"Please put that Order in Writing"

by Steve Oram

Introduction

Background

On the 6th May 1877 the elected Perúvian President Mariano Prado learnt that the former Finance Minister Nicolad de Pierola had seized Perú’s largest 'nef, the Huáscar, with his followers, led by retired Captain German Astete. Seventy crew from other ships had joined then and they were attempting to oust the president by strangling trade through the sea/air port of Callao and committing other 'acts of piracy’.

One of these acts was to seize two British Pearless class Merchantmen, the Hopeful and the mail 'nef the Post. Realising that this action could damage relations with the British (who had supplied their 'nef fleet) during a time of worsening relations with their neighbour Chile, the Perúvian Government despatched a squadron of 'nefs under Captain Moore, in the huge Independence, to recapture the Huáscar.

The British Get Involved

Meanwhile British interests in Perú complained to HM Charge d’Affairs in Lima James Graham, and as the Huáscar had been declared pirates, the Royal Aeronef Force had no choice to intervene; so it did in the form of British Commander-in Chief Pacific Station, Commander Algernon Frederick Rous de Horsey.

On May 16th de Horsey sent a message to the Huáscar - "If any act similar to those committed against the Hopeful and the Post is repeated I will forced to take possession of the ship and return her to the legal Authorities." He added "…will be considered just cause for her capture by the aeronef forces of Her Royal Majesty."

The reply came on 22nd May from Astete – Pierola was with him. "The forces under my command are aware of the rights and obligations that the code of the nations establishes in our territories. We have been far from violating our laws, and the information on the incidents that occurred with the Hopeful and the Post is not accurate. In any case, and supported in my right, and prevailing above any particular interest those of the sovereignty and dignity of the Republic, I reject with calm but firm resolution, not only in my name and my crew, but in the name of Perú, the menace included in your letter. I declare, Mr Commander, that – God forbids – if the case comes that an aggression is committed by your command, I will fulfil my duty."

De Horsey was not sure he understood all of it but he knew when he was being told to get lost ! Events took a turn for the worse.

On 27th May the Huáscar run into Moore’s squadron near Pichalo on the coast. Huáscar had been keeping out to sea to avoid Perúvian airspace but was short of water so she had attempting to sneak ashore. Despite the Independence being twice as large as the Huáscar, Astete caused the squadron to back off.

Due to the increasing need for water, the Huáscar raided two more British vessels for supplies, and therefore de Horsey decided to act. The next 2 days saw de Horsey trying to corner the Huáscar, but careful use of the coastal terrain and weather meant battle never took place until the Huáscar entered the Bay of Pacocha.

The Battle

De Horsey sent another message "Tell the commander of the Huáscar that I have come to take possession of the ship in Queen Victoria’s Name. If her flag is not lowered. I will be compelled to capture her by force…"

Pierola rejected the order so battle commenced at 3pm.

Astete used his knowledge of the local terrain and cloud cover to keep one step ahead of the British. He also tried to ram them three times. Getting nowhere, de Horsey decided to launch a new weapon, an automotive torpedo, and ordered the Amethyst to do so.

This was the first time that the use of the torpedo in anger had been considered. Legend has it that the captain of the Amethyst asked for the order in writing as it was considered not the actions of a gentleman.

The torpedoes missed anyway. In desperation the Shah tried a spar torpedo but failed again. Under the cover of dark the Huáscar left the area.

The Aftermath

The victory was short lived, for 2 days later Pierola surrendered due to lack of supplies. To cap it all, the Perúvian Government was forced to submit to public opinion and protest to the British about the battle taking place in Perúvian waters.

De Horsey was nearly censured in parliament for his use of the torpedoes; if one had hit it would have caused catastrophic loss of life. It looks like the Captain of the Amethyst was right to get the order in writing !

British Forces

HMS Shah (Exeter class Cruiser)
HMS Amethyst (Stingray class Torpedo Nef)

Peruvian Rebel Forces

The cruiser Huáscar

Peruvian Government Forces

optional
The Independence (use Rawalpindi)
The Union (use Sanchez Carillon)
The Alahualpa (use Steadfast model)
The Pilcomayo (use Cossack model)

Terrain and Special Rules

In the real battle Astete used his knowledge of shoals and current to avoid the British. Not easy to replicate with ‘nef. Bearing in mind that this is an inshore/land battle I have decide to give the rebels superior knowledge of the winds/cloud behaviour. Hence you will need some large cloud models to play with. Cotton wool on hex bases teased out and sprayed lightly with grey paint works well.

Basically the game works by the Huáscar using the clouds to provide cover from the British, and to try 'hit and run' strikes from. The direction/speed of the clouds changes, but only the rebels know this. The local knowledge means they can sense the changes ! When behind a cloud and not visible to any British ship the Huáscar can be removed. It may be moved to any cloud within 20 cm each turn, and is only placed on the table when it can be seen by a British ship (be honest!).

At the beginning of each turn, after orders have been written, the British need a six on six sided dice to spot if the Huáscar's current position.

The clouds move as follows:

Speed : 3 D6 cm
Duration : 3 D6 Turns
Direction : d12 (Clock face)

The clouds will not go over the mountains, and therefore move round them to either side.

Setup

On the map below the darker brown areas are mountains - no-go areas for all craft. The table can be any size, but 4’ X 4’ is quite adequate.

The British enter from the Western edge together. The Huáscar is placed on the large island – see flag on map below. The ship may flee inland by any point indicated by the red/orange arrows from move d6 +15, or when the government ships arrive if earlier. The Government forces may be used. If so, they join from the Western edge together, from move 2d6 + 6.

Victory Conditions

British
Destroy Huáscar – Major Victory, Minor if Torpedoes used.

Rebels
Flee table – Major Victory if one British Ship destroyed, Minor if not

Government
Destroy Huáscar – Major Victory

Profiles

Use the following profiles for this scenario :

	Class	Hull	Speed	Turns	Guns	Ordnance	CP
Shah	2	24	14	6	10	1 Torpedo	59
Amethyst	5	8	14	4	2	3 Torpedoes	59
Huáscar	2	28	14	3	8	-	62
Independence	3	16	16	3	8	6 bombs	62
Union	4	8	20	4	4	-	62
Atahualpa	5	11	18	3	6	-	62
Pilcomayo	5	11	18	3	2	8 bombs	62

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