"The attack on the "General Armstrong" 1814 " Topic
1 Post
All members in good standing are free to post here. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the posters, and have not been cleared with nor are they endorsed by The Miniatures Page.
Please don't make fun of others' membernames.
For more information, see the TMP FAQ.
Back to the Age of Sail Message Board
Areas of InterestRenaissance 18th Century Napoleonic 19th Century
Featured Hobby News Article
Featured Recent Link
Top-Rated Ruleset
Featured Showcase Article
Featured Profile ArticleReader Michael Thompson sends in these Back of Beyond photos from the club where he games.
Current Poll
|
Please sign in to your membership account, or, if you are not yet a member, please sign up for your free membership account.
Tango01 | 22 May 2015 12:57 p.m. PST |
""Cutting out" operations were the SEAL or SBS-type operations of the Napoleonic era. Small boats carrying large numbers of armed seamen attempted to capture enemy ships which had gained the shelter of a harbour of guarded anchorage and they became somewhat of a Royal Navy speciality. Such exploits often feature in naval fiction but the reality was often more daring, and more unlikely, than any novelist might dream up. One spectacular example of such an action occurred during the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States. What made it unusual was that it happened in a neutral port. Until the practice was outlawed by the internationally accepted Paris Declaration on Maritime Law of 1856, "privateering" represented a valuable adjunct to official naval forces. It allowed governments during wartime to licence private persons or syndicates by "letters of marque" to commission vessels to attack foreign shipping. Privateers not only supplemented government naval forces but they did so "on the cheap" since they operated on a "payment by results" basis through winning of prizes. Though often operating in a shadowy area between strict privateering and informal piracy, the crews involved had the benefit of being treated as prisoners of war if captured. The system was of especial value to the United States during the War of 1812 since the official navy, though potent on an individual ship basis, was vastly outnumbered by the Britain's Royal Navy…" Full article here link Amicalement Armand |
|