HFQ Official Snippet #7

Henry Brown wrote:That last sentence where Thirsk is thinking "there are only two of them. So far at least" makes me wonder if he is considering moving against Claw Island and the Charis fleet around it. He knows the ICN only has 2 armored ships in the region. He also knows that they are sailing ships. So even if the hulls are protected, the masts and rigging are still vulnerable.

I'm not saying that Thirsk is *eager* to fight armored ships with wooden ships. But if he is concerned about the possibility of the ICN receiving additional reinforcements, he might decide to try to force a battle now, before the odds get any worse. It could actually be an interesting battle if he could force an engagement before the KH VIIs arrive.

If Thirsk (or Zhwaigair) puts the pieces together then he may have a notion that something like the KHVIIs exist. If he realizes that Claw Island is needed as a coaling station then that would add urgency to an attack - he'll have to retake it while he still has a chance (even a poor one).

Thinking about it, a bigger surprise than the existence of the KHVIIs may be the power of their guns and how rapidly they fire.

jms

The Rottweilers are going to give him a lot of trouble they are fast and tough and their guns probably outrange his.

The other question is can he get to claw island before the KH get there.

Thank you RFC for the snippet.
"less than a dozen men - the most senior an army lieutenant-had escaped the debacle by commandeering a sixteen-foot sailing dinghy , somehow evading the Charisian pickets, and crossing the six hundred and seventy miles of stormy salt water between claw island and the Harchongese province of Kyznetzov"
This part of the snippet reminds me of Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage after the Mutiny on the Bounty. Bligh and eighteen loyal crewmen in a 23 foot (7 m) launch travelled 3,618 nautical miles to Timor which was the nearest Eurropean settlement. It took them 47 days.

bunyipbelle wrote:Thank you RFC for the snippet.
"less than a dozen men - the most senior an army lieutenant-had escaped the debacle by commandeering a sixteen-foot sailing dinghy , somehow evading the Charisian pickets, and crossing the six hundred and seventy miles of stormy salt water between claw island and the Harchongese province of Kyznetzov"
This part of the snippet reminds me of Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage after the Mutiny on the Bounty. Bligh and eighteen loyal crewmen in a 23 foot (7 m) launch travelled 3,618 nautical miles to Timor which was the nearest Eurropean settlement. It took them 47 days.

That is what I was thinking when I read the snippet.

Is anyone on Claw Island in the inner circle? If Thrisk were to try to retake the island the Rottweilers could defeat any number of opposing ships as long as they could be supplyed with ammo. A member of the inner circle could meet Thrisk far at sea and pound him into oblivion.

I don't see the inquisition is going to act against anybody in Dohlar... Actually, I sespect that they are going to be a non-factor real soon with Sharpfield coming from one direction and Eastshare coming from the other...

Clyntahn's reach grows shorter and shorter.

Don

n7axw wrote:I don't see the inquisition is going to act against anybody in Dohlar... Actually, I sespect that they are going to be a non-factor real soon with Sharpfield coming from one direction and Eastshare coming from the other...

Clyntahn's reach grows shorter and shorter.

Don

You're probably right, but I was thinking in terms of other fanatical regimes. When the end is near, they tend to step up their atrocities, and to clamp down even harder on anyone they perceive as an enemy. The Nazis come to mind, and Merlin has more than once compared the Inquisition to the Gestapo... I'm afraid they could still cause a lot of damage and hurt a lot more people before they're finally destroyed.

Is Sharpfield inner circle? You would think they would need at least one inner circle on the other side of the world.

=2014/09/29=

As far as I know, no one on Claw island is a member of the inner circle.

R
.

6L6 wrote:Is Sharpfield inner circle? You would think they would need at least one inner circle on the other side of the world.

bunyipbelle wrote:Thank you RFC for the snippet.
"less than a dozen men - the most senior an army lieutenant-had escaped the debacle by commandeering a sixteen-foot sailing dinghy , somehow evading the Charisian pickets, and crossing the six hundred and seventy miles of stormy salt water between claw island and the Harchongese province of Kyznetzov"
This part of the snippet reminds me of Lieutenant William Bligh's voyage after the Mutiny on the Bounty. Bligh and eighteen loyal crewmen in a 23 foot (7 m) launch travelled 3,618 nautical miles to Timor which was the nearest Eurropean settlement. It took them 47 days.

Comparing the Lt's escape in a sailing dinghy to CPT Bligh's accomplishment is a bit of apples and oranges. Sailing dinghies are basically light, shallow hulls designed to sail on the surface with lateral resistance coming from a centerboard or retractable keel, rather than the hull itself. Lifeboats have a deeper, narrower, heavier hull which is inherently more stable. Dinghies sit on the water while lifeboats sit in the water. Think of a 1x6 board with the 6" side resting on the water as the sailing dinghy. Think of a lifeboat as a 2x4 sitting in the water with the 4" side projecting down into the water. Without getting into a complicated discussion about form stability let me say, in this humble sailor's opinion, the Lt's voyage is an incredible effort and, should he survive the Inquisition, Safeholdian seamen will raise a glass to his accomplishment for centuries to come.