DAYS Of WOODEN WALLS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 4, Issue 6, 22 January 1915, Page 4 (Supplement)

DAYS Of WOODEN WALLS.

GLORIOUS TRADITIONS OF THE MONMOUTH. ANOTHER FIGHT AGAINST BIG ODDS. In heir gallant fight off the Chilian <eoast the Monmouth 'acted up to the iraditions cf a famous namesake. The slight, in which the fatter defeated a iFrench ship vastly her superior in size, is viviidlv portrayed in "The Boys' Book .of Bravery," bv R. Power Berrey. ■" The taking of the French L'ne-ol-&»ttlesbip Foudroyant by the 64-tnch iship Monmouth i s another magnificent •«torv of British pluck and daring. The Foudroyant was the pride of the French Navy, and flving the flag of ™ w } lar ~ -quis Du Quesne, an experienced officer, she was expected t obe a thorn in the side of the English Fleet. She sat sail, by other vessels, in the beginning of 1758, for the purpose oi casing the blockade of Cartagena, where a -fleet of French warships was -shut in by a British squadron under Admiral Osborn. Osborn, however, lieard that help was on its way J° *f e •«uemy, and without more ado he detached a part of his fleet tandfiailcd away to meet the newcomers. The opfiosino- fleots sighted one another on February 28, but the French, who saw that they wene overmatched, went -about and tried to escape. The *o'.i---droyant wetnt off by her elf. and clapping ion ail sail, the English steps Mon"jnouth, Swiftsure, and Hampton Court -went in pursuit. A stern chase is proverbially a long one. but dn /the present ■case it wae not. The Monmouth was a .fast vessel, and easily drawing ahead ■of her slower consorts, rapidly lessened 4ha distance between herself and the ■enemv. Captain Arthur Gardiner, in command of the Monmouth, was eager *o bring His big opponent (to battle. •He thought nothing of the fact that -the Foudroyant carried over one thousand sailors and marines, whilst his own <crew numbered under five hundred; h* -disdained the heavy broadsides of his -enemy, who threw more than twice the The weight of metal thrown by his own feliip. and he snapped his fing irs at .the tiers of -12 pounders (the Foudroyant was an 84-gun ship) which 'would be opposed to hia comparatively puny 21poundei s. All he wanted wa s to lay his .ship alongside the Frenchman and batter him until hj« hauled down his colours. For this the English captain had •ja, special reason. Not long betar;' Gar ■diner's conduct, during an action oft Minorca, in which the Foudroyant had iaken pairt, had been unjustly cnuc.is<d and he had determined to clear his ■good name. His chance had come, and #s the Monmouth careened graosiully to the wind, Captain Gardiner saw -that everything .possible was done to •.increase her speed. He had sworn that 3 lie first time h 0 fell in with the Foidroyant. whatever the elds, he would TAKE HER OR SINE ALONGSIDE, ■and. probably with this in Jiis mind he called .Irs men aft and, as is recouped, addresed them as follows:—" That .ehip- must be taken, lads, more than a match for us though she looks You are Englishmen, and won't mind that. I shall fight her until the Monmouth sinks. I will not quit her while tins ship swims or I hav e a soul alive on "board " The o words were punctuated by cheers from the ship',s company, avho then went to their quarters determined to do or die. The Monmouth, with her consort out of sight, was now shrfost within gunshot, and the cap.tains of the guns laid heir weapons with extreme care. Only the bowchafer, could bo used, for Gardiner would "not lose time by bringing Ins broadside to bear, but kept his course m order that he might get along-ide 4-he Foudrovant and take her before the Swifteure and Hampton Court came jjp. The Frenchman's stern chasers sent the shot ploughing in to the sea all round the Monmouth, but <the aim of our gunners was mdre accurate, and as the shots of the Monmouth plUmp:d .aboard the enemy th e sphnters were seen to flv in all directions. Tlicu >v well-aimed shot brought down feme of the Foudro: ant's top hampor, thus reducing her' spe:d. A cheer from iihe Monmouth's crew hailed tins success, i and. still firing heir bow guns, the English warship rapidly overtook the enemy. She 'drew up abreast of the Foudrovant at practically pmnvbtMik and let flv a double-shotted .broadside, which strewed death along the decks of t'xe Frenchman. It was like a pigmy attacking a g-ant. The liuga Foudroyant towered high above the Monmouth, but Gardin'tr had veu-hed his, station, and theirs he detormiii' d to stav until the end. Darkne s tame on with the end of the chase, at about seven o'clock, and baittlo lanterns were lit on bo'h ve.i-els. The Foudroyant thundered out her brofidtiides iu wply to those rrom the Monmouth as tli v battle raged with the utmost furv. The- small arms men on hith shipp had little to guide them in takvng aim. but they kept up an inors ant fire, which did great damage on both odes. ■"Gardiner was struck down after about two hours, but he refused to leave the deck. .and. d.r-pite the pain he was suffering, still directed the combat. Then, just before ten o'clock, a bulktt gave iiiin a mortal wound, and as he lay on the deck, with the icy-cold hand of death already upon him, he called h-s first lieutenant Robert Carkott, nnd told him to " fight the Foudroyant to the last gasp, and sink tlie Moninoutn alongside her rather than quit her." •■Carkott promi id to do so, and as his captain passed to the Great Beyond ho stepped across the deck and with his own haudi* nailed tlvn colours to the mast, at the same time saying, " I take mv oath to shoot any man who <",-en whi-oers of .striking the colours." Willi tlit- knowledge that their captain Has do?.d. the gallant seamen REDOUBLED THEIR EXERTIONS. The inizzeii-mast went by tho boalrd, and man afuir man went down, but. siiidt maved. the crew loaded nnd. fired their guns with wonderful rapidity, arid were soon rewarded. The Frenchmen cheered when the Monmouth's .mast went over l 'h S'de. ,)ut t,l,^v > v,ero silent wheu, shortly More midnight, tbejr own mizzen erafched on deck, to ; >e followed a few minutes lator by their main. The cheer this Lime came from th? Monmouth, and following it to Hv Foudrowmt went a couple of terrific brcjrvdsides, which made the giant FreiHiman reel again. For half an hour ioi- so longer the Foudroyant kepi up the battle with g''eat spirit, but ■.the Monmouth could no! be .dinken off. and then tho French r-hip's fir: began to slacken. The sailors bad had enough. They 'had stood to Llieir guns for fix bourn, and with the iMoununith fighting as fresh as when rV first eomnmiixd the battle, the men be'-auio <li-'-3ieartf : ned. and gun after gun was r-i'- . /meed. The Monnwlh in v-. r for an instant s-ln'tkencd |u>r fire, ami even when the Foudroyant, with all lief rrcii driven from the guns. ivn.< nlt:ig"ther -, : !"iit. cnntinii'd to hummer away a.hard she could. N'"t. a ph< I "Atne in Teply. bin thef> vp.-i n > shin U'ni! the Frenchman bed sum nd t.-I. a : u| L;en-•U-narit fVirke'.t Te'+olvi\l to fire into lif'r until fshe did. L w»a now well na-i nne o'clfjck in Hi > morninT. nnd n ■double lirrid.vl .shi i w..-, .i«l,|<v] to ''"• rhnrrre in the f nv.& of the Monirouth to induce a qu-'c's surrender. No fiign K-amo. however, until tho l» ■.•:'■ ' -id,-. r,f

•another vessel rang over the' water!:. This was the Swiftoure. She had nailed after the Monmouth, and guided by the sound of the guns, and later on by the flashes, had succeeded in reaching the combatants. Seeing the battered ttate of the Monmouth, the now-conier steered in between the combatants, when these eaime the sound of one gun from the Frenchman, and it was seen that her colours were being hauled down. Dm Quome insisted upon surrendering to the captain of the Monmouth and when he handed his sword to Lieutenant Oarkett lie shed team, at having struck to such a small antagonist The. three vesels lay together whiM damages were being repaired and then the Monmouth sasded with her prize into Gibraltar, the Foudroyant (which afterwards became Nelson s flagship )with the British ensign above the French, looking, so it is recorded, " like the Monument following in the wake of a ninepin."