Tag Archives: Impérieuse

Separating Fact from Fiction

Napoleon’s Gambit is an historical adventure, which blends facts and fiction.
The facts are:

Napoleon signed the Treaty of Valençay with King Ferdinand VII of Spain, on December 11th, 1813. Its goal was to restore Ferdinand to the throne that he was forced to abdicate to Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, in 1808.
The Battle of Vittorio occurred on [...]

Heave-to

Heave-to. To stop a boat in the water and to ‘hover’ in this position.

Impérieuse’s Course

Impérieuse’s Course. A point was roughly 11.25 degrees of compass angle.

Impérieuse’s Purpose

Impérieuse’s Purpose was to move a big barrage of guns from one place to another, and bring it to bear quickly, effectively and accurately.

Prize Money

Prize Money was paid by the Admiralty as a means of encouraging zeal in their Captains. The amount was calculated by the Navy Board and was shared by the crew and other officials according to a formula based on rank.

The Orlop Hold

The Orlop Hold was located in the bottom of the ship, near the cockpit and magazine.

Rating Ships

Rating Ships. To simplify administration of the Royal Navy, all warships were assigned a “rating.” This rating, a number from 1 (the largest) to 6, was based on the number and weight of her guns, and was used to decide the size of her crew and thus the cost of running her in terms of pay and rations.

Rochefort, Basque and Aix Roads

Rochefort is a commune in western France and a seaport on the southern Atlantic Coast. Used as a nautical term, Roads are simply the approaches to a harbor.

Impérieuse and her Crew

Impérieuse was originally the Medea, captured from Spain in 1804. She was the fastest ship of her class in the Navy. At the time of The Battle of Aix-Roads, she mounted 40 guns and carried a crew of 284 men and 35 marines.

Deck

Deck: the top surface of hull.