NOVPUBChapter 864 -772: Goodbye Toulon
“The Navy Department has decided to transfer the ‘Conqueror’ and ‘Spartan Guard’ battleships, along with eight other fourth- and fifth-class warships, into the Mediterranean Fleet…”
“You must ensure complete control over the Mediterranean…”
Lord Hood took a deep breath and closed the documents.
In just over a month, 11 merchant ships had been either destroyed or captured by the French Fleet.
Even though the French Mediterranean Fleet was blocked in the Port of Toulon by him, only some frigates were roaming the Mediterranean, yet his escort fleets could not prevent their slaughter at all.
He picked up another report beside him.
This detailed the recent attacks on British merchant ships, submitted by the escorting warships.
Clearly, the French had equipped themselves with a new type of frigates that were extremely fast, posing a significant challenge to his escort missions in the Mediterranean.
Thankfully, the Navy Department had allocated more warships to him.
Once these ships were in place, the Mediterranean Fleet would boast a scale of 33 main battleships of third class and above, 40 fourth- and fifth-class ships, and nearly 70 frigates.
Meanwhile, the French Fleet in the Port of Marseille only had 18 main battleships and 21 fourth- and fifth-class ships. Even if combined with the Spanish Mediterranean Fleet’s 9 main battleships and 12 fourth- and fifth-class ships, their overall numbers paled in comparison.
Historically, at this time, the combined French and Spanish fleets had equal, if not slightly superior numbers to the British.
However, under Joseph’s recent control of France’s naval construction, the number of newly built large warships had been limited, resulting in fewer sailing battleships for the French than historically recorded.
Of course, the French Navy also found compensation in another way: 23 “Light of the Mediterranean”-class steam frigates and 7 latest-model “Tunis-class” 32-cannon steam cruisers.
These steam-powered warships were the ones that recently turned the Mediterranean Sea into chaos.
The sound of footsteps approached outside the cabin door as Lord Hood placed the Navy Department’s documents into his pocket and said to the guard at the door, “Let them in.”
“Yes, General.”
Soon, six or seven senior officers of the British Mediterranean Fleet entered one after another, seeing that the Commander-in-Chief had arrived early, their hearts sank with a sense of foreboding.
Lord Hood gestured for them to take their seats and said directly, “The recent merchant vessel attacks have drawn great attention from the Navy Department. It appears we must adjust our strategy.”
Brigadier Collinwood said, “General, most of these French frigates operate out of Bizerte Port in Tunisia. We could send a marine force to attack there, or blockade their warships in the port.”
Admiral Horatio Nelson immediately shook his head: “I believe this is not the optimal strategy.
“Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered, those French frigates are incredibly fast. They could easily relocate to other ports, such as Tripoli or Ajaccio Port, long before we reach Bizerte.”
“These light warships are indeed difficult to track. Thus, we should primarily focus on providing efficient escorts,” Major General Hossem remarked, glancing at Lord Hood. “General, honestly, we don’t need to station so many warships near Toulon. We could redeploy some third-class ships alongside a fleet of powerful cruisers to form formidable escort fleets, deterring the French light ships from approaching.”
Third-class ships boast strong firepower and defense—so resilient that even under bombardment from frigates, their hulls remain intact, making them invaluable in naval warfare.
Lord Hood nodded faintly. With the Navy Department’s recent allocation of two main battleships and eight fourth- and fifth-class ships, he had ample resources to assemble escort fleets.
However, this would necessitate concentrating British merchant ships when leaving port to enable effective protection by the escort fleets.
While he was deliberating, a military officer knocked and entered the room, handing over a battle report: “General, one of our ships was attacked three days ago in the Barbary Sea.”
Lord Hood unfolded the report, his expression shifting instantly: “The ‘Golden Yew Tree’ was sunk?!”
The report detailed the attack on Hicks’ escort squadron, in which three merchant ships were lost, but most consequentially, a fifth-class Royal Navy cruiser had been sunk.
Since the beginning of hostilities, this marked the first Royal Navy warship to be sunk—and it was one of their fifth-class ships!
Lord Hood continued scanning the report, but with no witnesses, the circumstances of the ‘Golden Yew Tree’ sinking remained unclear, except for accounts of three high-speed frigates attacking the merchant vessels.
Once the other British officers had read the report, they all frowned deeply.
Major General Hossem said, “Perhaps a French battleship slipped out, or could it have been the Spanish Fleet?”
With a grim expression, Lord Hood replied, “In any case, we must respond accordingly.”
Admiral Nelson pondered aloud: “General, the main fleet’s presence in the Mediterranean allows us to better defend against enemy raids and may even create an opportunity to annihilate their attacking fleets.”
Lord Hood furrowed his brow: “And what of the French fleet in Toulon Port?”
Nelson smiled faintly: “Perhaps, by luring them out of their anchorage, we may find that opportunity.”
Brigadier Collinwood instinctively asked: “What kind of opportunity?”
“The opportunity to destroy the main French Fleet!”
…
In southeastern France, Toulon.
Napoleon handed the latest war report from the General Staff to Major Victor and sighed lightly: “The Crown Prince has defeated the Austrians at Wavre.”
He glanced toward the unseen Cadipona Pass and said forlornly, “And here, half a month has passed already, yet Bolieu has failed to cross the Alps.”
Upon realizing Bolieu’s intention to advance on Toulon, Napoleon had pulled back his forces, preparing to launch a fierce counterattack once the Austrian Army crossed the Alpine Pass.
But the Austrians’ logistics were painfully slow, and they had yet to enter French territory.
Victor smiled: “If we had launched a direct attack on Nice earlier, perhaps we’d already be at Albenga by now.”
Napoleon shook his head: “That would have forced us into a decisive battle against Sardinia and Bolieu’s main forces, with our logistical supply lines stretching across Cadipona Pass.”
“Indeed, so patience remains our best course…”
As Victor spoke, a Corsican cavalryman galloped over and signaled to Napoleon: “Commander, an Austrian corps has appeared on the western side of the pass, approximately 4,000 strong.”
Napoleon’s eyes lit up instantly: “Finally, they’re here. Order Murat’s Corps to launch the attack as planned.”
“Yes, Commander!”
Victor expressed surprise: “Did you not say earlier that you’d wait for the Austrians to enter Toulon before ambushing them? Wouldn’t attacking now alert them to the danger?”
Napoleon smiled faintly: “No, this will only reassure Bolieu about advancing toward Toulon.”
