The Fireship (novel)
Encyclopedia
The Fireship is one of a series of nautical novels by C. Northcote Parkinson
. It is set in the late 18th century, when Britain
was at war with Revolutionary
France
. Parkinson's hero is a junior naval officer. Unlike many fictional officers Parkinson's hero, Richard Delancey
, does not have any powerful patrons to ease his way to promotion.
In The Devil to Pay
, the first novel Parkinson wrote about Delancey, his hero goes through a long series of adventures before he can find himself an appointment. In The Fireship Delancey has a position. He is the second lieutenant of HMS Glatton
, a converted vessel from the British East India Company
, fitted with an experimental armament consisting of all short-range, large-caliber carronade
s.
HMS Glatton is part of Admiral Adam Duncan
's fleet blockading
the Batavian Republic
.
.
The main grievance of the mutineers were over pay and working conditions. The sailors hadn't received a raise in decades, whereas the soldiers had just received a significant raise. Discipline was harsh and most of the seamen were conscripts.
Unsurprisingly, Admiral Duncan's fleet was seriously affected.
Quick thinking on the part of the first lieutenant of Delancey's ship prevents the mutiny from taking hold, and the Glatton is able to join Admiral Duncan's ship, and bluff until the rest of the fleet joins him. But he had to shoot a mutineer to do so.
Since the mutineer's death occurred in port, the first lieutenant has to stay ashore, and Delancey has to assume his duties. He is acting first lieutenant when the Dutch fleet leaves port and is engaged by Admiral Duncan's fleet.
The Battle of Camperdown
is a decisive victory.
Every ship's first lieutenant is to be promoted to commander
.
But Delancey's colleague has been acquitted, and the Captain wants him to receive the promotion, not Delancey. The Captain wants to make sure the trial does not put a black mark against this loyal
officer's career — And the first lieutenant, after all had the primary responsibility for training the crew so that their performance was exemplary.
Delancey is bitter, but he does receive command of a fireship. He makes the most of this, by researching the history of fireships. Fire was a very serious danger aboard sailing ships.
Their upper works could be bone dry, and very highly flammable materials, like pitch, were used in their construction. Fireships were ships intended to be sailed against enemy fleets at anchor, loaded with incendiaries. Big hooks are hung from her upper works, to entangle with the enemies ship's rigging. When they get close to the enemy fleet, the incendiaries are set alight.
Delancey finds that if he can find an opportunity to make effective use of his vessel, and it is destroyed while burning an enemy vessel he can count on promotion.
It seems a long shot. But a French expedition to stir up sedition in rural Ireland provides him with his opportunity.
C. Northcote Parkinson
Cyril Northcote Parkinson was a British naval historian and author of some sixty books, the most famous of which was his bestseller Parkinson's Law, which led him to be also considered as an important scholar within the field of public administration.-Early life and education:The youngest son of...
. It is set in the late 18th century, when Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
was at war with Revolutionary
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Parkinson's hero is a junior naval officer. Unlike many fictional officers Parkinson's hero, Richard Delancey
Richard Delancey (fictional character)
Richard Delancey is the hero of a series of novels by historian C. Northcote Parkinson.Delancey is a citizen of the Island of Guernsey who rises, through merit, through the Royal Navy,during its late 18th Century wars with America and France.-See also:...
, does not have any powerful patrons to ease his way to promotion.
In The Devil to Pay
The Devil to Pay (novel)
The Devil to Pay is one of a series of nautical novels by C. Northcote Parkinson. It is set in the late 18th Century, when Britain was at war with Revolutionary France. Parkinson's hero is a junior naval officer...
, the first novel Parkinson wrote about Delancey, his hero goes through a long series of adventures before he can find himself an appointment. In The Fireship Delancey has a position. He is the second lieutenant of HMS Glatton
HMS Glatton (1795)
HMS Glatton was a 56-gun fourth rate of the Royal Navy. She was launched as the Glatton, an East Indiaman, on 29 November 1792 by Wells & Co. of Blackwell. The Royal Navy bought her in 1795 and converted her into a warship. Glatton was unusual in that for a time she was the only ship-of-the-line...
, a converted vessel from the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, fitted with an experimental armament consisting of all short-range, large-caliber carronade
Carronade
The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s.
HMS Glatton is part of Admiral Adam Duncan
Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan of Camperdown
Adam Duncan, 1st Viscount Duncan was a British admiral who defeated the Dutch fleet off Camperdown on 11 October 1797. This victory was considered one of the most significant actions in naval history.-Life:...
's fleet blockading
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
the Batavian Republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
.
Plot summary
In 1797, the year the novel begins, the Royal Navy was beset by two serious mutiniesSpithead and Nore mutinies
The Spithead and Nore mutinies were two major mutinies by sailors of the Royal Navy in 1797. There were also discontent and minor incidents on ships in other locations in the same year. They were not violent insurrections, being more in the nature of strikes, demanding better pay and conditions...
.
The main grievance of the mutineers were over pay and working conditions. The sailors hadn't received a raise in decades, whereas the soldiers had just received a significant raise. Discipline was harsh and most of the seamen were conscripts.
Unsurprisingly, Admiral Duncan's fleet was seriously affected.
Quick thinking on the part of the first lieutenant of Delancey's ship prevents the mutiny from taking hold, and the Glatton is able to join Admiral Duncan's ship, and bluff until the rest of the fleet joins him. But he had to shoot a mutineer to do so.
Since the mutineer's death occurred in port, the first lieutenant has to stay ashore, and Delancey has to assume his duties. He is acting first lieutenant when the Dutch fleet leaves port and is engaged by Admiral Duncan's fleet.
The Battle of Camperdown
Battle of Camperdown
The Battle of Camperdown was a major naval action fought on 11 October 1797 between a Royal Navy fleet under Admiral Adam Duncan and a Dutch Navy fleet under Vice-Admiral Jan de Winter...
is a decisive victory.
Every ship's first lieutenant is to be promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
.
But Delancey's colleague has been acquitted, and the Captain wants him to receive the promotion, not Delancey. The Captain wants to make sure the trial does not put a black mark against this loyal
officer's career — And the first lieutenant, after all had the primary responsibility for training the crew so that their performance was exemplary.
Delancey is bitter, but he does receive command of a fireship. He makes the most of this, by researching the history of fireships. Fire was a very serious danger aboard sailing ships.
Their upper works could be bone dry, and very highly flammable materials, like pitch, were used in their construction. Fireships were ships intended to be sailed against enemy fleets at anchor, loaded with incendiaries. Big hooks are hung from her upper works, to entangle with the enemies ship's rigging. When they get close to the enemy fleet, the incendiaries are set alight.
Delancey finds that if he can find an opportunity to make effective use of his vessel, and it is destroyed while burning an enemy vessel he can count on promotion.
It seems a long shot. But a French expedition to stir up sedition in rural Ireland provides him with his opportunity.