Chapter 818: The Ambition of the British Navy
Truth be told, the damage to these warships did not greatly affect their combat capabilities, but they couldn't be ignored forever.
For example, if a section of the side deck was damaged, that area of the hull could no longer bear weight.
Wooden warships deform slightly when turning or hitting waves, putting enormous structural stress around any breaks. The hull near damage would rapidly weaken and become unusable.
It's like tearing a plastic bag—intact packaging resists even strong pulls, but making a small cut near the edge lets you tear it easily from there.
So these ships, while seemingly lightly damaged, had to return to port for repairs, or minor issues could escalate into a half-hull replacement project.
Lord Hood recalled the Mediterranean fleet's losses on this campaign:
One third-rate and one fourth-rate ship of the line were severely damaged.
One cruiser and three frigates were sunk.
"Severely damaged" was a naval term meaning the ship was essentially useless though still afloat—generally requiring at least four months in drydock for patch repairs.
These losses alone were not severe, but more troubling was the fact that eighteen third-rate and twenty fourth-rate ships, plus nearly all cruisers and frigates, had suffered light damage.
Such a flood of ships needing repair would overwhelm the docks and shipwrights at Gibraltar.
The entire repair process would last at least half a year—excluding the two severely damaged ships.
Until then, the Mediterranean fleet would have only a dozen or so third-rate ships available!
Not to mention the French Toulon fleet—so vulnerable, even the Spanish navy could harass them.
Lord Hood was deeply frustrated.
He had never felt so helpless, not even fighting a numerically superior French fleet in the Atlantic during the Seven Years' War.
He stared blankly out the porthole, and after a long pause he sighed deeply, returned to his desk, and began drafting a report to the Admiralty requesting the Mediterranean fleet to return to Plymouth for repairs.
Plymouth had more shipyards and craftsmen, potentially cutting repair times to under three months.
Just as he finished writing and prepared to sign, a muffled explosion came from the fleet's rear.
Hood's experience told him immediately it was no cannon shot, and he hurried to the command cabin frowning.
Before he crossed the second deck corridor, his chief of staff rushed to meet him, sweat pouring, gasping, "General, the 'Powder Horn' has just suffered a magazine explosion!"
Hood's mind buzzed.
A magazine explosion referred to powder stores detonating inside a ship's hold due to enemy fire—usually causing catastrophic damage.
"Powder Horn" was a recently launched fourth-rate ship commissioned only last February. After the explosion, it would certainly be removed from the battle fleet.
At the command cabin, Hood saw thick smoke billowing over the sea surface eastward—the "Powder Horn" was burning fiercely.
Further away, more than ten French warships circled, firing salutes in celebration.
His staff continued reporting, "Two French cruisers hit the 'Powder Horn's' starboard side—unexpectedly causing the magazine explosion."
This was extremely rare—powder stores were typically well protected inside the gun deck with an outer wooden hull layer making direct hits difficult.
Hood remembered that the "Powder Horn" had two hull breaches on the starboard last week—perhaps a shell entered through the damaged area this time.
His face turned pale as he ordered the signal officer, "Send frigates to rescue!"
An hour later, with its frame burned away, the "Powder Horn" sank into the Mediterranean—the first battleship sunk in this campaign.
The next noon, the British Mediterranean fleet slowly entered Gibraltar harbor.
Hood's chest filled with a rare sense of relief and safety. Suddenly, the harbor seemed precious beyond words, almost moving him to tears.
...
London.
10 Downing Street.
Young Pitt closed the application regarding the Mediterranean fleet's return to Plymouth for repairs and looked toward the Secretary of the Admiralty. "General Jervis, what's the Navy's opinion?"
Jervis spoke hesitantly, "Prime Minister, returning home for repairs appears quite necessary."
Before Pitt could respond, Portland, Secretary of State for the Home Department, hurriedly asked, "Does that mean we will have almost no fleet available in the Mediterranean during this time?"
Jervis sighed. "Indeed."
"How then will we protect our merchant ships?" Portland almost shouted. "The French fleet will tear them apart!"
"Um…" Jervis's voice faltered, "We can only advise merchants to avoid the Mediterranean temporarily."
"That won't do! Do you know our trade volume there? Oh, God! We spend so much on the Navy, and in the end we're chased out in disgrace!"
Pitt motioned for calm, then asked Jervis seriously, "I can order merchant ships to avoid the Mediterranean for now.
"But after the fleet repairs, what are the Navy's plans for countering the French?"
Jervis sighed and grimaced. "The French fleet avoids direct engagements, using fast small vessels to harass us. We can use wind tactics in the Atlantic, but the Mediterranean is different…"
"So your conclusion is?"
"Sorry, Mr. Pitt, no effective counterattack can be mounted in the short term."
Portland keenly noticed Jervis's wording and immediately asked, "What about long-term measures?"
Jervis placed another report on Pitt's desk. "We plan to build a new class of steam-powered warships. This is the Chattham shipyard's development plan."
The Chatham Royal Dockyard was a famous London shipbuilding center; the flagship Victory was built there.
Jervis continued, "With our shipbuilding capacity and sufficient funding, I believe within a year to a year and a half, our steamship fleet will surpass the French."
Honestly, the British were conservative in many ways, but in naval matters, they had a strong record of adopting new technology.
Historically, many Spanish and French naval innovations were first realized by the British.
In fact, British shipyards were already using steam engines for material handling.
They had only encountered Joseph—an unusual "bug" in the system—that had temporarily put them behind in warship innovation.
(END CHAPTER)
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