The Fox of France

Chapter 285: The Leak

Despite paying their respects to the relentless "USS America," Captain Lefebvre had no intentions of going easy on her. However, at this moment, a French squadron had arrived from the port of New Orleans, with the frigate "D'Adaniou" leading the way.

The "D'Adaniou" was a standard frigate armed with 40 guns and would typically overpower the "USS America." But the current circumstances were quite different. On the port side of the "USS America," there were only two guns left due to the damage caused by the angled masts at her bow. This significantly reduced her speed as well. So, even when facing the "D'Adaniou," the "USS America" couldn't fight or escape effectively.

On the other side, the "Constitution" was working diligently to evade the pursuit of the American gunboat. If they could recruit enough sailors in the port of Santo Domingo, the "Constitution" would easily crush the "Rafaelite" gunboat like squashing an ant.

However, given the complex situation in Santo Domingo, Captain Lefebvre and Victor were concerned about the possibility of recruiting American sailors who might collaborate with their imprisoned compatriots. This could lead to unforeseen complications. Therefore, the "Constitution" hadn't recruited a single sailor in Santo Domingo. They had just transferred some of the sailors from the "Free Trade" to handle the ship.

The consequence of this decision was that the "Constitution" had numerous large guns but not a single gunner. Yet, even so, it wasn't easy for the "Rafaelite" to deal with the "Constitution." Firstly, the "Constitution" was incredibly fast. Despite removing some heavy guns to reduce weight and increase speed, the "Rafaelite" still struggled to catch up. Especially when the "Constitution" was determined to flee.

The chase between two sailboats with similar speeds could last for a long time, even extending from low latitudes to near the polar regions, much like a certain movie. The chase between the "Rafaelite" and the "Constitution" had a similar feeling. So, at this moment, the two ships were still sailing in circles at sea.

During this process, the "Rafaelite" constantly launched attacks using the ship's cannons. The "Rafaelite" had 12-pound cannons that couldn't penetrate the hull of the "Constitution, an American ship that they knew well. However, 12-pound cannons could still damage the "Constitution's" sails, reducing its speed.

Compared to the ship's hull, sails were much larger targets and easier to hit. But because of their size, they were challenging to damage significantly. Even chain shot could only tear a small hole in the massive sails, causing limited damage. To significantly reduce a sailboat's speed, multiple hits were required, which took time.

So, the "Constitution" had not slowed down significantly until now. Meanwhile, on the other side, the battle was approaching its conclusion. The "Congress" had turned, the "USS America" raised the Saint George flag, and the formidable steam warship was heading their way.

The captain of the "Rafaelite," Lieutenant Murich, immediately made a decision, "This operation has already failed. The biggest issue now is how to escape."

He gave the order, "Full speed retreat!"

However, escaping from the pursuit of the "Free Trade" wasn't easy. The "Free Trade" was much faster. Still, they couldn't give up on running. Captain Murich knew that the "Rafaelite" had one advantage - it had a shallower draft, allowing it to navigate in areas inaccessible to the American "Free Trade." There was such a region nearby, but whether they could reach it before the "Free Trade" caught up was uncertain.

In truth, the "Free Trade" had no intention of catching the "Rafaelite." Their ammunition was running low, and they were close to depleting their reserves. It wasn't worth consuming more resources for such a small ship. The "Free Trade" had chased to ensure the "Constitution" returned safely.

As the "Free Trade" escorted the "Constitution" back, the battle on the sea was reaching its final moments. By this time, all the guns on the "USS America" had been destroyed, and the "D'Adaniou" had started using chain shots to attack the "USS America's" sails. They wanted to further reduce its sailing capabilities and board the ship for capture.

In this situation, Captain Thomas ordered the abandonment of the ship. The damaged sailors clung to barrels and other floating objects, jumping into the sea, while Captain Thomas himself held a torch and entered the ship's cabin. Before long, the ship was engulfed in flames.

Initially, the French had considered trying to put out the fire, but the flames spread rapidly. Evidently, while the "D'Adaniou" was busy destroying the ship's sails, the sailors on board had scattered gunpowder and other incendiaries everywhere.

This ship was truly ablaze, and even in modern times, it might not be salvageable. At this point, there was nothing to do but watch it burn.

Watching the "USS America" being consumed by flames, Captain Lefebvre said to Victor, "Monsieur Treville, we couldn't capture the enemy ship this time... It's a pity, it was a fine vessel."

"A real shame, it was a fine ship indeed," Victor sighed in agreement. But he quickly added, "However, this ship was already outdated from the moment it was commissioned. Nowadays, the high seas belong to steam warships."

"At least, we're the only ones in the world with functional steam warships," Captain Lefebvre remarked.

Just as Captain Lefebvre spoke these words, on the Faslane Bay, west of Glasgow in Scotland, a new ship was undergoing secret tests. It was a steamship, but unlike most steamships, it had no visible paddlewheel.

The ship wasn't large, and it was evident that it had been modified from the steam frigates that had been outperformed by the French near the coast of Ireland. It lacked paddlewheels, masts, and sails, but it was an experimental vessel. There was a sail frigate accompanying it, so even if there was a machinery malfunction, they had a backup.

Now, in the evening breeze, the ship began to accelerate, leaving its escort, the "Wonder," a frigate, trailing behind, unable to match its speed.

"General, the experimental ship is now going at least 15 knots. It appears that this is the secret of the French steamship's remarkable speed," Second Officer Jack Aubrey reported to the man standing beside him in a full general's uniform, holding a telescope, observing the experimental vessel closely.

"You're right, Jack. The screw propeller is indeed an excellent design, eliminating the greatest weakness of steamships. With this technology, steamships can truly become warships," the general commented, but he let out a sigh.

"General, why the sigh? We've succeeded, haven't we?" Jack asked.

"Yes, we've succeeded. But Jack, the era of sails has already passed," the general extended his hand, patting the shoulder of the young Jack Aubrey, "The things we've been studying our whole lives might have dissipated into the black smoke rising from this ship. Fortunately, you're still young, and you have time to learn new things."

"General, you're not old either, you're not even fifty yet. And if you learned all the techniques for sail ships and fleet warfare in the past, you can surely figure out the best tactics for these new warships. Don't you think this task is challenging?" Jack said.

"Ah, Jack, you're right. I shouldn't have entertained thoughts of slacking off. Well, you must study hard, and when my 'Victory' is eventually converted into a steam warship, and if you continue to excel, I'll invite you on board..."

At this moment, the steamship in front made a turn and began to return. This area was relatively remote, with very few ships passing through. However, now that it was getting dark, it was time to head back.

Yet, neither Jack nor the "General" noticed that someone on the coastal side was hiding behind a large rock, using a telescope to watch from afar.

A few days later, within the Bonaparte family, the three brothers found themselves in another argument.

"All the current signs indicate that, Joseph, your security measures were lacking, and there's a leak on your end. They stole the secret of the screw propeller," Lucien stated.

"Lucien, it's not necessarily my fault. The screw propeller design is so simple that anyone who looks at it can uncover the secret. I think it's more likely that the secret leaked during the production process. But you're focusing on my department, and now you want to investigate my people, which could seriously disrupt our work," Joseph countered.

"Joseph, of course, we'll investigate the production process, but you don't think your department could be the source of the problem? A little investigation won't hurt," Lucien said.

"Yes, Joseph, we can certainly investigate. It won't harm anyone as long as we don't wrongly accuse people," Napoleon added.

"Fine, we can investigate, but it can't disrupt the normal operations of the research department, and the investigators can't let the existence of the investigation be known," Joseph made a slight concession. "Also, I'll reiterate, the screw propeller is extremely simple, so simple that anyone can grasp it with a single glance. We mustn't make the same mistake the British did with torpedoes."