Fixer and Fighter by Brian Harwood

Author:Brian Harwood
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Military
ISBN: 9781473877382
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Published: 2016-09-29T00:00:00+00:00

So dense was the fleet and in such good order that it was like a pitched battle. In advance proceeded the ship of Eustace the Monk, the great ship of Bayonne, who was its guide and master, and which contained the treasure of the king.2

The Cinque Ports sailors could see them too and when, at about eighty, they lost count of the French ships, many of them started to reconsider fishing as a better option and made to take their ships back to port. But Marshal, using his powers of persuasion, and potently describing the chances of taking a vast amount of treasure from the French fleet, converted their thinking and the mariners fell in behind Hubert’s leading ship as he, with no recorded sea captaincy experience, set out from Sandwich to adapt his castellan’s belligerent skills to a maritime environment. But before finally leaving the quayside Hubert had loaded various offensive materials that he hoped to put to effective use if the battle went in his favour. The importance of the French relief expeditionary force can be gauged by the seniority of its commanders. Sailing on the flagship with Eustace the Monk were, for example, Robert de Courtenay a cousin of Louis, and Nevelon de Chanle, son of the castellan of Arras, also senior nobility such as Ralph de la Tourniele, Guillaume le Maréchal and William des Barres. Eight large troop and equipment carriers held some 125 knights leading the force of thousands of men at arms, supported by scores of lesser supplies vessels and, not least an assortment of mercenary piratical ruffians out for whatever they could get. Also on board was millions in coin and bullion treasure; the war horses for the knights; and, not least, a state-of-the-art trebuchet catapult for destroying Dover.

Hubert sailed his ship ahead of the Cinque Ports fleet to feint an attack, but then put about away from the French lines in an apparently non-combatant manoeuvre; but Hubert had gained his ships the weather-gage, the prevailing wind now blowing from Hubert’s flotilla towards Eustace’s ships. His fleet followed him in line astern. The French, heading towards the Thames Estuary, made to ignore the English fleet apparently now going the other way. But French battle commander, Robert de Courtenay, had doubts and, deciding otherwise, he heeled his ship over to engage the nearest English vessel. To avoid a collision, Eustace’s ship had to swing away, but then struck the second ship of the English column commanded by Richard FitzJohn. Hubert’s ship was ahead of the collision but seeing the confusion, he then came about and trapped Eustace’s ship between his own and Fitzjohn’s. Two other English ships completed the sandwich and Robert de Courtenay was soon swimming for his life. The French fleet, now in disarray, all started to join battle with Hubert’s fleet: but now Hubert could make best use of his cogs. These made for Eustace’s now static ship and from their castle decks opened casks of unslaked powdered lime (Hubert’s secret weapon) and threw it into the easterly wind, taking the blinding clouds over the French vessels.

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