The Timeless Traveller: This week’s update

This session was expected to be the last … but it wasn't!

As Nordian and his two guards arrived in the main hall, the group noticed that the conjoined Munch (the Songweaver) and Hooded man had begun to act differently now that the amulet had been removed from the Hooded Man’s chest. The group investigated the amulet and discovered that the Hooded Men had a weakness in the presence of radium.

Vale (the Shepherd) communicated subconsciously with the conjoined Munch and Hooded Man and tried to calm the Hooded Man … and Vale’s mind was filled with images of a small house near a stream in a forest. A woman was standing outside the house and smiling at a man who was walking towards her … and then the house and woman was consumed in a fire! The man’s mind descended into darkness, and the image of a ceremony being conducted by the High Priestess replaced that of the burning house and woman. In response to a screamed order from the Priestess, everyone present ripped open their chest and plunged an amulet into the hole … and each of them suddenly felt that they were being granted access to an omnipotent power.

Vale 'sees' the conjoined Hooded Man's memories,.

With this new knowledge, the group decided that they could use their newly-acquired amulet to ambush the High Priestess.

Nordian ordered his men and the servants to assist the people who had been injured during the fighting and to take the worst casualties to the infirmary. He then addressed the group and stressed the fact that the Hooded Men needed to be herded together and eliminated.

In reply, Callistra (the Hunter) told Nordian what had happened and that the group intended to go to the ship’s garden to investigate the tree and the statue, and especially the relationship between the servants and the tree. Nordian then told everyone that the servants were magically linked to the ship via the tree.

Callistra then asked if it was possible for the captain to change the ship’s course so that it would avoid the position of the sunken temple. Nordian agreed that this could be done and sent a loyal guard up to the deck to ask the captain to turn the ship to starboard.

Bumble (the Stormshifter) also agreed to go up on deck – just in case – and after hugging Elandra, he turned into a bee and flew up to the open deck area. As he did this, the rest of the group used the portal to go to the ship’s garden.

Once on deck, Bumble settled near the captain and watched him very reluctantly change the ship’s course in compliance with the message from Nordian that was brought to him by the guard.

When they arrived in the ship’s garden, the group found the tree in the centre of the garden surrounded by small points of light that were flying around it, and close by they could see the statue of the female version of Herne the Hunter.

The wisp tree and the statue of the female version of Herne the Hunter in the ship's garden,.

Using his ability to communicate subconsciously, Vale attempted to influence the conjoined Hooded Man to listen to Munch. He also challenged the conjoined Hooded Man’s belief in the High Priestess … and was met with an admission that his life was no better as an acolyte than he had been before he had become one. To calm and reassure him, Munch agreed to protect him as best he could.

It was generally agreed that the tree had holy magical power, and Johnny-Baptiste (the Cheat) detected that its power could be channelled for good or evil … and that it was currently being used as a conduit for an external power.

Callistra prayed to female statue of Herne the Hunter … and immediately recognised the tree as being a wisp tree, which was the parent of all the spirits of the woods, and was currently being used to create the ship’s servants. As she communicated this to the rest of the group, the ship suddenly lurched!

Watched by Bumble in his bee form, the ship's captain is confronted by the High Priestess and several Hooded Men, two of whom have dragged the dwarf on deck.

On deck, two Hooded Men had appeared through the portal, dragging the dwarf, between them. As they did so, two further Hooded Men appeared next to the captain. Sensing that matters were rapidly developing, Bumble changed back into human form and attempted to turn the ship, causing it to lurch violently. A Hooded Man had tried to prevent Bumble from turning the ship whilst the two with the dwarf attempted force an amulet onto his chest.

This had the immediate effect of causing the High Priestess to appear. As she moved towards the centre of the deck, she began shouting ‘Come forward the willing!’ … and some of the Hooded Men immediately began to self-immolate using the fake dagger.

The group used the portal to go to the open deck, and Ragnar (the Berserker) immediately went berserk and began attacking one of the Hooded Men near the High Priestess. As he did this, Vale cast a spell to protect Callistra as the latter moved towards the High Priestess. Callistra attempted to use her ability to entice the High Priestess, but this proved ineffective and the High Priestess moved towards Vale.

Whilst Ragnar charged forward to attack the Hooded Men surrounding the High Priestess, several tried to immolate themselves, including one who exploded.

The conjoined Hooded Man and Munch teleported to a lantern near to the captain and Bumble to assist them. He cast a spell on the Hooded Man who was next to the captain … but it rebounded and turned the conjoined pair into a squirrel who was obsessed with finding acorns!

Whilst the confused fighting continued, the conjoined Munch and Hooded Man – in squirrel form – found a barrel of acorns,.

Callistra used her ‘hunter’s mark’ on the Hooded Man that Ragnar had wounded. She then killed one of the Hooded Men and attempted to use her ‘hunter’s mark’ on the High Priestess.

Johnny-Baptiste saw an opportunity to get above the fighting by climbing a mast and standing in one of the fighting tops. He threw his knife at the High Priestess and the Hooded Man standing next to her … and missed!

Johnny-Baptiste attempts to throw her knife at the High Priestess from his position in one of the ship's fighting tops,.

Bumble also joined in the attempts to kill the High Priestess. He used a lightning spell to attack her … and succeeded in wounding her! He then resumed his bear form.

The High Priestess suddenly disappeared, although her voice could still be heard cursing everyone around her. Meanwhile, the conjoined Hooded Man and Munch – still in squirrel form – found a barrel full of nuts on deck and jumped into it … and then changed back into their original form, causing the barrel to explode!

The fighting on deck became very confusing. Johnny-Baptiste jumped down from the fighting top to join in … but ended up falling into a hole in the deck; Callistra used her ‘hunter’s mark’ on yet another Hooded Man and wounded him; Ragnar cut a Hooded Man in two with his battle axe; Vale’s dog attacked yet another Hooded Man and wounded him before healing some of Callistra’s wounds; and Bumble attacked a Hooded Man next to the captain before touching the ship’s controls and turning it.

As this was happening, a Hooded Man who was not involved in the fighting began praying and gesticulating.

The confused fighting continued. A Hooded Man tried to attack Johnny-Baptiste, but Callistra interceded and prevent Johnny-Baptiste from being injured. However, the Hooded Man then self-immolated himself and exploded, wounding Callistra, Johnny-Baptiste, Ragnar, and Vale in the process. At the same time, another Hooded Man stabbed himself and died … but without exploding.

A book then suddenly appeared on deck, and the High Priestess’s voice could be heard laughing. This encouraged a Hooded Man to attack the ship’s captain and changed the ship’s course, but Bumble tried to stop him and was wounded in the process.

The High Priestess’s voice became louder and the curses more vehement …

Although the High Priestess was no longer visible, her voice could be heard cursing everyone who was trying to interfere with her ritual,.

... and suddenly Vale was transported to the side of the ship and left hanging over the open sea! A massive fireball then hit the deck, seriously wounded Callistra and Ragnar, and set the ship on fire.

Vale was left dangling over the side of the burning ship.

Realising that the High Priestess was going to be victorious, Munch took a potion he had acquired from Umber from his coat and drank it … and suddenly everyone returned to the positions they were in when the group had arrived on deck some time before.

When Munch drank the time-shifting potion he had obtained from Umber, time fractured and everyone returned to the positions they were in when the group first emerged on deck,.

Yet again, time had been turned back!

---

It looks as if the group of intrepid adventurers and going to have yet another chance to destroy the High Priestess and her acolytes, the Hooded Men!

A glorious gift!

One of the people I met as a result of joining the Dice on the Hill games group at Shrewsbury House Community Centre was Richard Watson. He has been one of the duty managers of the community centre for some years and is both a wargamer and a model railway enthusiast. We have chatted about both hobbies and last year we managed to fight three wargames:

• Spartans vs. Athenians (March 2025)
• The Battle of the Falkland Islands (November 2025)
• The Battle of Scrobbesburh (December 2025)

Richard knows that I am particularly interested in 009/HO9 model railways and that I have a small layout ... the Mucking Flats & Fobbing Marsh Light Railway (MF&FMLR).

My Mucking Flats & Fobbing Marsh Light Railway (MF&FMLR) model railway layout.

Richard has been unwell for some time, and it was a great pleasure to see him at Shrewsbury House last week ... and not just because he had a bag full of bits and pieces for me!

Whilst he was off work, he had been having a bit of a clear out, and had selected some of his surplus 009/HO9 model railway locomotives and rolling stock that he thought that I would find useful. He was right ... and I am now the proud possessor of the following:

Two Liliput/Bachmann Fasslwagen Zillertalbahn (Barrel wagon, Zillertal Railway)

A Liliput/Bachmann Aussichtswagen Museumwagen (Observation carriage/museum carriage)

A Liliput/Bachmann Personnelwagen 2.Klasse (Second-class passenger carriage)

Two Playcraft open-sided passenger carriages (that were known as 'toast racks')

Four Minitrains dumper wagons

A Minitrains Diesel 0-4-0 Locomotive

A Liliput 0-4-0 Diesellokomotive Zillertalbahn (Diesel locomotive, Zillertal Railway)

A Minitrains 0-4-0 Fiddletown & Copperopolis tender locomotive with four different carriages plus

A Minitrains Fiddletown & Copperopolis baggage wagon

---

The Fiddletown & Copperopolis railway was the fictional creation of cartoonist Carl Falberg. A compilation of his Fiddletown & Copperopolis cartoons was published as Fiddletown and Copperopolis - The life and times of an uncommon carrier in 1960, the cartoons having orignially appeared in issues of the RAILROAD magazine. The book was republished in 1985, 1998, 2003, and 2012.

I should have been in hospital today

Over a year ago, I had a UTI (urinary tract infection) that required me to undertake a course of anti-biotics. My doctor felt that there might be an underlying cause that was related to my prostate cancer and referred me to the local hospital's urology department.

I was seen by the consultant urologist and as a result I had a flexible cystoscopy which showed that there were tiny nodules in my urinary tract and he felt that these could 'trap' the bacteria that can cause UTIs. I was therefore booked in to have them removed, and in early January I went to Blackheath Hospital for the procedure. However, the anaesthetist was unhappy that the hospital did not have an onsite ICU (Intensive Care Unit) or HDU (High Dependency Unit) and cancelled the operation minutes before I was due to go to theatre.

I have been waiting ever since to have the operation, and underwent a pre-op assessment in May ... but then heard nothing. This 'expired' a few weeks back, and I had another assessment earlier this month. This was followed up by an appointment to go to University Hospital Lewisham for the operation today.

So why am I not in hospital today?

The answer is simple; I came down with a heavy cold earlier this week and the anaesthetist thought that it would be foolhardy for me to be anaesthetised. I have been told that the operation should be rearranged for a date within the next month but I have yet to know when.

---

I have written this very personal blog post becuase Blogger's statistics indicate that the majority of my regular blog readers are males who fall into the age group who are most likely to suffer from prostate cancer. I am sure that the majority of them are already being screened for this cancer as it is the most common one that afflicts men. However, there may be some who haven't been screened, and to them I direct the following thought:

'DONT THINK ABOUT IT! GET YOU PROSTATE SCREENED! IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!'

I left my first test a bit too long, and ended up having to have chemotherapy and radiotherapy. I now have prostate cancer that will be with me for the rest of my life ... but thanks to my regular treatment, I'll die with the cancer and not from it!

The Ton-class minesweepers

Sea mines were a major threat to shipping during both World Wars, and during both conflicts the Royal Navy had hundreds of minesweepers in service. Some were specially designed and built ships, and some were merchant trawlers and drifters that were taken into service, often with their original crews.

In the period after the Second World War, the Royal Navy decided to build two classes of minesweepers for inshore and coastal work. The former were the Ham-class (and their related Ley-class) and the latter were the Ton-class.

A side view of the Ton-class minesweeper as designed,.

One hundred and nineteen Ton-class minesweepers were launched between 1952 and 1959, and they served in several navies besides the Royal Navy:

• Argentine Navy: Four ex-Royal Navy and two ex-Royal New Zealand Navy ships.
• Royal Australian Navy: Six ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Ghanaian Navy: One ex-Royal Navy ship.
• Indian Navy: Four ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Irish Navy: Three ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Royal Malaysian Navy: Seven ex-Royal Navy ships.
• Royal New Zealand Navy: Two ex-Royal Navy ships.
• South African Navy: Two built to order and eight ex-Royal Navy ships.

HMAS Curlew, the former HMS Chediston.

The class's characteristics were:

• Displacement: 440 tons
• Dimensions:
• Length: 152ft (46m)
• Beam: 28ft (8.5m)
• Draught: 8ft (2.4m)
• Propulsion: 2 x Mirrlees diesel engines (later 2 x Napier Deltic engines) each powering a propellor
• Speed: 15 knots
• Complement: 33
• Armament: 1 x Bofors 40mm anti-aircraft gun; 1 x Oerlikon 20 mm anti-aircraft gun or 1 x M2 Browning 0.5-inch machine gun

The hulls were built of two layers of mahogany on an aluminium fame, and as many fittings as possible were made of non-ferromagnetic metals in order to reduce  the ships' magnetic signature. Their shallow draft and small displacement gave them some protection against contact mines and pressure and mines and allowed them to operate in shallow inshore and coastal waters.

The ships were originally fitted with Mirrlees diesal engines, but these were replaced by Napier Deltic diesal engines. The latter were an opposed-piston, valveless, supercharged, two-stroke diesel engine that were designed to have a high power-to-weight ratio. The design was very effective and was employed in numerous small warships (e.g. Royal Navy Dark-class and Norwegian Tjeld or Nasty-class,fast attack craft) as well as British Railways Class 55 locomotives).

---

Special mention should be made of two Ton-class ships, HMS Bronington and HMS Wilton:

• HMS Bronington was commanded by the-then Lieutenant Charles, Prince of Wales (now King Charles III) from February to December 1976. She is currently awaiting preservation.
• HMS Wiltonwas launched on 18th January 1972 and commissioned on 14th July 1970, and was a specially-built Ton-class minesweeper with a glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) hull. Most of her fittings were salvaged from the hull of HMS Derriton when the latter was scrapped. The experimental use of GRP proved successful, and the subsequent Hunt-class minesweepers were built with GRP hulls. She currently serves as a the floating clubhouse of the Essex Yacht Club at Leigh-on-Sea, Essex. 

HMS Bronington.

The Timeless Traveller: This week’s update

As matters move towards a conclusion, events became more confused, violent, and just a little surreal!

Rather than immediately follow the two Hooded Men towards the toilets – as advised by the tea drinkers Callistra (the Hunter) had spoken to – the group decided to protect the twins, Elandra, and Thinkertop’s assistant – Aya – by placing them on the gallery surrounding the main hall. Mankare (the Shadowmancer) and Vale (the Shepherd) accompanied them whilst Ragnar (the Berserker) waited at the bottom of the stairs to prevent anyone from climbing up to the gallery.

Once this had been done, Mankare plucked one of his spirits from a nearby shadow and sent it down into the main hall, where it joined Callistra and Munch (the Songweaver). They then made their way towards the corridor leading to the toilets, whilst Bumble (the Stormshifter) and Johnny-Baptiste (the Cheat) remained in the main hall.

As they entered the corridor, Callistra and Munch saw a figure making some sort of ritual gestures with his hands whilst muttering to himself. They did not recognise him, and assuming that he might be one of the High Priestess’s acolytes, they approached him and tried to restrain him. In reply, he shouted out, ‘You don’t understand; Let me go!’

Whilst Callistra attempted to question the man, Munch showed him the book that he had acquired. This startled the man, and when Callistra and Munch asked him searching questions, his replies were confused and very unclear. Munch put the book away and then threatened to set the man’s face on fire if he didn’t say who he had been praying to. In reply, the man shouts, ‘You will burn when the Titan rises!’

At this point, Callistra become aware of a metal object on the man’s chest … which is one of the amulets embedded into the bodies of the Hooded Men. Before she can react, the amulet exploded in a mass of flame, killing the man and burning Callistra slightly. Munch searched the man’s body and found a sword, and looked for fragments of the amulet, but these seem to have embedded themselves in the corridor’s walls.

Watched by Munch, Callistra pulled the amulet from the chest of the Hooded Man, causing him to explode,.

The explosion caused Bumble to turn into a bear and move towards the centre of the main hall whilst Ragnar rushed towards the scene. Realising that the situation has become dangerous, Vale cast a protective spell on the twins.

Vale cast a protective spell over the twins whilst Ragnar rushed down the stairs from the gallery and into the main hall,.

As this came into effect, Callistra entered the main hall by the hole blown in the wall by the explosion … and then all hell seemed to break out! Hooded Men seemed to appear at every entrance to the main hall as well as in the corridor. Two approached Callistra and Munch and another fired an arrow at the twins, An innocent person who was in the main hall was killed by a stray arrow and Callistra and Munch found themselves under attack. Both were wounded – in Munch’s case, seriously as he lost a leg – and whilst Mankare summoned up to two spirits to attack some of the Hooded Men and Ragnar successfully threw his axe at one of the Hooded Men attacking Callistra, Munch attempted to use his magical powers to regrow his leg … but something went wrong, and as the new leg grew, Munch and his attacker became a single entity, with much attached to his side!

There was then an explosion under the gallery, and the innocent bystanders who had not had time to react to the unfolding events in the main hall, suddenly started to run as fast as they could. During the ensuing mayhem, Johnny-Baptiste used their special knife-throwing skill to wound two of the Hooded Men, and Vale’s spirit dog ruched towards Callistra to heal her of her wounds. He also used a spell on one of the Hooded Men and wounded him.

Callistra was able to use her ‘Hunters Mark’ against the Hooded Man who was attacking her just as Ragnar – who had retrieved his axe – hit the same man. At the same time, another Hooded Man was attacked by two of Mankare’s shadow spirits

In attempting to separate himself from the Hooded Man he was now attached to, Munch tried to cut himself free … and only succeeded in hurting himself as well! He did – however – unsuccessfully try to influence the Hooded Man to kill one of the other Hooded Men.

Bumble remained in his bear from and lumbered to the far end of the main hall where he fought with a Hooded Man, with the result that both ended up wounded. Whilst this fight was taking place, two Hooded Men appeared underneath the gallery, and immediately one of them jumped onto a table and tried – unsuccessfully – to climb up to stab one of the twins. Mankare reacted at once, and shot the man in the face.

Johnny-Baptiste ended up being attacked and wounded by two Hooded Men and one of Mankare’s spirits was destroyed by a Hooded Man. Ragnar continued to fight with the Hooded Man who had attacked Callistra … and went berserk! He wielded his axe above his head and brought it down onto the head of the Hooded Man he was fighting with … cut him in half!

Side by side, Ragnar and Callistra fought the Hooded Men.

At this point, the conjoined Hooded Man/Munch smashed its way through the wall of the corridor and into the main hall … and a pair of huge butterfly wings began to grow out of its back!

Elsewhere, Bumble ripped the head off the Hooded Man he had been fighting ...

Bumble – in the guise of a bear – fought and killed one of the Hooded Men.

... and Johnny-Baptiste ran into cover and tried to use their special knife-throwing skill to hit the two Hooded Man who had attacked them. Unfortunately, he missed, but the knife returned to him undamaged. Callistra fired two arrows at one of the Hooded Men. The first wounded him and the second pinned him to the wall of the main hall.

Still attached to the Hooded Man, Munch used a lightning spell to attack to of the Hooded Men and killed one and wounded the other. However, this exhausted him, and the conjoined Hooded Man/Munch collapsed to the ground … and almost immediately they became a huge cocoon!

The cocoon!.

Fighting continued across the main hall. Vale used a spell on two of the Hooded Men and killed one of them, and Mankare used one of his shadow spirits to attack the Hooded Man he had shot in the face … and the spirit ripped the man in two!

Ragnar attempted to cut the cocoon open … and then he saw Munch’s face looking at him. The cocoon them split open, and the conjoined Hooded Man/Munch stood up. The conjoined figure was over three metres tall, still had its wings, and the Hooded Man’s body was now heavily muscled.

The conjoined Hooded Man and Munch rose out of the cocoon, propelled by their butterfly wings.

Johnny-Baptiste ran forward from cover and fought one of the Hooded Men. Initially, he wounded the Hooded Man, but his second blow killed him. Bumble changed back into his normal form and immediately began to give aid to a seriously wounded bystander.

The twins turned to Mankare and asked him if this was when they were going to be killed, but he reassured them that it was not going to happen. Alandra then had the idea to summon a servant and ask them to summon Nordian.

Munch attempted to teleport to a nearby flame … but his conjoined Hooded Man resisted this and attempted to break free.

The group now discussed what to do to help Munch. They managed to get a rope around the conjoined figure, and Ragnar – who was the strongest of the group – took hold of the free end. At the same time, Munch attempted to touch the Hooded Man’s amulet … but failed. This led to a struggle between Munch and the conjoined Hooded Man for ascendancy, and during this Bumble – who was by far and away the most dexterous member of the group, cut the amulet out of the Hooded Man’s chest … just as Nordian and two guards arrived in the main hall.

---

It looks as this adventure is likely to end at our next session ... but it is impossible to predict what might happen.

Some more Triang Minic 1:1200th-scale ships

I have made another foray onto eBay and have added four more Triang Minic 1:1200th-scale ships to my collection.

My four new Triang Minic Ton-class minesweepers.

They are four Ton-class minesweepers, HMS Carlton, HMS Dufton, HMS Repton, and HMS Upton ... and are splendid additions to my collection!

I sometimes think that my Belle Époque project might be hexed!

Whilst trying to find a way to draw the hex-gridded maps for my Belle Époque project, I have – at times – felt cursed ... which isn't that surprising when one considers the meaning of the word hex.

According to an online dictionary, the various meanings of the word hex are as follows:

1. Noun: A hex refers to an evil spell or curse that brings bad luck and trouble.
2. Verb: To hex someone or something means to put an evil spell on them to bring bad luck and trouble.
3. Adjective: Hex can be short for hexagonal, which means having a shape with six straight sides.
4. Jargon: In computing, hex is short for hexadecimal, which is a system of counting based on the number 16 rather than the number 10.

In the past, I have drawn my own hex grids and individual tiles using MS Paint ... but for a project this large, I wanted to find a terrain-drawing program that I could use. So far I have tried the following:

HexPad

HexAtlas

Hexer

Hextml

HexDraw

Hexographer

Having looked at each of the above, I concluded that HexDraw should be my first choice ... and then I discovered that it is currently unavailable as a new version is due to be launched sometime soon.

I therefore downloaded my second choice (Hexographer) and I began experimenting with it, but it has one major drawback as far as I am concerned ... the program is designed for use with a much larger screen tan the one on my laptop!

I am therefore left with three options:

1. Carry on using Hexographer ... and working as best I can with the screen size problem.
2. Wait until HexDraw2 become available.
3. Draw my own hex grids and individual tiles using MS Paint and accept the inevitable delay that this will cause.

I'm not sure which of these options I will choose ... but I must choose one if I want to use hex gridded maps for this project.

The Herring War: The Royal Norwegian Navy’s orders

Last year I was asked by Tim Gow to write the orders for the Royal Norwegian Navy forces taking part in his Herring War wargame. (A blog post about the game by Martin Rapier can be seen here.)

The orders I wrote can be seen below.

---

From:

Admiral Commanding His Majesty’s Royal Norwegian Navy

To:

Admiral Commanding the Fleet

Situation Appraisal:

I am commanded by the King and his government to instruct you to take the fleet to sea and reinforce our nation’s rights to fish in the waters of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea unhindered by the ships of another nations, to wit, the Navy of the Kingdom of Denmark.

The ships available to you are:

The battleship Mestag Berg

The light cruisers Torp Norum, Bo Morkid

The monitor Heltberg Rygh

The torpedo boat leader Vold

The torpedo boats TB1, TB2, TB4

In addition, the navy’s airship has been placed under your command.

(For Your Eyes Only: We have a spy stationed in Skagen who will report to the Admiralty and whose intelligence will be passed on to you.)

Orders:

Your force is to be organised as follows:

Main Force: Mestag Berg, Torp Norum, and Bo Morkid (the latter will be transporting the two landing companies, the two landing guns, the cyclist machine gun company, and the naval brigade’s staff)

Scouting Force: Vold, TB1, and TB2

Coastal Defence Force: Heltberg Rygh and TB4

The Scouting Force is to set sail an hour before the Main Force and is to sail in an arrow formation, with the TB Leader at the arrow point. If the weather is clear, the ships are to be 20,000 yards (10 miles) apart so that they can easily signal by flag/semaphore or signal lamps to each other. If the weather is bad, the distance to be reduced to 10,000 yards (5 miles) so that they can signal to each other using signal lamps.

The Main Force is to sail in line ahead with two cables (400 yards) between ships. It is to be led by your flagship, followed by the two light cruisers. The Force is to sail 20,000 yards (10 miles) astern of the Scouting Force so that any signals can read easily.

The Coastal Defence Force will patrol the coast off Kristiansand from I16 to M12 to deter any attacks on our main naval base. The airship is to operate from Larvik (Q4) and to patrol the area R9 to R16 to N19 to N14 to R9.

The Scouting Force shall sail from Kristiansand (I13) on a course towards Klitmøller (L24). Once it has reached L23, it will turn east towards Skagen (T16) to cover the operations of the Main Force. If no enemy ships have been discovered and attacked by the time the Scouting Force has reached T16, it will sail to Larvik (Q4). Any Danish fishing vessels found in the area are to be sunk and their crews taken aboard and treated with the utmost courtesy and care due to any fellow seafarer.

The Main Force will follow a similar course, but on reaching L23, the light cruiser will move into L24 and land the naval brigade it is carrying. The rest of the Main Force will cover this landing and engage and enemy resistance, be it from coastal defences or enemy ships.

Once Danish naval base at Klitmøller has been razed to the ground, its facilities destroyed, and any enemy naval vessel therein sunk by demolition or gunfire, the troops will be withdrawn, and the Main Force will return to Larvik. Any enemy ships that are intercepted whilst the Main Force sail towards Larvik are to be attacked and sunk (Q4). Any Danish fishing vessels found in the area are to be sunk and their crews taken aboard and treated with the utmost courtesy and care due to any fellow seafarer.

These orders are subject to alteration should the circumstances change. For example, if the airship discovers any major Danish naval units operating in the area bounded by Larvik (Q5), Skagen (T16) and Kristiansand (I13), its signals will be passed on to you, and you will have the discretion to change your priorities to sink those enemy ships.

I wish you to remember the words of the Royal Navy’s foremost admiral: “No captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of the enemy.”

Godspeed and wishing you great success,

Olaf Bjornsson (Admiral)

---

The tactical map of the area of operations.

The tactical map of the area of operations showing the courses and patrol areas laid down by the Admiral Commanding His Majesty's Royal Norwegian Navy. The orange line shows the course to be taken by the Scouting Force; the red line shows the course to be taken by the Main Force; the green line shows the Coastal Defence Force's patrol line; and the purple line shows the course and patrol area to be covered by the Norwegian airship.

American Civil War campaign: The Battle of Triangle!

This is a report of the first battle of the American Civil War campaign that Professor Gary Sheffield and I are fighting.

---

Report to the Confederate C-in-C from the commander of the 8th Cavalry Brigade, Triangle.

Sir, I beg to report an engagement with enemy forces at Triangle.

My brigade advanced to the settlement as ordered, and prepared field defences. An enemy force of cavalry, of greater strength than I had at my disposal, advanced south along the road from Unitedville.

Deploying a mix of dismounted and mounted troops, we succeeded in holding off the enemy for an entire day.

The enemy attempted to turn my right flank, thus cutting my line of retreat to Akragas City. Outnumbered, and with dusk approaching, I pulled back from Triangle village and cut my way out.

During this movement, we destroyed three Yankee mounted units. Such was the damage we inflicted on the enemy that they did not attempt to pursue us.

My force is falling back on Akragas City in good order

My losses are fairly light with all my units remaining intact.

I await your orders.

---

The situation after the Battle of Triangle.

So, the Confederate cavalry has been forced to withdraw, but they seem to have given the Union cavalry a bloody nose!

The post-war Daring-class destroyers

By the end of the Second World War, the Royal Navy was already looking to the future with regard to its warship designs. The lessons of the war were fresh in the minds of the Admiralty and the Royal Corps of Naval Constructors, and there was a desire to incorporate them in the next warships that were to be designed and introduced into service.

The Daring-class destroyers – along with the smaller Weapon-class destroyers – were the result. Whereas the latter were an intermediate-sized design that emphasised anti-aircraft capabilities and were intended to be built by shipyards whose building ways were too small to be used to build Battle-class destroyers, the Darings were large, fleet destroyers. Interestingly, the Weapons and the Darings both had their propulsion machinery arranged on the unit principle, with their boiler and engine rooms arranged alternately. This was intended to improve survivability in the event of battle damage. As a result, both classes had two funnels, the foremost being inside their lattice foremast.

A side view of the Daring-class destroyers as originally designed and built.

When the Darings were being designed, the Admiralty was beginning to explore the possibility of producing a new class of warships that combined the roles previously performed separately by light cruisers and destroyers. As such, the Daring-class can been seen as a step towards the fulfilment of that concept, and the following class of destroyers to be built - the County-class - were certainly classified by some commentators as light cruisers.

It was originally intended that a total of twenty Daring-class destroyers would be built, sixteen (enough for two flotillas) for the Royal Navy and four for the Royal Australian Navy. However, only eight were completed for the Royal Navy and three for the Royal Australian Navy, with the fourth Australian ship being cancelled after work had begun on her. Her remains were scrapped in situ to clear the slipway.

The completed Royal Navy ships were HMS Daring, HMS Dainty, HMS Defender, and HMS Delight (all of which were fitted with older DC [direct current] electrical systems), HMS Decoy, HMS Diamond, HMS Diana, and HMS Duchess (all of which were fitted with more modern AC [alternate current] electrical systems). The ships underwent some minor modernisation during the 1960s that saw the STAAG (Stabilised Tachymetric Anti-Aircraft Gun) mountings replaced by single 40mm mountings and the removal of first one and then both sets of torpedo tubes.

HMS Daring-class as built.

In 1969, HMS Diana and HMS Decoy were sold to the Peruvian Navy and renamed BAP Palacios and BAP Ferré. They were extensively modernised and remained in service until 1993 and 2007 respectively.

The completed Royal Australian Navy ships were HMAS Voyager, HMAS Vendetta, and HMAS Vampire. HMAS Voyager was sunk in February 1964 after a collision with the Australian aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. HMS Duchess was loaned to the Royal Australian Navy for four years to replace HMAS Voyager, and at the conclusion of the loan period, she was sold to the Royal Australian Navy.

The class's characteristics when built were:

• Displacement: 3,820 tons (full load)
• Dimensions:
• Length: 390ft (120 m)
• Beam: 43ft (13m)
• Draught: 12.75ft (3.89m)
• Propulsion: 2 x Foster Wheeler boilers providing steam to 2 x Parsons steam turbines (Royal Navy ships) or 2 x English Electric steam turbines (Royal Australian Navy ships) powering two propellors
• Speed: 30 knots
• Range: 4,400 nautical miles at 20 knots
• Complement: 297
• Sensors & processing systems: Type 293Q target indication radar; Type 291 air warning radar; Type 274 navigation radar; Type 275 fire control radar on director Mk.6; Type 262 fire control radars on director CRBF and STAAG Mk.2; Type 903 fire control radar on system MRS-3
• Armament: 3 × twin 4.5-inch/45 (114mm) Mk.5 guns in UD Mk.6 mountings; 2 × twin 40 mm/60 Bofors anti-aircraft guns in STAAG Mk.2 mountings; 1 × twin 40 mm/60 Bofors anti-aircraft guns in Mk.5 mounting; 2 × quintuple 21-inch (533mm) torpedo tubes; 1 × Squid anti-submarine mortar

The much-modernised BAP Palacios. She was equipped with two twin 4.5-inch/45 (114mm) Mk.5 guns in UD Mk.6 mountings, eight Exocet MM-38 surface-to-surface guided missiles, two twin OTO Melara 40mm/L70 DARDO compact guns, and an AB-212 anti-submarine helicopter.