Chapter 791: The Battle of Genoa II
Twenty minutes later, over thirty French warships appeared on the southeastern horizon.
When the British sailors aboard the HMS Theseus spotted the small French ships belching black smoke, they couldn't help but let out mocking laughter.
Even the largest among them were only fifth-rate ships, lacking the qualifications to join their battle line and fit only for outer perimeter patrols.
Moreover, the French fleet's formation was loose and disorganized. It was neither a standard attacking oblique formation nor a proper line formation; it resembled a group of leisurely sightseeing vessels.
Furthermore, a southwest wind was blowing across the sea, yet the French were approaching from the due east, sailing almost against the wind.
Some British soldiers began to suspect that the French weren't actually coming for a fight, as they seemed to be making every possible mistake in naval combat.
Nevertheless, Rear Admiral Hotham and the other British officers maintained a cautious attitude towards the smoke-spewing fleet in the distance.
They had noticed that even when sailing semi-against the wind, the ships maintained an exceptionally high speed.
The captain of the HMS Theseus turned to Hotham and suggested:
In naval battles of this era, whoever gained the windward advantage could use the wind to quickly adjust their formation during engagement, freely choose their attack angle, and thus had effectively won half the battle.
This was even more true when merely bullying a group of light warships.
Hotham hesitated, shaking his head. "No, let's observe first. The French are not fools; if they dare to approach like this, they most likely have something up their sleeve."
He looked at the nearby signal officer. "Have the HMS Quadriga take a few galleys forward to disrupt their course."
"Yes, General!"
Soon, the fifth-rate cruiser HMS Quadriga, positioned on the left flank of the British battle line, led two other cruisers and eight frigates, rapidly closing in from the French warships' front-right.
This was a clear display of bullying the smaller French ships, as even the auxiliary vessels of the British fleet could pose a threat to them.
If the French warships chose to turn left and meet the HMS Quadriga and the other ships with their broadsides, the British vessels would immediately disengage. The French warships, having turned prematurely, would then lose their optimal attack angle.
Typically, an attacking warship would only turn to engage in a broadside duel when it had approached within 800 to 1,000 yards of the enemy's battle line.
Turning too early would only force them to circle back and search for a new attack angle.
But with the main British fleet still hovering menacingly upwind, how could they possibly allow an opportunity for a second approach? The moment they dared to turn, the British would charge straight in, using their disciplined formation to overwhelm them.
Captain Bourne of the HMS Quadriga, seeing they were now within 800 yards of the French ships, immediately hoisted signal flags, ordering his readiness to turn left and sweep past the French fleet's rear-left flank.
Naturally, if the French insisted on maintaining their course, they would be forced into combat.
While they would suffer losses, the French warships that engaged would also be tied down, and the HMS Theseus, coming from the west, would only need fifteen minutes to charge in and end the battle.
However, the French warships reacted in a way that surprised all the British — they actually turned left!
Dozens of white wakes instantly appeared on the sea as the French fleet executed an abrupt, nearly 90-degree turn, sharply pivoting to cut across the HMS Quadriga's bow. Their ships' black muzzles now pointed directly at the British warship's front.
The crew aboard the HMS Quadriga and its ten accompanying ships were instantly struck with alarm.
'This defies all logic!'
'The French, against the wind, executed such a sharp turn. No, even with the wind, they would need at least double that turning radius to cut across our path,' a thought flashed through Bourne's mind.
It was as if an unseen monster from beneath the waves had shoved the French warships from the side, instantly orienting their bows northeast.
In other words, the French warships had just executed a perfect "Crossing the T" maneuver.
Bourne frantically ordered signal flags raised for the warships behind him to follow his lead and turn right, using the wind to head south as quickly as possible, hoping to minimize contact time with the enemy.
He had previously heard rumors of French steam warships boasting exceptionally high turning efficiency, but he had never imagined it could be this extreme.
Due to the long-standing self-confidence—or perhaps arrogance—of the British Navy, reports from ships that had escaped the cannons of French steam warships were consistently dismissed as exaggerations.
After all, no one under attack could precisely measure turning rates. They could only broadly report, 'French ships turn extremely fast.'
The British Admiralty had analyzed these reports and concluded that as long as they maintained a favorable wind, the skill of British sailors in maneuvering their ships would ensure they wouldn't fall significantly behind French vessels in turning capability.
Now, Bourne and his men realized they had been thoroughly misled by the gentlemen of the Admiralty.
The sailors on the HMS Quadriga and its accompanying ships desperately adjusted their sails, while the helmsmen spun their wheels hard over. However, they had been preparing for a left turn, and now attempting to reverse course was too late.
The dozen or so ships had barely turned their bows twenty degrees before they plunged into the range of the French warships' cannons.
The 32-pounder cannons on the port side of the French steam cruiser Tunisia were the first to roar, immediately followed by continuous broadsides from the cruisers and frigates trailing behind it.
A thick white fog instantly enveloped the sea, as if they had entered a mystical realm.
The HMS Quadriga, still largely facing the enemy bow-on, was utterly unable to return fire, left only to endure the pounding.
Bourne heard the whistling of cannonballs screaming all around him, his heart clenched tight. He felt the sheer density of the firepower was overwhelming.
'It's like facing a third-rate battleship!'
Soon, a splintering crash echoed from below and to the left — the sound of a cannonball tearing through the hull.
Then, another similar crash came from the port gun deck, followed by the screams of injured sailors and the bosun's hoarse shouts to trim the sails.
From the distant HMS Theseus, Hotham, peering through his telescope, also wore a grim expression.
This was his first time witnessing French steamships in combat, and their astonishing speed and turning efficiency filled him with immense pressure.
Moreover, the attacking formation of the French warships was highly unusual.
It was not a standard line formation, but rather an arc, creating a semi-encirclement around the HMS Quadriga and its escorts.
This formation allowed them to unleash two to three tenths more firepower than a conventional line formation.
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