The battle of Koh Lan: Don Marco da Pattaya returns to G&G

Time for another dispatch from Mark who has returned to his Galleys & Galleons narrative campaign, bringing Don Marco da Pattaya back to active service. He hasn’t appeared since failing to prevent the Ming Chinese from capturing the KhiNok islands, three years ago, when he ended up clinging to the same piece of flotsam as An-te Hai.

*****

Now Don Marco commands a Portuguese squadron conveying ambassadors to the Siamese court at Ayutthaya. Expecting trouble from the militantly Islamic Prince of Songkhla, the Portuguese are ready to fight their way through. They have 414 points.

1 x Galleon (Sa Caterina da Goa) (106)
Q3 C4: Chaser guns, Drilled soldiers, Flagship*, Galleon rigged, Master gunner, Trained gun crews. *Don Marco scored the coveted “Dashing Commander” rating for today.

3 x Fragatas (Sa Barbara, Sao Jorge, Sao Martinho) (60)
Q3 C3: Chaser guns, Galleon rigged, Master gunner, Trained gun crews)

1 x Submersible ram (Baderna) (58)
Q3 C2: Ramming, Submersible, Unarmed, Unorthodox

1 x Dragao (Dragao) (70)
Q3 C2: Airship, Bombs, Fiery attack, Lateen rigged, Master gunner

Sure enough, as Don Marco’s ships head north up the Gulf of Siam, they find the Prince’s flotilla waiting for them near the small island of Koh Lan. The Songkhka side totals 392 points.

2 x Galeass (Banda Aceh & Hat Yai) (50);
Q4 C5: Drilled soldiers, Bow guns, High castles, Square rigged, Sluggish, Sweeps, Veteran NCOs.

4 x Galley (Ayutthaya, Borobudur, Songkhka, Srivijaya) (48)
Q3 C3: Drilled so,diets, Galley, Swashbucklers, Yare

2 x allied Pirate junks (Bean Sprout, Bitter Melon) (50)
Q2 C2: Derring-do, Intimidating, Lateen, Reinforced hull, Yare

Here is the tabletop (1800x1200mm) with Songkhka deployed to the R (N end of the table). The wind is blowing steadily from the SSW, diagonally across the table from upper L to lower R. It is not expected to change as the day wears on.

The Songkhla commander (Muezzinzade Ali Bashaw, aboard the Banda Aceh) has concentrated his galleys and galeasses to the W of Koh Lan, and left the E side to the pirate allies. His plan is to envelop the Infidels as they get closer.

Don Marco comes on in two columns, with the flagship heading the lee column The Baderna is way out to port, appropriate for a wildly unpredictable contraption. The Dragao however is closer to the Sa Caterina. His plan - possibly - is to cripple or sink as many enemy as possible with gunnery, avoiding boarding actions. His Sailing Master says he’ll need to tack at some point though, possibly when opposite the island, if he is to hold a course for the Chao Phraya estuary.

After 3 turns, here we are, looking S. In the foreground the Songkhla ships are losing formation as they come forward slowly under oars or sweeps, inevitably encountering activation fails. The Portuguese in the distance have also been affected by activation fails, but as their advance requires only compulsory sailing moves - for now - they’re not discommoded too much.

The Sao Jorge, leading the Portuguese weather column, is just under 2L from the nearest Songkhka galleys now, so we can expect shooting to commence at any moment. The Baderna is currently on the surface, but will likely submerge soon (this will be shown by a blue marker).

The Songkhla pirate allies are out of view to the L, coming around the island and heading for the Portuguese lee column (currently distant more than 2L).

Here’s the end of the first (Portuguese) activation / bound of turn 4. Three of their ships have opened fire, but to no effect at all. The Baderna has submerged.

In the Songkhla bound, the galley Ayutthaya attacked and grappled the Sao Jorge, but didn’t have the activation point to initiate boarding. The Borobudur came up in support, but only rolled 1/3 activation successes so the rest of the flotilla rested on their oars, though the pirate junks made their sailing moves.

On turn 5 the Portuguese began to make their gunnery felt. Here is the end of their bound. The two Songkhla galleys that launched an attack last turn (over on the R) were both punished. Sao Jorge cut the grapples before the Ayutthaya could board, and moved on, so the Sao Martinho, following, could shoot, causing 1 damage. The galley Borobudur fared worse: it was rammed by the Baderna and took 3 damage. The Sa Catarina got a lucky long range hit on the galley Srivijaya, causing a critical hit (holed underwater). Other Portuguese shooting failed, including a fiery attack by the Dragao against the Banda Aceh.

In response, the Songkhla Galeasses began to come about, but being sluggish are now stuck in irons as they ponderously change course to intercept the enemy. The allied pirates are more nimble. They have changed course too, and are now coming in at high speed. Of the galleys, Borobudur has given up and struck its colours, Ayutthaya has again attacked and grappled (but not boarded) the Sao Jorge. The Srivijaya and Songkhla are heading for the Sa Caterina & Sa Barbara.

On turn 6 the Portuguese continued to pummel the galleys. The photo only shows shooting that caused damage. The two fragatas in the weather line blew the Ayutthaya out of the water with two full broadsides, including one raking shot. The Sa Caterina slipped through the gap between the two pairs of galleys, but had no activation points left for gunnery. The Dragao audaciously attacked both galeasses in the same turn: dropping bombs on the Banda Aceh and making a fiery attack on the Hat Yai. Unluckily, both attacks failed.

Here’s the end of the Songkhka bound after casualty removal (Borobudur). The galleys Songkhla & Srivijaya moved towards the Sa Barbara and opened fire with their centreline guns, causing 1 damage, the allied pirate junks are entering the scene from the R after their long trek around the island. The galeasses are continuing to sluggishly change course, hampered by an activation fail as well as their poor handling qualities.

Turn 7. The Sa Caterina fired a raking full broadside at the Galeass Hat Yai, causing 2 damage and an under water hit in the critical damage table. The galleon is shown in its end-of-bound position, not the spot at which it fired. The next Portuguese ship to activate rolled turnover, so the rest of Don Marco’s squadron could do only their compulsory sailing moves (or in the case of the submerged Baderna, re-surface for want of a “remain submerged” activation point).

In the Songkhka bound the Hat Yai closed the Sa Caterina and shot it’s bow guns (which are its main battery), but unluckily this had no effect (it beat the galleon but had rolled an odd number). The pirate junks shot at the Baderna as it wallowed stationary, but their shooting was wild. The galley Songkhka was able to pivot, ready to re-enter the action, but damaged Srivijaya failed to activate.

Turn 8. Sa Caterina turned to starboard and fired a full broadside into Hat Yai at point blank range, but the underlying rolls meant it caused no damage to the Galeass. Baderna submerged again, and the three fragatas sailed on without shooting. The Songkhla ships are doing what they can to catch the infidels before they slip past. This photo shows the end of the turn.

Turn 9. Sao Jorge and Sao Martinho crossed in front of the oncoming pirate junks, giving the lead junk two salvos (not broadsides, not enough activation points after changing course), and followed by the Sa Barbara which did deliver a full broadside (not quite raking though). Together the three fragatas sent the Bitter Melon to the bottom.

The Baderna, not to be forgotten, popped up and rammed the other junk, Bean Sprout, causing 2 damage. Then re-submerged.

Meanwhile, the Sa Caterina shortened sail and waited for the smaller ships to rejoin. Here’s the end of the Portuguese bound.

I called it for Don Marco and the Portuguese at this point. The Songkhla flotilla has lost 1 Galley & 1 Pirate junk sunk. Also 1 Galeass, 1 Galley, and the other Pirate junk heavily damaged. And 1 galley has struck (but not been captured by the enemy).

The Portuguese have 1 fragata lightly damaged, and are well positioned to continue their run north to the Chao Phraya, with a fair wind and no enemy able to catch and fight them.

Don Marco celebrates his return to active service with another feather in his hat.