CHAPTER 55 - Armada-p2.
The Arabian Sea, near the coast of Diu.
*Rumble* *Rumble*
The thunder roared in the sky as the storm closed in. The sailors were nervous. All of them have heard horror stories about what happens when a ship is struck in a storm. Nobody wanted to do it, but they did it anyway. They were the sailors of the Portuguese Armada, and they were proud of it.
The Ottoman fleet could be spotted as it got closer to them after it left the port at Diu Island. Against the backdrop of the dark clouds filled with thunder and rain, the red flags on the ships looked ready for war.
The portuguese fleet was en route to intercept them, to prevent them from reaching the ports of Gujarat sultanate. If they could not accomplish that, the dozens of landing ships that would land there to occupy it would be in vain.
The portuguese wanted to destroy the Ottoman fleet. The Ottomans wanted to survive and reach the port, where their odds of winning would be much higher. Each of them had a separate goal and would do their best to accomplish it.
The Ottoman fleet had more than a hundred ships of various sizes and classes. Of them, nearly 40 are equipped with cannons and will be the main force against the portuguese.
The portuguese had brought a similar number of ships to the confrontation, but with most of their transport and troop ships gone to attack the Gujarat port, only the 25 warships remained to attack the oncoming fleet.
The way they were converging, the two fleets would meet each other nearly 2 kilometres from any shore. The battle will be lengthy and bloody, and any survivor lost at sea would be as good as dead.
Captain Mendes of the Caravel Estrella was on the deck of the ship, to be visible to all his sailors, and to command them. He was leading his ship in line with the other ships of the fleet, and they would meet the enemy in a few minutes.
Both the fleets were travelling at an angle to each other, and they would intercept in a few hundred meters. But the thing about cannons is that the ships need not be hugging each other for them to commence that attack like they did in the old days.
*BOOM!*
The flagship of the portuguese fleet, the 600-ton galleon São Rafael fired the first shot. The ship was commanded by Captain and Vice Admiral Antonio and was equipped with 12 cannons, 6 on each side, and more than 50 smaller guns for anti-personnel use.
As the broad side of São Rafael fired, it hit its mark. A small and agile galley of the ottomans, probably manned by slaves, was hit, within a few moments, the turbulent sea had swallowed it.
The shot was lucky, as, at nearly 600m distance, luck is the only factor that can be counted on to hit the target. Early shipborne cannons were wildly inaccurate. Even at a distance, Captain Mendes could see the joy of the crew on the deck of São Rafael, while the Admiral who was still on the deck, was sombre as ever.
"Fire the Port side cannons! No need to target anything, just fire!" although Mendes was a little inexperienced, only recently being promoted to captain, he still trained his crew for all their salt's worth. They were his tools, and he intends to use them with full effort.
*BOOM!*
The two main cannons on the port side were fired, their smoke travelling upwards to the deck. While some of the crew coughed, the spotter who was on the crow's nest of the ship, remained focused, trying to gauge whether their unaimed shots were as lucky as the ones from the flagship's.
But no such luck chanced upon them.
After the first shot was fired, both sides started firing at each other. Aside from a few lucky shots, or unlucky, from the perspective of those who took the hit, no major damage was done to either side in those first salvos.
As the two fleets closed in, the strategy of the Ottomans became clear. The smaller troop and logistics ships were sent to the port for the landing operation, causing the Portuguese to be lacking in ship numbers. The Ottoman admiral wanted to take advantage of the situation and overwhelm them with their smaller and more agile galleys.
Dozens of smaller ships got into the cannon range of the more deadlier Portuguese ships, and they soon started to pay the price for it. While the smaller ships of the Ottomans were war galleys, rowed by captured slaves, even the weakest ship brought by the portuguese was the caravel, equipped with at least four cannons.
*BOOM!*
*BBBOOM!*
The enemy galleys were targeted one by one by the portuguese fleet and were being systematically eliminated. The carnage that cannon shots cause when they tear through the wood and dozens of rowers is gruesome.
The first kill of the Caravel Estrella and its captain, took place that day. For Mendes, it was not his first time participating in a war, but it was his first time as a captain. His spotters spotted a particularly agile war galley, making its way to target the main ships of the fleet.
*BOOM!*
Caravel Estrella, owing to its small size, was more than enough of a match for the galley. Its cannons fired and for the first time made contact with a critical part of the enemy hull.
Two nasty holes opened up in the hull of the galley near the waterline. Through those holes, the carnage inside was visible for the world to see.
Limbs were torn apart, torsos punctured and heads were smashed in. As the alley took in water from those holes, the fate of slaved rowers, chained to the Ottoman ship became clear.
Under the watchful eyes of Captain Mendes, the wooden galley was swallowed by the waves, its sailors and rowers meeting their watery grave. But even as this confrontation ended, the battle still raged on.
Although the main battleships of the Ottoman fleet were a few hundred meters away, it did not mean they were just floating. As they were slowly closing in, their forward cannons, if present, were taking potshots at the Portuguese.
While it was true that facing a sail-ship was disadvantageous by design, using Rowers for propulsion, the war galleys could mount a small number of cannons at either their bow(forward) or stern(back). When deployed tactically, they could wreak havoc on the enemy lines, even if the opponent they were facing was a better-equipped sail vessel.
The war galleys, especially the smaller ones employed here, typically only carried a single large cannon, on the bow. As they could not carry more cannons, because of the placement of the rowers, the ones they carry are larger than the ones used in the sail vessels, at least of a similar weight class.
*BOOOM!*
The first casualty occurred on the side of the portuguese. A fast caravel, a sister ship of the Estrella, was hit with a cannon shot from a war galley which managed to steer through the attack of the Portuguese fleet. A single shot pierced the caravel at the water line, and the ship began to take in water rapidly.
*CRUNCH*
That war galley was then destroyed by a carrack of the Armada when the latter's heavier mass helped it cut through the oars and wooden hull of the galley. The ship, now in two pieces made a quick journey to the bottom of the Arabian Sea, its sailors screaming for their lives.
When the galleys were too close to begin boarding operations, the deck guns came into effect. The guns of various calibres, which were abundant on ships, especially the newer galleons, proved to be very resourceful.
"FIRE!!!" screamed a sailor on São Rafael, as a war galley came close. His swivel gun mounted in the ship was fired and it discharged its content onto an Ottoman sailor who was all too eager to board the flagship.
As the Portuguese fleet was tangled with the galleys and was almost finishing them up, the main ships of the Ottoman fleet came into effective range. This was also noticed by the Portuguese officers, but they were caught up with the galleys to take action.
*BOOM!*
The Ottoman battle fleet had no such distraction. Iskender, the flagship of the Ottoman fleet, discharged its salvo. A galleon of the Portuguese fleet was caught by it.
Its mast was broken off, and there was a hole in the deck, which took out one of the cannons. If that was all the damage, the ship could have survived. But the cannon shots hit at the right place to have access to the gunpowder deck. The hot cannonball, just ejected from a cannon was enough to set it off.
*BOOM!*
*BOOOM!*
*BBBOOM!*
There were multiple explosions, and when the smoke settled, there were only floating wood chunks, where the ship used to be. The explosion also took out multiple Ottoman galleys that were close by, and seems to have affected a portuguese caravel too.
Galleons were a newer type of ship, that recently started emerging from the woodwork. The portuguese navy, which was very accepting of such innovation, embraced it wholeheartedly. Now, one such ship was taken out by a lucky cannonball from an Ottoman carrack. A ship of the previous generation.
Estrella was thankfully not anywhere near the blown-up galleon. For Captain Mendes, it was the biggest explosion he had ever seen. One of the sailors of his ship was hit by a flying piece of debris, his corpse still lying on the deck.
"TURN THE SHIP! WE WILL USE OUR SPEED TO OUR FULL ADVANTAGE!!!" Mendes planned to use skirmisher techniques to perform hit-and-runs on the closing ottomans, and for that, he needed to decouple from the now chaotic fleet formation.
*Rumble*
After the loss of a galleon, the main Ottoman battle fleet got all the attention it rightfully deserved. The enemy admiral sacrificed his war galleys, to soften up the imposing Portuguese armada. This was something an experienced and ruthless man would do.
But.
Even though the Ottomans had more ships with cannons, the Portuguese had bigger ships, better-trained crews and more cannons in total. Although the Portuguese may seem on the back step now, it was only a matter of time before they excelled.
As the main part of the enemy fleet neared its position, the Portuguese finally finished up the galleys and other small ships, at least enough to focus on the bigger ships. The Ottoman fleet which wanted to escape to port would not get its respite.
No matter how fast a fleet wanted to move, the sailships were not galleys and only relied on winds. The stormy winds helped for sure, but not so much that one could escape a determined chaser. This was the fate of the Ottoman fleet, as its escape attempt failed, and they had to come to blows with the now-battered Portuguese.
*BOOOM!*
Estrella was one of the first ships to get into the fray with the Ottoman sailships. Hence it attracted some heavy fire. But the trained crew of the ship navigated her through the enemy formation to keep her going.
*BOOOM!*
One of the caravels which followed the Estrella was rammed by an Ottoman carrack, as she attempted to follow its sister ship, which resulted in the smaller ship sinking, but the larger ship was damaged enough to be taken out of battle.
As ships of both the fleets attacked each other, chaos reigned supreme. There was no order to ships and no constant communication. All the ships were jumbled, with no formations prevalent.
The cannons were not targeted, nor did they fire at once. Because of the lack of standardization, there were multiple cannons, each requiring a different-sized shot, and each cannon fired on its own, lacking any coordination with the others.
Friendly fire was only prevented if the person firing the cannon recognized the enemy ship, In the smoke and general chaos of the battle, this was not always the case. There were multiple instances on both sides, where they attacked their own ships.
*Rumble*
The ships were soon in boarding range, and multiple ships were involved in it. The flagship of the Portuguese, São Rafael was a star in the battle. Its powerful cannons had taken out multiple ships out of the battle and it was soon upon a Turkish carrack.
The sailors of the said carrack prepared to defend themselves from the São Rafael's boarding operation, only to be met with its deck guns. As they peppered them, the Admiral who was on the command post and the ship's captain Antonio, gave instructions for their own sailors to prepare boarding boarding.
But as the boarding was underway, the enemy flagship set its eyes upon them. Its cannons roared as multiple projectiles were hurled their way, causing damage to the wooden hull and deck.
"CLEAR THE CARRACK!!" shouted Admiral Noronho and the crew followed. A ship was vulnerable while boarding and the enemy could easily prey on that as they did now. The ship moved forward, with a new target in its sight, leaving behind the now-damaged ottoman carrack.
The flagships of both fleets, São Rafael and Iskender faced off, now vying for dominance.
*BOOOM!*
*BOOOM!*
*BOOOM!*
Both sides exchanged fire, as the ships gradually faced each other. While the Iskender got the first shot advantage, the heavier firepower of São Rafael proved to be a match.
The two ships slugged it out, both being damaged but still in battle. As they reached parity, the ships around them were still fighting. The portuguese were winning the battle, with Turkish ships either going out of commission or being swallowed by the waves.
*BOOOM!*
The Iskender finally got a lucky shot in. Its efforts finally paid off, and one of its cannonballs left a huge hole in the bow of the Rafael. But the portuguese flagship seemed to still have some luck to clinch onto, because even though the Iskender damaged the ship, all of it was above the waterline, only knocked down one side of the ship, and completely missed the officers.
But it was only a matter of time. With its Gun deck now disabled, the São Rafael could only bring a fraction of firepower against the enemy flagship. While the officers on board thought of what to do next, and did some sort of damage control, the enemy did something unexpected.
Instead of trying to capture the São Rafael, The Iskender manoeuvred to a better position to finish off the ship. It was a particularly unusual move because capturing an enemy flagship involves a great deal of pride and prestige.
Captured officers and nobles would give a fortune on ransom, especially because their original kingdom would be forced to repatriate them, irrespective of their financial status and willingness. It was a matter of pride. It was always a matter of pride.
With the Iskender not bothering with that at all, the officers of the flagship have no time to escape and move to another ship. The enemy flagship, which was only a few dozen meters away, aimed its broadside at the São Rafael.
*BOOOM!*
The lower deck was hit—multiple penetrating holes. A cannon was taken out, but seeing as that it was already operationally dead, it did not matter.
"I want all my sailors to man the stations NOW!! If the ship is going down, we will take the enemy with US!!" shouted Captain Antonio, and the sailors quickly followed his orders.
The captain then focused on the admiral, who was injured when the ship was last hit. A pretty serious wound on his forehead. "Admiral we need you to evacuate! The ship is too damaged!"
*BOOOM!*
"Evacuate your men, Captain." The old Admiral croaked out. For the first time since he had known the man, he felt the age in his voice. "The ship is done. I can feel it in her timbers. If we win, we can tug it back to the port later."
"Admiral, you may be in charge of the whole fleet, but I am the captain here," Antonio answered back with some found confidence."This is my ship, and If it is going down, I am going down with it!"
!!!!!
One look. One look was all it took for the captain to back down again. The blood dripping down the captain's face and into his beard, made him look like a demon from hell, and no words were required.
"ABANDON SHIP!!! EVERY ONE!!! ABANDON SHIP!!"
*BBOOOM!*
The Iskender, which was in the process of finishing off the São Rafael, exploded.
Captain Mendes's heart jumped seeing the enemy flagship go up in flames. Its flames burned brightly, overpowering the cloudy daylight, while the mushroom cloud of dark smoke threatened to swallow the sky.
The Estrella was circling back from making an attack run when they spotted the state in which the flagship was. Mendes ordered the attack, and what was left of the ship before him was the result.
A cannonball from a caravel was smaller than the one fired from a galleon. But the shot fired from the caravel travelled through the hole made in the Iskender during the fight with São Rafael, and the ship exploded from within.
Gunpowder explosion.
As the dust cleared, the final results of the battle also became clear. Most of the ships of the Ottoman fleet were either destroyed, captured, surrendered, or barely floating. While some ships escaped to see, they would be either caught or would starve themselves from the lack of supplies.
The portuguese won, barely. Their flagship needs to be scuttled. Most of the caravels are gone. A galleon and 3 carracks sunk. Many other ships were disabled.
The portuguese won, but it would take years for their navy to get back to full strength.
Leaving a massive opportunity for any potential player to exploit.
*Rumble*
The storm is coming.