

 

You do such a good job of immersing us in the story that we can barely make it to our next fix.

[centexhairysub]

Did Granger get lost???  Damn, I am sure this is Calvert's fault somehow...