scouserlad13 0 Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) The docks where quiet today. The seagulls squawked and the ship bells gave a small chime. We where about to sail off on an adventure to search for and destroy a French ship known by the men As "Le Phantom". This ship was one of the best in the French navy and was one of the most feared by the British. Rumor has it that Napoleon made it his personal ship because of the amount of British ships it had sunk. As an able seaman it was my job on the ship to perform general duties, which includes everything from cleaning the deck to firing the cannons. Life on the ship isn't bad, its just alot of hard work ill tell you that now. It sure beats being at home with no-one who cares for you. The crew of this ship is like family to me. They treat me with respect, and i treat them equally. They are like my brothers. The captain, John Stewart, was a noble man. I dont know a sailor who wouldn't follow him into battle. His leadership had saved our lives many a time, and i respect him for that. As i climbed onto our ship, HMS Honour, i felt a sense of excitement. It was our second attempt at hunting down the phantom. First time round she snuck up on our behind and nearly sank us. It was the captain's strong head that got us out of that sticky situation. Now for round two. We let down the masts and started to head out towards the ocean. Towards the phantom. And possibly towards our deaths.....Or theirs. Edited April 30, 2009 by scouserlad13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted April 30, 2009 (edited) The sea air fills my lungs once again. I have missed it. Today has been a calm day, seas are quiet and not much work has needed to be done. I scrubbed the floors and had a few practice shots out to sea. We let a few empty barrels out to sea and used them as targets. It took 3 attempts for our cannons to destroy the floating barrel. Hopefully our accuracy wont be as bad when we come to fight the enemy. As it draws close to nightfall, i cannot help but think that there is someone out there watching us. It sends chills down my spine. As i make my way up to the deck to see how the watch is commencing, a brisk Atlantic wind forces my hairs on my back to stand to attention as if they where being pulled by someone. I peer over the side into the dark depths of the icy cold Atlantic, wondering what lay beneath me. Ships? Men? Family's? Or just simply fish? The ship swayed gently over the freezing water. I got talking to the watchmen and asked him what he had seen that night. Nothing. Just fog as far as the eye could see. These where perfect conditions to strike the phantom. But no, we would have to wait for another time. She wasnt around. As i waltzed back to my bunk, i noticed the captain staring blankly out to sea. I asked him if he was ok. He replied that this night brought him back to that first attack made by the Phantom. He continued on to say that he should of done better to avoid the attack and save more men. We lost 20 men that night. I told him that there was nothing that he could of done to prevent the attack and that because of the commands that he relayed upon us, there where not as many casualties as there could have been. I walked back into my bunk thinking about the night of the attack. She caught us by surprise. Came out of no where, then boom, long range cannons where firing at us, but due to the fog the Phantom was no where to be seen. I can remember seeing blood and gore everywhere i walked. It seemed that the floor was painted red with the blood of injured men. Our sail was filled full of holes, making it virtually useless. Fortunately we managed to patch some of it up and make it back to port for repairs. As i lie down in my bed, hatred and revenge fills my blood. Some of my closest friends died that horrific night. The stench of blood comes back to me in my sleep and i hear the screams of agony and pain in my sleep. Just as i nod off, i was abruptly awaken by a sound i have craved the hearing off.... Edited May 1, 2009 by scouserlad13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lt. James Cater 62 Posted April 30, 2009 Been reading O'Brian by chance? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted May 1, 2009 Ive heard about his novels, and i want to read them, they seem interesting. I took the phantom name off the Master and commander film (which i know is also one of his books). But i dont mean it to be the same french ship. Im trying to keep this away from master and commander. Sorry if it sounds a little bit like it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Gunrunner 314 Posted May 1, 2009 You are indeed courageous to try such an endeavour, cornered as you are by O'Brian/Aubrey on one side and Forester/Hornblower on the other... so far so good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted May 1, 2009 (edited) The sound of battle drums where echoing through out the bunks. Men rushed to their posts at once. It was all a mad rush. I went up to the main deck to see what was going on. My heart was pounding. Just when i thought that the Phantom wasnt going to make an appearance it did. Or so the watchman thought. Turns out it was just a simple French cargo ship. All that excitement and commotion for nothing. We sailed close to the ship with all guns facing towards the petrified French crew. It wasnt hard to make them surrender. Marines boarded and escorted the French back to our ship. We held the crew prisoner and interrogated them for hours on end trying to gain some information on the location of the Phantom. We took it in turns to beat it out of them. I never thought at the time about what i was doing. I beat one of the crew to a bloody pulp, he was barely alive once i was finished with him. My hatred and revenge just took over and i unleashed what seemed to be some great flurry of punches. That man was the same age as me, probably doing the job for the same reason too. To get away from home. About two hours later, one man, barely able to stand gave some information as to where the phantom's last known location was. We wasted no time in changing our course to hunt down the Phantom. Her last known location, was off the coast of Gibraltar. Later that evening I went down below to see if the prisoners where still alive. As i walked down below the French crew just stared. There was an awkward silence in the room. I inspected the men, and i noticed that the man who i had repeatedly beat before was now dead lying in a pool of blood. I knelt down and closed his eyes to show respect. It was at that moment that i turned around and noticed that one of the French crewmen held a sharp object in his hand and was squaring up to me..... Edited May 1, 2009 by scouserlad13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted May 2, 2009 The French crewman was a big brute, and without hesitation i yelled out for the marines. There was no way i could overpower him. As i yelled out, the crewman thrust his blade into my arm. I cried out with immense pain and i dropped to the floor. As i hit the deck with some force, i saw a flash of red coats behind the rest of the prisoners. In a matter of seconds, the French Crewman dropped. He had been filled full of holes by the marines. They helped me back on my feat and got me to the doctor, who thankfully managed to patch me up within an hour. The next day was hot. No wind around. We just bobbed along in the water. My arm was still in a great deal of pain, but i would just have to bear with it. As i got out to the top deck, i noticed that all of the men where just staring out. I rushed over to see what all the fuss was about. Then i saw it. A great big whale was swimming along side us, spraying us with water from its blow hole. It was extremely refreshing. We where about 1 weeks worth sailing away from our destination at Gibraltar. I cannot wait to get into battle again. To be in the rush of it all. Plain sailing is dull, and to see a bit of action is sometimes a good thing. I have been hearing rumors about some big battle that is being planned. I would love to be around when that happened. Too see all the ships clash in one big naval confrontation. I wonder if Nelson would be there? I would give anything to meet him. He is a true leader, he can repel Napoleon with ease. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted May 2, 2009 Does anyone even read this crap? Just outta curiosity Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scouserlad13 0 Posted May 3, 2009 Take that as a no? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
