The Fox of France - Chapter 275: The Ironclad, Old Ironsides

The sea route from the European continent to the Caribbean was bustling with activity. Every day, numerous ships traversed this route, carrying various European goods like industrial products and impoverished free people to the Americas, and bringing back sugar, coffee, cotton, and other American products. Some ships departed from Africa, loaded with black slaves, crossed the ocean, and arrived in the Caribbean. These slaves were then exchanged for money and American products like sugar, coffee, and cotton, bound for Europe. The cycle continued, as they traded these goods for money and weapons to sell to African chieftains, fueling their wars and capturing more slaves.

Encounters between ships, especially when they neared the Caribbean, were quite common along this route.

However, ships at sea typically maintained their distance, especially in the Caribbean. In these waters, legitimate merchants and pirates were often just two sides of the same coin. When a legitimate merchant saw a vulnerable ship that could be easily plundered, they would not hesitate to transform into pirates. But when they encountered a ship that was obviously more powerful, they would swiftly move away to avoid becoming victims.

So, most ships, when they saw each other’s sails on the horizon and detected no hostile intent, would steer clear.

The “Free Trade” was a massive vessel with over 2,000 tons, a size that could easily compete with a warship in the Caribbean. Even the amateur pirates, not to mention the professional ones, operated ships that were nothing more than armed merchant vessels. Not even the renowned “Queen Anne’s Revenge” was an exception in this regard. (Of course, we are talking about the real-world version.)

Consequently, whenever the “Free Trade” encountered other ships, it was common for them to keep their distance. But this time, the ship they spotted was different. It didn’t avoid them but instead approached.

“American warship! 11 o’clock, American warship spotted!” cried the lookout from the masthead.

Though France had not declared war on the United States, in this region, anything could happen. Captain Lefebvre immediately gave the order: “Battle stations! Fire up the steam engine!”

It took a considerable amount of time for the steam engine to go from ignition to full operation. Luckily, the “Free Trade” had four masts, precise calculations, and a streamlined hull design perfected through extensive testing, which allowed it to maintain a respectable sailing speed even without the steam engine. Though not as fast as regular frigates, it was not far behind.

At its inception, the “Free Trade” was designed to outrun British warships with sails alone, even if the steam power failed. When British frigates caught up, all they had to do was engage in combat.

The “Free Trade” was not only the size of a second-rate ship of the line but also boasted battleship-level protection. Standard naval warships had oak hull planks on both sides, about a meter thick, capable of withstanding close-range cannon fire from smaller-caliber guns.

These planks were quite costly, so the “Free Trade” didn’t use them. Instead, they strengthened their defenses by attaching galvanized steel plates to the wooden hull, saving costs and weight. According to tests, even a 32-pounder cannon from a battleship, as long as it didn’t consistently hit the galvanized plates and knock them off, wasn’t enough to pose a lethal threat to the “Free Trade.”

On the other hand, the 110mm rifled cannons on the “Free Trade” were more than capable of piercing the hull of any enemy ship, including the “HMS Victory.” In other words, if British frigates managed to catch up, they would still be at a disadvantage as long as they avoided getting rammed.

In summary, anyone capable of defeating the “Free Trade” couldn’t catch up with it, and anyone who could possibly catch up with the “Free Trade” couldn’t defeat it. In essence, the “Free Trade” was a warship primarily designed to disrupt free trade routes.

The “Free Trade” began to turn to open up and close the distance with the approaching American warship. But turning also required time. During this process, the two ships continued to approach each other. Through telescopes, they could now clearly see parts of each other’s sails.

“That’s an American super frigate,” Captain Lefebvre remarked.

“A super frigate? What kind of warship is that? How does it compare to our ship?” Victor was not well-versed in naval matters.

“It’s a type of warship with a unique American character,” Captain Lefebvre explained. “It’s quite similar to our ship in many ways, displacing the standard for a second-rate ship of the line, with similar defensive capabilities and artillery as a battleship, albeit with half the number of guns and a sacrifice in endurance for the sake of frigate-level speed. Of course, they still have more cannons than us. As for how it fares against us… hehe… we would crush them as easily as squashing an ant.”

Indeed, the American Navy’s “super frigates” were formidable. If it weren’t for the “Free Trade,” these American ships could have been described as ships that could defeat anyone who could catch up with them, and nobody could catch up with them.

In the actual historical context, during the second Anglo-American War not long after this encounter, these American “super frigates” put on a remarkable display. Although they weren’t enough to challenge the British naval supremacy and prevent the British from landing and burning the White House, they acquitted themselves well in battle, often coming out ahead against British frigates, especially the “USS Constitution,” known as “Old Ironsides.”

But when facing the “Free Trade,” the American super frigate struggled to live up to its “super” reputation. In terms of speed, the American frigate was slightly faster when the “Free Trade” wasn’t using its steam engine. However, once the “Free Trade” unleashed its steam power, it could easily catch up with any foreign warship.

Regarding firepower, considering the advantage of rear-mounted cannons and the power of steel cannons, the “Free Trade” had significantly superior firepower, even with fewer guns.

Yet the approaching Americans were unaware of these facts. Although Franco-American relations had been strained recently, with no declaration of war but multiple naval skirmishes, this was the first time the Americans encountered a French warship in this region that was similar in size to their own. (The French navy in this area mainly consisted of ordinary frigates.)

The Americans were concerned that the French might have brought battleships into the area, which could significantly impact the balance of power in the region. So, they decided to catch up and investigate.

The “Free Trade” started emitting smoke from its chimney.

On the American frigate “USS Constitution,” Captain Isaac Hull was observing the “suspected French battleship” ahead through a spyglass. He noticed that the opposing ship was changing course, seemingly trying to avoid direct confrontation.

“This shouldn’t be a battleship,” Isaac Hull thought, “The French should be well aware that we don’t have battleships, and a battleship doesn’t need to actively keep its distance from us.”

“Chase after them,” Isaac Hull ordered.

After a while of pursuit, Isaac Hull noticed the French warship emitting smoke. The weather that day was quite clear, so he didn’t mistake the smoke for the enemy ship catching fire. He could see the smokestack clearly through his spyglass.

“It’s a French steam warship,” Isaac Hull immediately deduced.

There were many legends surrounding French steam warships, and Isaac Hull had heard some of them. He knew that French steam warships boasted remarkable speed, said to be faster than any frigate. He also heard that these ships didn’t rely on wind sails, making them astonishingly agile. However, he was also aware of their weaknesses: the steam engine, coal bunkers, and freshwater tanks occupied too much space, resulting in very few cannons onboard. More often than not, they had to rely on boarding in combat. He also knew that starting the steam engine took quite a bit of time.

Isaac Hull now faced a choice: turn back or continue the chase.

In this region, there had been skirmishes between French and American warships quite a few times. Just a few days earlier, the “USS Constitution” had captured a French two-masted escort vessel. (Because there were no radios, “Free Trade” and Paris were unaware of this situation. In actual history, in the Caribbean, the U.S. Navy and the French Navy engaged in three years of friction, with both sides fighting, continuing trade, and even negotiating territorial purchases, all without declaring war.) Continuing the chase would definitely lead to battle. If they couldn’t catch up with the enemy ship before its steam engine started, and severely damage it, the fight could become particularly challenging once the enemy’s steam power was operational.

If they chose to turn back, the “USS Constitution” still had time to escape, considering that the French ship was currently slower than the “USS Constitution” and seemed to have turned away, indicating a lack of intention to engage in conflict.

Captain Lefebvre’s decision to actively retreat was partly due to the fact that his sailors had not yet completed their training with the new cannons, leaving him with little confidence in leaving the Americans behind in battle. Additionally, his orders upon departure only involved a trial run and didn’t include engaging with the Americans in combat. However, this decision encouraged the Americans, cementing Isaac Hull’s determination to pursue.