First Lieutenant Grosse in his Majesties Vessel the Navy Brig with 22 guns
Unfortunately, the success of the British fleet of ridding the Caribbean of pirates has not advanced as quickly as we have planned. There have been too many distractions caused by battles with vessels from other nations that we were sadly lacking behind our promise to the King of England. In this respect, the incident that has happened today to all British Officers in the Caribbean waters was to be expected. We were all demoted. I, myself was at the rank of Master and Commander, close to becoming Captain, when the news arrived in our home port. I was demoted to First Lieutenant and approximately 100 of my men were ordered to another ship. Reducing down from a full crew of 240 men on my Surprise, to 145 men on a Navy Brig was a rude awaking for me. With new orders from the Admiralty, I am now to engage pirate ships as often as possible, purposely targeting ships of the Navy Brig class and higher. On top of that, I have been ordered to sink at least 10 enemy vessels before my promotion to Master and Commander can be reinstated, even though I have more then amble battle experience exceeding the required (XP) by far. Knowing that every officer has been hit just as hard as myself, I know that every British gentlemen will do their best to fulfill their new orders and immediately make way to achieving our King’s objective of making the Caribbean a safe place for commerce for our King and God above.
In Route to the Port of Bani in the Dominican Republic I ran into another British officer. He was also under new orders and had explained his situation during the journey. I mentioned my need of a new Navy Brig and he was able to inform me about the availability of a solid Navy Brig for sale in Jamaica. He and his crew had just recently been in battle and they were looking for a neutral port to lay up in and service the damages done. Along the way, we saw many merchant vessels, but nothing big enough to draw our attention.
We parted ways after reaching our destination without incident. A good fellow he was; informed and willing to discuss the latest orders with a level head.
After traveling to Port Royal, I was able to purchase a Navy Brig for a price of 27 k gold coin. It was a well built version of the Navy Brig and was well worth the price. Returning to my home port, I engaged two French cutters and sank both. During the engagement, I was able to test the agility of the new vessel and although easier to handle then a Surprise tacking through the wind, the importance of bracing the rear mast became evident. So, now I continue on with my new orders to hunt down and sink 10 navy brig sized vessels in the name of the King.
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