HMS Aphrodite (Sea Command Book 1) (14 page)

Will and George lived in the stable and cared for the animal. Under their care, the horse actually started to become fat, having more food than it had ever had in its previous life. Mullins had to warn them against overfeeding, for fear of founder.

The weeks passed slowly for Mullins. He did not recall being this inactive since he was a boy. Young Raynor seemed satisfied enough and his two men found casual work on the docks. Mullins found himself daily looking out over the dockyard viewing the work being done on Aphrodite. The obvious repairs had been completed, but he knew that was no sign he would soon be back to sea.

Although the port admiral had implied he would be considered for her command again, he well knew a more recent favorite could get the ship in his place. A very big problem lie in the fact there were many more commanders than there were ships suitable to command. Most that were unable to find promotion to post rank would spend their days on half pay. Those commanders without interest could very well spend the rest of their days upon the beach.

Of course, with a father in Lords, it could not be said he had no interest. It was just that he could not bring himself to ask his parent to give him any advantage over his peers. One afternoon, he had returned from his daily drive, where he had noted the Aphrodite had been moved out into the harbor. He had Raynor pull the horse over while he watched a succession of shore boats deliver supplies. If he had to guess, he would expect the ship to sail soon.

Having had no notice, he decided that he would not be the one taking her out and the blue devils had taken hold of his thoughts. It became evident to him this might be the time to give up his commission and return to the estate to take up his duties there.

In this frame of mind, he was sitting in the common room nursing a pint of bitters when the publican came to him.

“Pardon sir, there is a gentleman in uniform with a message for you.”

A young Marine officer, booted and spurred, was ushered in to him, bearing a leather Admiralty dispatch case. Every inch of this officer seemed to be gleaming with polished silver and gold trappings. Mullins involuntarily stood as the junior officer approached. The lieutenant opened the flap of the case and offered a sheaf of paper to him, held together by Admiralty tape.

When Mullins had difficulty opening the packet, the Marine offered a silver-mounted penknife, which did the honors perfectly. Reading rapidly through the documents, he saw that he was to repair aboard the flagship where he would receive instructions of possible duty. If he was not available, he must inform the bearer of this message.

Immediately putting aside his doubts and misgivings, he assured the Marine he would report aboard the flag as soon as he could find a boat to deliver him.

The courier advised a boat should be awaiting his pleasure at the signal tower. Its use was advised so as to insure no delay.

Climbing the sides of the flag, Mullins tried to put his tumultuous thoughts in some order. It was likely this duty would involve use of Aphrodite. It could be almost in any portion of the world covered by water. He had to shut his mind to these speculations as he was met by the flag captain and led to his quarters.

Offered a fine Madeira, Mullins tossed half his drink down before remembering himself. It would not do to present the picture of him being a tosspot. Taking particular care to listen to what his superior had to say, he learned that General Napoleon Buonaparte, in command of the Army of England, the putative invasion force encamped along the French side of the Channel, had been reported to have left his command and was now coaching toward Paris.

He further learned there had been activity in the large French fleet at Toulon, France’s large naval port in the Mediterranean. Whether there was any connection between these activities remained unclear, but it was considered this news should be relayed to Admiral Jervis, for him to make of it what he might.

Captain Dravers told him he had visited Aphrodite as she lay at anchor the previous afternoon and found she was in most excellent condition following her recent drubbing. “As we speak, her standing officers are overseeing her re-supply and hands are now being sent aboard. It is anticipated you should be able to sail within a week, given a good wind. Have you any questions?”

“Sir, I wonder what sort of hands I might have? I have in the past sailed with men a day out of prison, making a majority of my crew.”

“Captain Mullins, I have angered half the captains in port by levying their ships for seamen. I have specified only able and ordinary seamen should be sent to Aphrodite. Now, we both know, few captains in the receipt of such an order, will send their very best men, but I think you will find at least a quarter of your hands will be rated ‘Able’. You will have a new first officer. Mister Doolittle has gone to Goliath, but we are sending you a freshly commissioned young man by the name of Henderson.”

“Now then, your Mister Goodwin, is he fit to serve as first officer or should I send you someone?”

“Sir, I know Mister Goodwin will be an excellent first officer and I will be glad to have him aboard.”

“Very well, now that is settled, what about your warrants? Any misgivings with any of them?”

Without hesitation, Mullins answered, “Sir, I will be glad to sail with any of my present warrants.”

. Admiral Onslow told me he wished to see you if he had a chance, but he was called to London. No delay in your ship’s sailing will be countenanced, so if he has not returned before it is time to sail, I fear that must be put aside.”

“If you had a word with the officer of the deck, I am sure he could have one of our boats deliver you to Aphrodite, in order to save some time.”

Mister Goodwin met him at the side. Mullins handed him his orders and asked him to call the crew aft. “I might well be ‘Read In’ and make everything official.”

Goodwin ventured, “I should think your previous commission should still be valid, Captain.”

“I think not, Mister Goodwin, I have been on half-pay since last we met. This will be the beginning of a new commission.”

Once he had sent a boat ashore to retrieve his people and kit from the inn, he called his officers and warrants to attend him on the quarterdeck. While awaiting them, he had a quick glance about the ship. Everything seemed familiar to him. There was no evidence of the deadly struggle she had endured just weeks before. With the exception of the new second officer, Mister Harrison, everyone was familiar to Mullings, at least among the officers and warrants.

To bring himself up-to-date, he invited Mister Goodwin to dinner and spent the time discussing the changes aboard Aphrodite.

“What happened with Mister Goodwin?” Mullins asked. “The admiral told me he had gone on to HMS Goliath.”

“Well sir, we were shifting the ship out into the harbor. Anchorage space was needed close to shore for other ships, so we were ordered farther out. There was a brisk southerly wind that day and the ship was lively. Mister Goodwin’s foot caught in a coil of line, and down he went, ass over teakettle. The admiral happened to be watching and decided Harden would be better off in a larger ship. He thought Mister Doolittle’s injury was acting up.”

Goodwin added, “I hear there had been some problem with Goliath’s first officer, so he was sent ashore and Mister Doolittle is now first officer of a third-rate.”

The men were mostly different, although here and there a hand stood out who had previously served with him. There was little time to socialize with old hands since they had a lighter on the port side laden with casks of salt beef which must be swayed aboard, while to starboard, a water hoy lay, waiting to have her cargo pumped aboard to fill the huge water tuns down in the hold.

Only at sundown, after the shore craft left, was there time to call the men, first to their afternoon grog issue and then to supper.

There was not the rancor Mullins had seen on previous commissions with a crew hastily spliced onto another. These people seemed, if not actually willing, at least ready to explore the possibility of getting along with each other.

As he was gazing out over the water, he eye was directed to a tall seaman coiling a line at the mizzen. The seaman was familiar and seemed to be looking at him as if expecting to be recognized. With a jolt, the seaman’s name came to him. Aikens, and he had been a topman aboard his first command, HMS Havoc.

“Aikens”, he called. “Is that you?”

“Yessir”, the seaman answered, knuckling his forehead.

“Well, how have you been keeping yourself, Aikens? What have you been up to?”

“Well sir, after Havoc paid off, I went home a bit to see my Ma and Pa. The Impress Service was not busy at the time so I got home without being caught up. I made a pile of prize money on our cruise that I left with them. I have almost enough to buy a pub in my town. If I can get just a little more prize money, my Pa will buy it for me and he and Ma can run it while I’m at sea.”

“On my way back, I wanted to find you and see if you needed another topman, but I was picked up by an Impress Service party and found myself aboard Orion. No prize money there. Captain Saumarez knew I had sailed with you on Havoc and just yesterday asked if I wanted to join you on Aphrodite.”

“Well, I’m damned glad you are with me, Aikens. What do they have you doing these days?

“Sir, I tore something in my gut aboard Orion and sawbones says I can’t go aloft anymore. First officer said I could go ashore if I wanted, but I don’t. I need to make just a little more prize money so I can buy that pub. Right now, they have me doing like you see now, coiling lines and such.”

“Tell me Aikens, if you can. On previous commissions, when joining different crews together, there has always been dissention, until the men became used to each other. Thus far, the men seem to be getting together very well, with no animosity. Have you any idea why that might be?”

“Lord sir, you have used some words that are over my head. What we have here though, are a few men from a good many ships. Men that didn’t get along in their mess or with their first lieutenant, were put on the draft to come to Aphrodite.”

“There’s nothing wrong with most of ‘em, it’s just they were in the wrong ship. With a few men from one ship and a few men from another, there are not enough hands from any one ship to lord it over other messes. They just have to learn how to get along.”

“Aikens, what would you say if I appointed you petty officer, to oversee the landsmen at their duties on deck? I can’t promise you prize money, of course, but I would be surprised if we did not take something this commission.”

Aikens announced he would like the petty offer position main well, and the deed was done. Mullins called over Mister Harrison, and informed him of the seaman’s promotion.

As the time approached when the ship would be ready to sail, Mullins took his gig to the powder wharf, which was well away from other areas of the port. He took his purse with him, which still contained some of the now very rare guineas that had mostly disappeared from circulation.

Approaching the superintendent in his office, he handed him the paperwork relating to the issue of the necessary powder for the ship’s guns. The official told him he need not have made the trip, the ship’s master gunner would have been able to make the arrangements.

Mullins told the man that in addition to the standard issue of powder, he wished to purchase, with his own funds, sufficient extra powder to train his people in gunnery. Normally, ships of the Royal Navy were restricted on the amount of ammunition they could expend for training purposes.

Grey assured him it could be done, but he would have to speak to some people in town. “Mind you Captain, this powder you buy, will not be what you are used to. When an enemy ship is taken and lands her powder, the Navy does not use it as it is. It is sent to a powder mill, where it is re-manufactured to British standards. The powder you buy will somehow have become separated from that sent to the mill and will be just as it was issued to the French ship it was taken from.”

Mullins replied, “I have been on the receiving end of some of that French ammunition. If it is in good condition, I will have no complaints.”

Mister Grey advised him to have his gunner come ashore and examine the material to make sure it was, satisfactory.

The two continued their conversation, with Grey agreeing to supply some nine-pound balls so they could fire shotted charges in the guns without the ordnance department growing overly concerned about the expense to the Crown.

“Mind you Captain, these balls have been condemned for rust and are being sent back to the foundry for re-casting. Most have spent some time resting in bilge water and are badly rusted and pitted. Again you will want your gunner to look at them.”

The rusted balls were stored outside of the gun park and were readily available. Since it was advisable to reduce any chance of being seen, it was decided to have the launch and longboat come to the wharf in the dark, where the ammunition could be loaded. Since it would be necessary to obtain the salvaged powder from another source, there would be a delay in obtaining it. When it did become available though, this powder could be loaded along with the issued powder.

The boats, with extra hands to do the loading, went that night to the wharf and returned before dawn with their loads of the heavy iron balls.

Two days later, Mister Grey’s messenger brought word the additional powder had been delivered to the powder wharf and was ready to come aboard.

The ship had moved out into the harbor days before, where any chance explosion would not endanger any other people, ships or buildings. When the powder barge neared, all flames were extinguished and the men required to work in their bare feet. The decks were dowsed with seawater and the loading commenced. The French powder was loaded first, since its casks were different from the British issue.

All of the casks were passed down into the magazine, making sure British powder casks obscured the French containers, just in case some official made a cursory inspection before they sailed.

Captain Mullins was not really concerned about being caught out. Supplementing the King’s ammunition at the captain’s cost was an old tradition that was not generally condemned. But, protecting oneself from scrutiny from inexperienced officials that might not realize the necessity of this was us custom was usually considered good practice.

Aphrodite set sail in early April for the mouth of the Tagus, where Mullins had been told he might expect to find Sir John Jervis’ fleet. Locked in his desk were shot-weighted bags of information from the Admiralty and Foreign Office, some of it gained from sources inside France that would mean lives lost if the information was revealed to the wrong person. Each bag was weighted to insure it would rapidly sink should there be danger of its capture.

The ship neared its destination off the coast of Portugal, where she met with HMS Diedre, herself awaiting Admiral Jervis. Aphrodite remained offshore of the Tagus estuary while Diedre went off to see if she could find a prize or two. Mullins had been expressly ordered to avoid placing his ship in a position where his dispatches might be endangered. Specifically, he had been instructed to avoid any prize-hunting himself.

Eventually, the fleet hove into sight and Mullins was able to deliver his bags to Victory. After handing over the bags to the flag lieutenant, Mullins walked the quarterdeck with Captain Calder, discussing the potentials for action in the Mediterranean. Calder informed Mullins that the admiral, curious of French intentions, had dispatched Nelson to enter the Med to find out what he might.

They had hardly scratched the surface of the possibilities when Flags came to the quarterdeck and reported the admiral wished to see them both in his quarters.

Mullins was always apprehensive when reporting to Sir John. His sharp tongue was legendary. Today, he was in an affable mood.

“Captain Mullins, I was happy to receive the documents you have delivered to me. They bear out my suspicions. For your ears only and not to be repeated. The thinking now is that General Buonaparte has faced reality and realized he can never get his ‘Army of England’ across the Channel. The reports you bring tell me he has left his troops and was enroute to Paris when you sailed. I have since received confirmation from my own sources that he has left Paris and is proceeding by coach to Toulon.”

“The troops he left behind are also reported moving, reportedly toward Toulon. Since Toulon is France’s large naval base in the Med, which, by the way, is not under blockade, there is concern where he might take these troops. Ireland is a good possibility, the Baltic another. Some fear he may take the troops across to the Caribbean, to re-inforce the defenses of the French islands.”

“I doubt the latter, but it is necessary to find out just where these ships are going. Before you arrived, I sent Nelson to find out what he could. Now the papers you brought, Captain Mullins, ask me to do what I have already done. Since more ships will be joining my command, I will send some to join Nelson. You, Captain Mullins, will seek out Admiral Nelson and inform him of these issues. You may tell him I am sending him ten more third rates.”