Battle of Dutreizh

The Battle of Dutreizh was a naval battle that occurred during the Firocco-Liotain War.

## Overview

In the two years since the Liotainian Navy had nearly been destroyed in the Five Days Battle, the administration of King Karolis placed significant emphasis on rebuilding the devastated fleet. New ships capable of fighting Firoccan warships on an equal footing were constructed by Liotainian yards, and beginning in 1703, were handed over to commanders who had survived the early battles of the war.

As many Liotainian crews had been captured during the Five Days, and many other skilled sailors had been lost to the privateer fleet, the Navy recruited a large number of untrained landsmen with little seagoing experience. On a number of occasions, small groups of Liotainian ships slipped out of port to cruise in the Nestorian Sea and the Gulf of Argent, using the opportunity for crew training.

Initially, the Firoccan Armada was not well-informed about these training cruises, and made no efforts to blockade the Liotainian ports of Laizuva and Sventoji, where most of the new Liotainian ships were constructed. However, in November 1703, the Firoccans learned from spies that a Liotainian squadron under Commodore Vincentas Adomaitis would cruise off the island of Breizh in the coming weeks; Admiral Simao Curro was ordered to intercept them with four powerful ships-of-the-line.

Curro moved to Grappa Bay in early December, and throughout the month made a series of surreptitious cruises off Breizh, looking for the Liotainian squadron. On 12th December, they learned from an Antargentine fisherman that the Liotainians had left Laizuva and passed north of Plougrescant the previous day, but turned southeast into the Breizhoned Gulf, bound for Kiberen or Karnag. Firoccan charts of this era were of questionable accuracy, and Curro was wary of following Adomaitis too far south, as the entire region was notoriously shallow. Curro thus lay in ambush north of Plougrescant, waiting for the Liotainians to return to Laizuva.

Although Commodore Adomaitis had no idea of the size of the Firoccan squadron, he received intelligence on the 13th that at least one Firoccan warship was cruising north of Breizh. Adomaitis was reluctant to seek out action given that the larger portion of his crews were still little better than landsmen. However, he had very few sheltered anchorages available to him. He tarried several days in Karnag, but the small port offered very little shelter, and he decided on the 17th to return to Laizuva.

Late in the evening of the 18th, the Firoccan ship *Principe Armando* sighted the Liotainian fleet at a distance; however, darkness fell before the Firoccans could launch a proper pursuit. The Liotainian fleet did not spot *Principe Armando*, but saw signal lanterns shortly after dusk; Adomaitis presumed pursuit and attempted to make for Plougrescant. This was not possible due to the wind, and at midnight, Adomaitis put his helm over and pressed on all sail. Curro, meanwhile, had anticipated his enemy, and continued to the west at his best speed.

When the sun rose on the 19th, the Firoccan fleet was in an excellent position to close their ambush on the Liotainians. Both squadrons spotted each other shortly after dawn, with the Firoccan ships bearing down quickly.

## Order of Battle

### Firoccan Armada

*Admiral Simao Curro*

* *Santo Henrique* (90 guns) - Captain Walter Magalhaes
* *Santo Timoteo* (70 guns) - Captain Fernando Coraza
* *Tribunal* (64 guns) - Captain Felipinho Guerreiro
* *Principe Armando* (56 guns) - Captain Malvino de Torrecilla

### Royal Liotainian Navy

* *Dvylika Apastalu* (44 guns) - Lignekapitaine Vincentas Adomaitis
* *Deimantas* (32 guns) - Frigatiekapitaine Liudvika Dumiskas
* *Erelis* (32 guns) - Frigatiekapitaine Edgaras Masaitis
* *Drakonas* (32 guns) - Frigatiekapitaine Armel Quemener

## Action

### Pursuit of the Liotainian Squadron

Wind conditions were not ideal for the Liotainians, with Curro having used the course of the previous night to assume the weather gage. Similarly, numbers did not favor the Liotainians. Although both fleets had four ships, Curro's squadron carried a total of 280 guns, while the smaller Liotainian vessels mounted only 140, mostly firing lesser weight of shot. The largest Liotainian ship, *Dvylika Apastalu*, carried twelve fewer guns than the smallest Firoccan ship, *Principe Armando*.

Adomaitis pressed on all sail and made every effort to escape. The winds of the region would normally favor the lighter and smaller Liotainian ships, but dawn had brought a *gregale* from the east, which allowed the Firoccans to make slightly better speed, and start closing the distance.

Early in the chase, one potential course of action did present itself to Adomaitis, and he made a slight course change which took his ships toward the *Dutreizh*, a series of dangerous sandy shoals west of Breizh. The Dutreizh was infamous to local mariners for the shallow bars with their distinctive dark sand. Adomaitis, who had extensive local navigational experience, knew that the Dutreizh was very poorly marked on Firoccan charts, and believed that the tide would be high enough for *Dvylika Apastalu*, which carried only 4.3 meters of draft, to clear the bars.

After three hours chase, the Firoccan ships continued to steadily close on Adomaitis and *Dvylika Apastalu*. *Deimantas* spotted the Dutreizh first, and only when she was already passing through the shallow waters. The three Liotainian frigates passed the bar without incident, although *Erelis* claimed later their soundings showed they'd had only nine inches to spare. The heavier *Dvylika Apastalu* scraped her keel on the sand, with the ship hesitating for a moment before clearing the shallowest ridge.

The Firoccan ships received no warning, as the shoals were not marked on their maps. The leading ship, *Santo Timoteo*, grounded first, still at full sail; the impact was enough to cause her foremast to crack and fall, and several other spars collapsed. Curro's flagship, *Santo Henrique*, and the smaller *Tribunal*, had only a few moments to shorten sail before they too ran headlong onto the Dutreizh. The *Principe Armando*, at the tail end of the Firoccan column, had the greatest warning. Captain Malvino de Torrecilla had just enough time to let the wind out of his sails and throw the helm hard over, thus avoiding a likely catastrophic collision with the grounded *Santo Henrique*.

### Tables Turned

A dazed Admiral Curro required nearly an hour to take stock of his situation. His ships had grounded shortly after high tide, and all three were hard aground. *Santo Timoteo* was most firmly stuck, with serious damage to her frames and her foremast broken. The *Santo Henrique* and *Tribunal* showed less damage, and Curro believed they could be freed from the Dutreizh with a minimum of effort.

Unfortunately for Curro's squadron, Adomaitis hauled in sail once he'd seen the Firoccan ships go aground. The three frigates, which could be rowed using their sweeps, moved back into cannon range of the grounded ships, staying well clear of their powerful broadsides. Shortly before noon, *Drakonis* opened fire on the immobilized *Santo Henrique*.

With three of his four ships hard aground, and the Liotainian frigates closing in to harass the crews working to free them, the tables were turned on Curro's squadron. The falling tide made quick action paramount. Curro ordered the crews of *Santo Henrique*, *Santo Timoteo*, and *Tribunal* to immediately lighten their ships by any means necessary - starting first with the water and food supplies, and then extra ammunition.

### *Principe Armando*'s Defense

Meanwhile, Captain de Torrecilla of the *Principe Armando* moved to defend his immobilized fellow captains. De Torrecilla used his ship's boats to tow the *Principe Armando* as close as he dared to the stranded *Santo Timoteo* and *Santo Henrique*, and set out multiple anchor lines from bow and stern, so that his ship could be turned by crews working the capstan.

Threatened with the Firoccan ship's heavy broadside, *Drakonis* scurried back out of range to reposition. *Erelis* and *Deimantas*, however, came up during this time. *Erelis* positioned herself so the bulk of the *Santo Timoteo* lay between her and the *Principe Armando*. A frustrated but energetic de Torrecilla led his crew to move their ship, driving off *Erelis*, and then moving once again to drive off *Deimantas*. In the intervening time, *Drakonis* slowly crept back into range, and opened fire again on *Santo Timoteo*.

Although the Liotainian frigates gave little more than long-range harassing fire, Admiral Curro quickly realized that his situation was increasingly desperate. *Santo Timoteo*'s attempts to shed weight made very little difference, as the carpenters discovered the ship was taking water faster than she could be lightened. Curro ordered *Santo Timoteo*'s crew to scuttle their ship, and transfer to one of the other vessels.

Aboard *Santo Henrique* and *Tribunal*, the weight reductions grew more and more desperate. First the upper-deck guns, and then even the lower-deck guns, were cut from their mountings and thrown overboard - heavy work that grew more desperate as the Liotainian frigates continued to harass them from long range.

*Dvylika Apastalu*, which lacked sweeps, could not be moved upwind to join the frigates in their fight, and instead slowly made her way to the northwest, carefully steering to avoid the fringes of the Dutreizh.

After nearly three hours aground, *Tribunal* was slowly pulled off the sandbar. All of her guns and most of her provisions had been jettisoned, and the ship was no longer a fighting unit. *Santo Henrique* remained aground for another two hours, until the rising tide finally lifted the lightened ship off the sand. Like *Tribunal*, the flagship had been forced to throw all of her guns overboard, although much of her powder and shot was transferred to the *Principe Armando*.

With three of the four ships thus freed, Curro gave orders to fire *Santo Timoteo*'s magazine, and the ship's captain would be the last man to abandon ship. The Firoccans set a short fuse, hoping that the Liotainians might be tricked into trying to board her; but the Liotainian frigates ignored the abandoned ship, which exploded at 5:12. The *Santo Timoteo*'s crew was spread between the other three Firoccan ships.

Since only *Principe Armando* still carried any guns, the Liotainians now very definitely held the advantage, and Adomaitis had every intention of pursuing the Firoccan ships to capitalize on his achievements thus far. However, he had to deal with *Principe Armando* - and Captain de Torrecilla had no intention of yielding to the Liotainian squadron.

As darkness closed over the two squadrons, Admiral Curro ordered the lanterns on his ships extinguished, with the hope of slipping away in the darkness. The night was clear, however, and the Liotainian frigates kept in contact. Shortly after midnight, *Deimantas* closed using the cover of darkness and opened fire on the *Santo Henrique*. The *Principe Armando* immediately responded, turning to trade a broadside with the smaller frigate, which hurriedly broke off. *Erelis* tried her luck only an hour later, but the *Principe Armando*'s crew spotted the frigate's sails.

Shortly before dawn, *Drakonis* made her own attempted attack, moving in concert with *Deimantas*. *Principe Armando* spotted *Deimantas* moving into position and turned to engage. Captain Dumiskas held her course for several minutes and exchanged two broadsides with the heavier ship-of-the-line before shearing away.

Meanwhile, *Drakonis* slipped past and charged at the *Tribunal*, running out her guns. *Tribunal*'s captain Felipinho Guerreiro saw the Liotainian frigate approach, and pretended to be unaware until the last moment. He quietly passed word, however, for his crew - and the men brought aboard from the *Santo Timoteo* - to prepare for a boarding action. When *Drakonis* approached, Guerreiro turned swiftly and attempted to board *Drakonis*. Captain Quemener, however, had been alert for this counter, and responded with equal swiftness. Four men on *Drakonis* were injured by musketry fire from the *Tribunal* as the two ships passed. The Firoccans attempted to grapple with the smaller frigate, but Quemener personally cut one of the grappling lines with an axe, receiving a musket-ball to the shoulder for his effort.

Throughout the morning of the 20th, the Liotainian frigates continued to pursue and harass the Firoccan ships. *Dvylika Apastalu*, having lagged behind during the night, slowly started to overtake the Firoccans, and shortly after noon, traded fire at long range with *Principe Armando*. By that afternoon, *Principe Armando* had nearly exhausted her supply of ball, and Curro considered scattering his ships, in the hope that some might escape. The wind, however, freshened and backed to the southwest, allowing Curro's three remaining ships to press on all sail and steer for Grappa Bay.

Adomaitis continued to chase the Firoccans, but Curro's ships, lightened as they were, and once again showing their speed in favorable wind conditions, slowly began to draw ahead. By the evening of the 20th, reluctant to go too far north, Adomaitis reluctantly broke off pursuit, fearing that more Firoccan warships might be in the area. When Adomaitis broke off the action, *Principe Armando* only had enough solid shot remaining aboard for two more broadsides.

## Aftermath

Upon receiving a full account of the battle, King Karolis of Liotain summoned Adomaitis to the court for an interview. Adomaitis so impressed the king in this first encounter that Karolis ordered his promotion to Admiral in January 1704 - a jump of three ranks - and placed in charge of the Liotainian battle-fleet. Adomaitis would go on to command the fleet at the Battle of Cape Atropos and the decisive Battle of Rietavas.

The burned-out hull of *Santo Timoteo* remained barely visible above the water at the Dutreizh. Only a few days after the battle, the Liotainians returned to the Dutreizh with Eresieciai pearl-divers, who found the cannon jettisoned from the *Santo Henrique* and *Tribunal*, as well as a number of the guns from *Santo Timoteo*; the guns were marked and fished out of the sea. A total of one hundred seventy guns were recovered and restored, and would be reused on both new construction and privateering ships.

### Curro's Court-Martial

Admiral Curro returned to Grappa Bay on the 21st of December. He did not expect a favorable response from his superiors, but the response proved even more hostile than he anticipated. Firoccan newspapers called for increasingly severe punishment, and speculated that the disaster was due to cowardice, incompetence, or some combination of the two.
At the end of January, the Firoccan Armada decided to court-martial Curro for cowardice. The trial immediately turned ugly as Captain Fernando Coraza of the *Santo Timoteo* conducted his own smear campaign against his admiral - partially to assist in his own exoneration in the loss of his ship, and to curry favor with the press, which came to view him as a victim of Curro's incompetence. Curro's other captains, with the exception of Malvino de Torrecilla, were intimidated into silence. De Torrecilla, however, defended his admiral vigorously, and went to the extremity of writing a letter to Captain Adomaitis, asking for the Liotainian commander to weigh in on the controversy.

Upon receiving de Torrecilla's letter on the 3rd of February, Adomaitis immediately wrote to the Firoccan court-martial, praising Curro's "supreme skill" during the battle, and scorning the charges against him. In a second private letter to de Torrecilla, Adomaitis also praised *Principe Armando*'s performance, stating "*I should like very much to make your further acquaintance after the end of the war, and dislike very much to encounter you again prior to the cessation of hostilities...*"

In the end, despite de Torrecilla's defense and Adomaitis's letter of support, public opinion caused the Armada court-martial to censure Admiral Curro. Captain Coraza used the opportunity to profit from his superior's misfortune, and swung his own promotion to Admiral - at the expense of de Torrecilla. However, de Torrecilla's skill and bravery in defending the rest of Curro's ships was not entirely overlooked, as King Emmanuel of Firocco awarded him a jeweled sword, and a considerable sum of money as a token of regard.