After the battle our little squadron is stuck in the North Atlantic licking its wounds, what could possibly go wrong. Well to my mind there are three possibilities, bad weather, a Royal Navy patrol or with the assistance of the Gulf Stream they drift into European waters. Now all of these things could happen or none of them. So I will test for each individually by rolling a D6, so there is a 16% of each one happening and about 40% chance of something happening.
If bad weather occurs each damaged ship should test to see if it survives.
A Royal navy patrol will most likely mean another battle.
Arriving in European waters will cause problems but also provide opportunities if they survive.
Fortunately none of these things occur and the squadron returns home to the randomly allocated port of New York.
So what happens now?
At the very least the squadron will not sail again in 1812 except possibly for the the two brigs. With four frigates requiring extensive repairs and reconstruction the Navy Yard will be busy for a while. Certainly while it may also lack the resources on hand to effect these repairs now the Navy Yard will be able to get them as New York is a hard port to blockade. Long Island Sound and a shortage of ships in the area will mean that the Royal Navy can delay but not block the repairs.
That was the good news, now for the rest. The first order of business is the fate of Rodgers himself. With half his crew as casualties his chances of remaining unscathed are low. Using a D6,
Next is the fallout over the actions on the Constitution and its captain, Isaac Hull. At the battle he ignored/missed his chance to join the battle and save Rodger. Now for his fate as she also suffered heavy losses I'll use the above table to see what happens. A six seals his fate. Now that is a pity as I did fancy the chances of duel between Rodgers and Hull.
Oh well at least there is the still the board of inquiry. With the death of Hull there is a fair chance that he will blame will placed firmly his cold shoulders. Considering the fractious nature of the officer corp I am certain Hulls partisans will raise a storm in the papers and history books but there is a good chance( 5 out of 6 ) that is after the war. Of course a six is rolled and the feuding starts at the Board of Inquiry. A further complication Hull's uncle William Hull who is going to have starring roll as the war move onto land actions. Fortunately another 6 is not rolled and all this will have no effect upon the land campaign, though I may reconsider this in 1813.
Now historically, Rodgers sailed before he could receive an order that would have prevented him sailing and restricting him to the defense of the port of New York. This order was rendered moot by the frigate battles that historically occurred but these have not happened, though the Essex may yet change that. But now the squadron has returned to New York and is turmoil as a result of the Board of Inquiry I cannot see any mechanism that exists to fight this order and push for the navy to go to sea. Indeed I would venture that there may be increased support for the gunboat flotillas at this point in the campaign. Another winner could be the lake service as it will be easier to transfer sailors up to the lakes. Well all will be revealed later as first I must venture away from the sea into the wilderness and see how the American invasion of Canada goes.
Oh one final point to think about. The Americans had a strong qualitative edge in terms of their ships crews at the start of war. With access to a large pool of sailors and voluntary enlistment they do deserve the elite ratings most rules give them. But in the battle against the Thalia they took heavy losses and replacing them will be almost impossible. While at New York recruitment is possible but they will have to contend with competition from privateers, lake service and even the gunboats for manpower. Further they will have limited opportunities to train and increase their quality.
If bad weather occurs each damaged ship should test to see if it survives.
A Royal navy patrol will most likely mean another battle.
Arriving in European waters will cause problems but also provide opportunities if they survive.
Fortunately none of these things occur and the squadron returns home to the randomly allocated port of New York.
So what happens now?
At the very least the squadron will not sail again in 1812 except possibly for the the two brigs. With four frigates requiring extensive repairs and reconstruction the Navy Yard will be busy for a while. Certainly while it may also lack the resources on hand to effect these repairs now the Navy Yard will be able to get them as New York is a hard port to blockade. Long Island Sound and a shortage of ships in the area will mean that the Royal Navy can delay but not block the repairs.
That was the good news, now for the rest. The first order of business is the fate of Rodgers himself. With half his crew as casualties his chances of remaining unscathed are low. Using a D6,
- 1-2 unwounded, fit and ready for sea,
- 3-4 lightly wounded will be able to return sea when the squadron is ready.
- 5 Seriously wounded, will have to leave his command may even have to retire.
- 6 Dead
Next is the fallout over the actions on the Constitution and its captain, Isaac Hull. At the battle he ignored/missed his chance to join the battle and save Rodger. Now for his fate as she also suffered heavy losses I'll use the above table to see what happens. A six seals his fate. Now that is a pity as I did fancy the chances of duel between Rodgers and Hull.
Oh well at least there is the still the board of inquiry. With the death of Hull there is a fair chance that he will blame will placed firmly his cold shoulders. Considering the fractious nature of the officer corp I am certain Hulls partisans will raise a storm in the papers and history books but there is a good chance( 5 out of 6 ) that is after the war. Of course a six is rolled and the feuding starts at the Board of Inquiry. A further complication Hull's uncle William Hull who is going to have starring roll as the war move onto land actions. Fortunately another 6 is not rolled and all this will have no effect upon the land campaign, though I may reconsider this in 1813.
Now historically, Rodgers sailed before he could receive an order that would have prevented him sailing and restricting him to the defense of the port of New York. This order was rendered moot by the frigate battles that historically occurred but these have not happened, though the Essex may yet change that. But now the squadron has returned to New York and is turmoil as a result of the Board of Inquiry I cannot see any mechanism that exists to fight this order and push for the navy to go to sea. Indeed I would venture that there may be increased support for the gunboat flotillas at this point in the campaign. Another winner could be the lake service as it will be easier to transfer sailors up to the lakes. Well all will be revealed later as first I must venture away from the sea into the wilderness and see how the American invasion of Canada goes.
Oh one final point to think about. The Americans had a strong qualitative edge in terms of their ships crews at the start of war. With access to a large pool of sailors and voluntary enlistment they do deserve the elite ratings most rules give them. But in the battle against the Thalia they took heavy losses and replacing them will be almost impossible. While at New York recruitment is possible but they will have to contend with competition from privateers, lake service and even the gunboats for manpower. Further they will have limited opportunities to train and increase their quality.
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