miletus12
Squadron vice admiral
To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.
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Post by miletus12 on May 6, 2023 12:43:56 GMT
Well, that was actually responding to Lordrael as encouragement for him not to underestimate his contributions to this ATL, but the kicker, sideways here, was that old Jack, who was a subject expert, blew himself up in his own garage. That is what you get when you worship the devil and play with rockets.
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
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Post by oscssw on May 6, 2023 13:32:28 GMT
Please keep your ideas on IRIC coming. I assure you I will think about each one.NOW Hear THIS  I have made up my mind that NOVA GENOVA (that name cracks me up every time I write it. I bet my hero Mel Brooks would approve!) will be a colony of Genoa.
Exactly what type of colony I haven't decided upon yet. I do think it will start as a small Indian trading center affair on the French North American model, possibly , with strong initial links to Spain. I can see NOVA GENOVA maturing into a more traditional New England type of colony with aspirations of strong local government? I am thinking long term NOVA GENOVA gets swallowed up by Great Britain possibly in French and India wars ? Might be strong militia conflict between NE and NG, especially with NG being a Papist colony and maybe a haven for Massachusetts dissenters per RI in the OTL? Possibly with a vibrant and influential Jewish community as RI had in the OTL.
This could make NG ripe to join the 12 UK break away Colonies. Vengeance is very, very deep rooted trait in Italians. Maybe, tempered by the Jewish Community, reason just might prevail in NG, for the time being, over animosity toward Massachusetts?
Thus far in; these are my observations. 1. Italian ship-wrighting was not up to cross Atlantic transit. Note that their start point proposed is Genoa via the Gibraltar straits. That is the hurricane lane as those storms generate off west Africa. They will need to do what Portugal did FIRST, which is to improve the carrack to a galleon. 2. The Italians have to get there early and landfall where no-one else is likely to show up, or they will be overrun, like the Dutch were in my state of New York. 3. Being a bit Dutch in outlook, I tend to be somewhat "hostile" toward religious persecution, in ANY form; nevertheless, as a motivator or driver, it would be a good excuse for Italian "protestants" to get out of Europe entirely and perhaps look for a colony at a major landing site where other gold-hunting Europeans are not looking and by this I mean Nova Genova could have been founded at the mouth of the Mississippi River. 4. Economically, Genoa and Venice were the middlemen for the Spice Road traffic from China and points nearer in Asia. When the Mongols and later the Ottomans interfered with that trade, the Italians still managed to keep some of it going, but what if they had not or what if the trade was entirely cut off instead of merely throttled down? Then the Italian banking houses and the city states they controlled would have an incentive like Spain and Portugal did; to sail west. ===================================================== Those of you, who read me, know that I think in macros. You give me Savo Island and I will throw everything at you, from why Crutchley, who mishandled Warspite at 2nd Narvik and lucked his way through it, was so overrated because of that luck, such that he was picked to replace the far more competent Crace who hated Americans. Crutchley, the WORST possible commander for the surface forces guarding Watchtower, was picked because he "liked to get along with everybody" and not because he knew the first thing about (American, or any) tactics. And I would drag in the Connecticut Congressional delegation, protecting a "state industry", as being a major cause for why American torpedoes did not work in that action, all the way to Richmond Kelly Turner being educated at Stockton High School, by a rote memory system more devoted to build self-esteem than critical thinking skills, which was the reason that he became an egotistical emotionally-stunted, empathyless, arrogant sociopath, who quarreled with everyone, thought he knew better than anyone and could not take advice. That is just how I think. So you give me this ATL and some rather stiff doses of RELIGION as a motivator for the story? I will be looking at Italian religionists who were persecuted. Now that I understand how busy you are I appreciate you taking the time to comment all the more. I must confess I considered including Waldensians and Arnoldists, in this ATL. I rejected the idea, maybe to quickly, when I read the "Italian Reformation" collapsed quickly at the beginning of the 17th century after only 70 years, the period of the founding of Nova Genova. Let's just say Protestantism was a bad fit for the Italians at that time. I gather, from very cursory reading, that widespread participation such as religious guilds, Confraternities and Oratories of the "laity" in the religious life was a major factor. It did not help that the Catholic Church and the Elites of Italy came down on the movement with both hob nailed boots. The Inquisition was not limited to Spain by any means. In the summer of 1542 the Italian Inquisition reorganized itself in order to fight Protestants in all Italian states more effectively.
I don't want to hit this point too hard miletus12 but when it comes to ships, especially sailing ships, your vast knowledge, far better than mine in many areas, is just a tad lacking. Only a nut like me who has spent most of my misguided life fascinated by sailing ships wpuld have wasted the time to learn about Carracks. I tell you the Carrack was more than capable of handling the Atlantic if well handled and with just a bit of luck. I also tell you there was very little difference between a 17th century Med carrack and a North Atlantic carrack. The hull design was the same and built out of comparable timbesr, mostly oak. The rig differed only in fairly minor but very important points, mostly tending to carrying more robust and smaller sails to maximize heavy weather performance. That is a matter of a few days in port or in a benign sea to modify. Ship's company was more than capable of doing it on their own.
Columbus Santa Maria was a carrack, 
Nao Victoria was a carrack famed as the first ship to successfully circumnavigate the world commanded by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan.
São Gabriel a Carrack was the flagship of Vasco da Gama's armada on his first voyage to India in 1497–1499.
Halve Maen a carrack of the VOC discovered New York Harbor in September 1609.
La Dauphine a carrack was Verrazzano's for his expedition to find the "Northwest Passage" to China. In satd he did a damn good job exploring the east coast of North America.
Need I go any further?
PAX
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miletus12
Squadron vice admiral
To get yourself lost, just follow the signs.
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Post by miletus12 on May 7, 2023 0:01:21 GMT
I bow to your superior knowledge. But may I quote statistics? 1. Of the 27 or so ships Columbus led in his 4 voyages to the Caribbean, he lost 9 of them. 2. Vasco de Gama took 4 ships around the Cape of Good Hope. 2 made it back. 3. Pizarro, who participated in so many murders that even in that age of butchery, he was considered something of a criminal, especially after he cut short Balboa's career in a putsch that allowed him to eventually con Carlos V, into his Peru expedition, took, stole or coaxed 3 ships to land on that coast from Panama. I believe 1 made it back. 4. Magellan set out with 5 ships. He died as a result of poor language skills and lack of diplomatic finesse in a Filipino dispute. Two ships made it back. 5. Cortez burned 10 of his 11 ships to encourage his men to murder Mexicans. The 1 ship he sent back to Hispaniola for reinforcements barely made it back. You can argue those statistics, but if your best ship that you sent back was sinking as she returned to port? Maybe Cortez had another reason to burn those ships? 6. How about in 1588? In a voyage that looped anti-clockwise around the British Isles, some 38 ships out of 137 sent were weather scuttled or shipwrecked as they were wind driven onto the shores. Mind you now, that was a voyage that a Zhang He treasures ship of or a Filipino built treasure galleon sent to Mexico, would consider an easy sail. So I look at casualty rates. The humans doing the sailing accounts for 80% of the losses (A guess based on insurance reports of modern maritime incompetence. M.), so you can argue that Columbus was a sloppy admiral who Bull Halseyed his way into history. But Vasco de Gama and Cortez were not. Still, I look at that 40% mission loss rate in over a century of usage and I wonder. |
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
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Post by oscssw on May 7, 2023 13:39:45 GMT
I bow to your superior knowledge. But may I quote statistics? 1. Of the 27 or so ships Columbus led in his 4 voyages to the Caribbean, he lost 9 of them. 2. Vasco de Gama took 4 ships around the Cape of Good Hope. 2 made it back. 3. Pizarro, who participated in so many murders that even in that age of butchery, he was considered something of a criminal, especially after he cut short Balboa's career in a putsch that allowed him to eventually con Carlos V, into his Peru expedition, took, stole or coaxed 3 ships to land on that coast from Panama. I believe 1 made it back. 4. Magellan set out with 5 ships. He died as a result of poor language skills and lack of diplomatic finesse in a Filipino dispute. Two ships made it back. 5. Cortez burned 10 of his 11 ships to encourage his men to murder Mexicans. The 1 ship he sent back to Hispaniola for reinforcements barely made it back. You can argue those statistics, but if your best ship that you sent back was sinking as she returned to port? Maybe Cortez had another reason to burn those ships? 6. How about in 1588? In a voyage that looped anti-clockwise around the British Isles, some 38 ships out of 137 sent were weather scuttled or shipwrecked as they were wind driven onto the shores. Mind you now, that was a voyage that a Zhang He treasures ship of or a Filipino built treasure galleon sent to Mexico, would consider an easy sail. So I look at casualty rates. The humans doing the sailing accounts for 80% of the losses (A guess based on insurance reports of modern maritime incompetence. M.), so you can argue that Columbus was a sloppy admiral who Bull Halseyed his way into history. But Vasco de Gama and Cortez were not. Still, I look at that 40% mission loss rate in over a century of usage and I wonder. As usual miletus12 you got the stats right. Early exploration voyages were not a career for those who wanted to live long lives. IMO, FWIW, there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the ships as they were mostly "Good Sea Boats" but navigation and weather prediction of that period were far more an art (and a dark one at that) than a science. Added to that many of the "natives" the explorers encountered intuitively KNEW these "White devils" would do them no good in the long run. The smart locals killed off these technologically advanced (especially in the art of war and killing in general) as quickly as they could. The poor savages had no idea just how many Europeans there were.
I think the RN said it best about ships and sailors of exploration. "You should not have joined if you can not take a joke!" |
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
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Post by oscssw on May 11, 2023 16:49:10 GMT
IRIC Italian Rhode Island Colony ATL
May 11
THE EARLY YEARS OF RHODE ISLAND’S MARITIME DEVELOPMENT AS A GENOESE COLONY DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS (Cont.)
The following entries from the journal of Master Navigator and Commander of the Esploratore/scouting Voyage Marco Caboto.
May 23, 1619 1305 Capitaine de troisième classe, Henri Meranter made a meticulous full sweep of the horizon with his prized but very heavy “Spy Glass” and saw nothing but sea and sky. Despite the usefulness of the 1608 invention, it’s cost made it rare at sea. He was very proud his,“Telescope” was one of the very best made by inventor of the wonder, the Netherlander Jacob Metius.
The captain of Province de Normandie called out through his brass speaking trumpet to his fore and main mast heads lookouts, “Mast headers, keep your eyes peeled. We may have outrun that Genoese chamber pot at night and could come up on her any time now. If I spot her before you do; Bosun’s mate DeLong and his cat will give you their bests until we see your backbones.”
Henri Meranter’s Province de Normandie was located 120 miles South East of Block island. If the wind held steady Province would make her course change to the North West in 30 hours to join with her consort off Brenton Point. The run South along the Gulf Stream had netted them nothing and captain’s orders were to retrace their course back up to Narragansette Bay. Province de Normandie with her and sixteen Culverin firing 14 lb 9 oz iron shot, 105 man crew augmented by 60 Compagnie Ordinaire de la Marine troupes (May God rot the useless bastards) of the Armée régulière infantry units for service at sea had been a crowded ship. There was tension between his mariners and the soldiers brought on by boredom and the fact the commander of the soldiers refused to allow his men used for shipboard tasks. Added to that was the men’s wine ration had to be cut in half and brackish ship’s water substituted.
When the barrels of cheap wine had been loaded the purser, whose job it was to ensure liquid provisions were loaded into tight barrels, had other far more important things to do, so he left that to his clerk. The perser paid most of his attention to the kegs containing officer’s brandy and their bottles of fine wine. As was the Marine Royal shipboard practice, the “New wine” was stored in the bottom tiers of the spirit room so that the older wine was issued first. Thanks to the normal minor leakage of barrels, especially in a seaway, the spirit room always had the delightful fragrance of wine. The purser's clerk, who took advantage of his job to “break out the Spirits” felt it was his duty to “Test” the wine before issuing it to his shipmates. He was first to notice that the new wine barrel he he had shifted with block and tackle was very light. When he tapped the the bung, he found it was almost empty. He then tapped two more and they also were far from full. He then spent the next few hours getting completely drunk as he contemplated his fate.
When it was time to issue the wine ration the clerk and his kegs of wine were not on deck. The purser was summoned and he immediately went down to the Spirit room and found his clerk passed out. The purser shook a couple of barrels of wine and he instantly knew they were close to empty. A thorough examination of the rest of the new wine tier revealed the extent of the disaster. The clerk had been flogged, lost his coveted job but the damage was done. With their wine ration cut in half the crew and soldiers were very unhappy and got meaner every day. Of course the former purser's clerk went missing shortly, having been gagged, hands bound and heaved over the side by his unamused shipmates.
May 24, 1619 2100 Province de Normandie’s Captain and Sailing Master’s fixes agreed. The last few casts of a tallow armed lead had come up with crushed shell and sandy bottom in 17 fathoms. After plotting the traverse board dead reckoning position, the fix and the bottom on their chart showed they were over the East Ground with the entrance to river less than 10 miles West North West. Province de Normandie’s Captain decided to stand off and on until daylight before chancing entering an unfamiliar river mouth.
May 25, 1619 0600 Narragansette Bay. The captain of Province de Normandie had called his men to quarters a half hour ago. His sixteen Culverin firing 14 lb 9 oz iron shot were manned and ready. His 105 man crew, augmented by 60 Compagnie Ordinaire de la Marine troupes of the Armée régulière, were at their stations. After a bell, with full daylight and a clear, cloudless day revealing nothing he ordered the guns secured and his crew to stand down from battle stations. He left it to his First Lieutenant to dismissed the off watch below and the morning watch resumed it’s normal duties. Before he left the quarter deck he set a course with his Sailing Master, who would keep the deck and advise the OOD of navigation hazards as long as they were in these dangerous waters, that would run down Narragansett bay in case he had missed the Genoese last night. He ordered the Officer of the Deck to “I want the lead going until I order otherwise. Keep your lookouts alert. I am looking for either that Genoese chamber pot or the squadron flag cruising the bay. I will be back on deck in an hour to give you your course North. Call me the moment you even suspect there is another ship about!”
May 25, 1619 0700 Narragansett Bay. Province de Normandie’s Captain mounted the quarter deck and beckoned the Sailing Master to his side. “Anything I should know before I turn us back up the bay?” The sailing Master replied, “Sir it would be best not to run too close to the shore here and I would continue the lead.” The arrogant young chevalier just nodded.
He then called over the OOD from his post near the binnacle and said “I have the watch. YOU still have the Con. Bring her around, with just the on deck watch, and let us see if she can hold a course of North, North East under all plain sail.” The OOD would have preferred to have both watches on deck but with both his captain and sailing master looking on he had to appear perfectly calm and untroubled as he gave the orders to his watch section.
As it turned out the captain ordered the course altered to East North East. He felt his ship was just too close to the wind and a possible accidental jibe at North, North East and it would keep her further off that rock strewn coast the Sailing Master warned him of. He was proud, ruthless, sometimes cruel and only slightly arrogant, especially around the ladies but not where his ship was concerned. He was in fact a good competent ship handler and better than average navigator who would not hazard his ship, his crew or his career if it could honorably be avoided.
May 25, 1619 1500 Narragansett Bay. No sign of either ship. Province de Normandie’s Captain with his Sailing Master at his side had both the Deck and the Conn. The wind was such that he could just hold the course he wanted but, if it backed as much more than a point, he would have to make a series of short tacks to sail up of the river.
He had decided to look for his squadron commander up the river a short ways. He did not know how far up the harbor he would be. Not to worry; his superior was expecting “The Province” to join him here at about this date. He was sure, if circumstances required his commander to anchor up the river, he would post lookouts who would get word back to the Prinsipe Royal long before they were in gun range. What the chevalier did not know, as he sailed up the channel overlooked by both headlands, was both Beavertail and Brenton point lookouts, although they flew the Royal Flag of Louis XIII, were manned by the Genoese he so despised. Both lookout crews dipped the French Royal colors twice, the agreed upon reply to Province de Normandie’s two blocking a large yellow quarantine flag to the truck of the fore mast as a challenge.
It was a full hour before their squadron mate could be clearly seen moored to the shore. Through his Spy Glass Capitaine de troisième classe, Henri Meranter, could see all was in order aboard 20 gun Galleon Prinsipe Royal. He could see the anchor watch, make out a few of the officers aft looking his way and he could see the honor guard of a dozen Compagnie Ordinaire de la Marine troupes of the Armée régulière infantry forming up next to the main deck entry port. Normal import activities were going on by the crew. He could just make out a tent camp inland from the ship and the start of a log walled stockade on the hill overlooking the anchorage. No guns mounted, nothing to endanger his ship accept running aground in an uncharted harbor.
He had sail reduced to just over steerageway and his leadsman was making constant casts of over 100 feet; this was truly a deep harbor and very well protected from the sea and storm. Taking no chances he once again ran up the large yellow quarantine flag to the fore mast truck as a challenge. The moored ship made the proper reply; the Royal Flag of Louis XIII, dipped twice. All was well. He ordered “Secure from battle stations. Make all preparations to anchor opposite Prinsipe Royal.” Eventually he ordered his helmsman to steer directly into the eye of what little wind was left and then ordered the starboard bower anchor dropped. He then let the wind push his ship back and set the anchor. He carefully took a series of by eye fixes over the next quarter hour and determined the anchor was holding and his ship had plenty of room to swing without fouling her consort. Next he ordered all sails taken in, harbor furled and his gig lowered and manned as he had to make his report.
At this point he was hailed by someone who looked like his commander to come on board with his senior commissioned and warrant officers immediately. He took up the speaking trumpet himself and responded “At once as you command.” And then cursing under his breath told the bosun to get the long boat in the water and manned NOW. To the messenger he ordered get all the commissioned and warrants accept the sailing master, who will command the ship in my absence to put on their best uniforms and join me in the Long Boat immediately. As he was already dressed in his best uniform, he fumed on the quarterdeck after turning the watch over to the sailing master.
It took ten minuets but the boat was away from the side and about a quarter way over to Prinsipe Royal, when Louis’s flag came down and the banner of Genoa went up, as the gun ports opened, the main deck of their consort was flooded with sailors manning guns and soldiers manning the rails and fighting tops. Capitaine de troisième classe, Henri Meranter, wasted not a minute but ordered the long boat back to the ship. At that moment the full double shotted with grape on top larboard battery opened on his ship. The soldiers volley fired into the long boat wounding and killing most of the passengers and crew. Now the recently manned deck guns salvo fired into his ship and the just reloaded soldiers delivered another massed volley into the long boat, killing all who were left including Capitaine de troisième classe, Henri Meranter, Master of Louis XIII, Galleon Province de Normandie.
A second broadside was shot into the Province de Normandie as her Sailing Master desperately brought his crew to battle stations. The soldiers now shifted their aim, under their First Sergeant , to sweep the quarter deck. As the smoke the Sailing master, and last Marine royal captain of Province de Normandie was carried below with only minutes to live. On the gun deck the gunners mates were able to man a couple of 17 and a half pounders and fire back at their traitors attacker. The Captain of the 60 Compagnie Ordinaire de la Marine troupes led his men on deck pushed up the ladders by the sergeant Cheff and his pike. They tried to form ranks along the starboard rail when Shipmaster and now head butcher Pietra ordered the recently loaded main deck guns to aim at the forming troops.
The six guns loaded with grape over ball crashed out together and triple decimated the French troops. He next ordered his own soldiers to shift their fire to the French troops and another company sized volley smashed into the still shell shocked Marine Troupees leaving less than a squad still standing as the sergeant cheff, dying from multiple bullet wounds cursed his enemies with his last breath.
After that with her flag still flying Pietra ordered a third, fourth and fifth broadside. He then held his fire, picked up a speaking trumpet and asked if the Province de Normandie had surrendered. With blood running in streams out the scuppers, the ship’s crew, mostly wounded and dead, and not a living soul on the foc’sle, waist or quarterdeck a quartermaster's mate ran to the halliard and rapidly hauled down the king Louis XIII’s colors. Seeing this Pietra gratefully ordered the guns to and soldiers to cease fire. The killing madness quickly drained from him. It took him about ten long minuets and only at the prompting of second mate Alanzo Conte did he come back to duty and order a boarding party under Alanzo go aboard their prize and accept a formal surrender, place our troops on guard of the magazine, spirit room and after cabins. He told Conte to find a speaking trumpet and let him know exactly what was going on. He was to make no agreement with the french on any matter until Pietra or Navigator Caboto authorized it. Supercargo Volpe came up to Pietra and demanded he be allowed in the first boat with a few a corporal and a couple of literate French speaking recent recruits with him to secure any documents before the French could destroy them. Pietra looked at him with a scowl and said., “Here and now I take orders only from The navigator Supercargo. Back in Genoa things will certainly be different but for now you are carried on the books as one of my subordinates. Is that clear?” Volpe knowing when he was dealing with a man barely holding on to his sanity replied, “I must apologies shipmaster. I was carried away by the killing and my choice of words was totally inappropriate as I full know my place and that you have command of me while aboard this vessel.”
Pietra said, “ I guess we are both on the verge of insanity now my friend; certainly you go in the first boat but take care. After this time of slaughter we two will not be the only mad men with arms.”
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
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Post by oscssw on May 19, 2023 15:29:58 GMT
IRIC Italian Rhode Island Colony ATL
May 19
THE EARLY YEARS OF RHODE ISLAND’S MARITIME DEVELOPMENT AS A GENOESE COLONY DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS (Cont.)
From the journals entries of Master Navigator and Commander of the Esploratore (scouting) Voyage Marco Caboto and the senior surviving Marine Royal Officers charged with the clandestine sinking of the ships with all hands of the Voyage.
May 25, 1619 1715 Second mate Alanzo Conte of the Carrack Grande Impressa lay the longboat to the main chains of French Galleon Province de Normandie. Two grapnels were flung and caught securely in the ratlines of the main shrouds. Two of Impresa’s able mariners, armed with a slung cutlass, a wheel lock pistol and their trusty stiletto’s, climbed to the main chains, where they made the long boat fast, then the weather deck of the French Galleon. What they saw was a shattered ship with blood, gore overturned guns, tangled rigging and fallen splintered spars everywhere. Worse was the slaughter house sight and smell of dead, mangled, gruesomely wounded and very sullen survivors. One of the Genoese mariners called back down to the 2nd Mate that he better send some of the soldiers up quickly. He also said “If these French pirates get their wits back we are all dead men.” Now that might have been an exaggeration but not by much.
Conte told Volpe to send two of his French speaking soldiers up NOW. A word from the supercargo and the soldiers were away. Conte next told the cabin boy they had been forced to take with them; to stay as the Boat Tender and “You better keep your wits about you because is you don’t the French will gut you and if they don’t I’ll make sure you don’t sit down for week!” He then hollered “Boarders Away” sprang to one of the lines and raced up to the deck, right on the heels of the two soldiers. Volpe realizing the soldiers had no idea what Conte was talking about commanded “Up the lines you go as quick as you can. Form line when you get on deck with your bayonets at “On Guard”. No firing unless the second mate orders it.” Corporal your last man up. Use your bayonet, if you have to, but get these men up on deck.” Then just so the Corporal could hear. “I don’t want to take on a whole French crew with just a few scared shitless seaman. I need our veteran soldiers and their already bloodied bayonets now.” He then gave the Corporal a wink and a smile and he was up one of the ropes with his sheeted sword, two double barreled wheel lock pistols, his own stiletto and four grenadoes in his coat pockets.
The boarding party consisted of six mariners, 20 soldiers, a Corporal, the Supercargo, the ship’s boy and Alonzo Conte. Conte wastes no time. As soon as the soldiers were formed he ordered them to prime their muskets and wait for his order. He then told one of the French speaking soldiers to tell what was left of the Province de Normandy's crew to, lay down their arms. No one moved. He then had his infantry line “Present arms” and told his translater to call for the senior surviving Frenchman to come forward or he would open fire on his shipmates.
While this was going on the half dozen mariners had levered a seventeen and a half pounder deck gun to face forward. They had already swabbed the bore and were loading cartridge, with a few bags of grape shot placed in easy reach. The stand off lasted only about five minutes. Volpe said it seemed like an hour, Alonzo said it seemed like a second. At last a wounded Master’s mate stepped forward on the arm of a burly bosun mate. Conte told his French speaking soldier. “Ask him who he is.” The Frenchman replied he was a Master’s Mate and senior of the unhurt warrant of Louis XIII, Galleon Province de Normandie.”
Tell him “I First Lieutenant Conte of the Republic of Genoa’s Navy, now master of your consort demand his surrender. He is to comply NOW or we will open up with her great guns and NOT grant mercy again!” Alonzo said this with as cruel and blood thirsty a look on his face as he could muster without laughing, to imitate the wounded and badly shaken Mater’s Mate.
The Frenchman replied. “You will fire into our ship with you on our deck?”
Conte replied, “That is the order of my captain Enrico Pietra. The same man who took your 20 gun Galleon Prinsipe Royal and killed her captain by his sword. He has spared many of her crew but the soldiers who refused to surrender under their young idiot officer were butchered to the last man by the grape shot from you own consort’s guns.” Alonzo thought about throwing in something about turning them over to the Indians but best not to have them dwell on that all too certain outcome.
Next the Master's Mater, who was becoming paler and weaker every minute with the loss of blood said. “Do I have your word we will not be turned over to the savages?”
Alonzo answered “We Genoese are not brutes unless we are forced to be. Those savage Indians are not our allies and hate all White devils alike.” By this time the Master’s mate was just about to pass out and he heard what he wanted to hear.
He turned to his shipmates and told them “The Genoese will take us captive but not turn us over to the savages IF we surrender now. If we do not they will fire into us until we sink or burn and will sell any of us who survive to the savages.” His Bosun mate crutch had to repeat his words as only those very close by could hear his faint voice.
It was done. The French threw down their arms and concentrated on doing what they could for their wounded. Conte asked for and quickly received a speaking trumpet and he informed Pietra and Caboto the ship was theirs, what was left of it. Volpe and his three French reading soldiers quickly made their way to the Captain’s cabin and were going through his documents. A guard was put on both magazines and spirit room. The rest of the soldiers and two mariners manning the deck gun kept the crew pinned together on deck except for the pump crews and a carpenter’s party plugging shot holes at or below the water line directed by one of Princessa’s mariners and guarded by a couple of soldiers. Once everything was somewhat under control, Alonzo had wine issued, first to the wounded and as much as they wanted, and then a single mug to the prisoners with a promise of food later and another mug of wine only if they cooperated. He finished off with, “Anyone who tries to escape, sabotage this ship, attack any of my men or not do as he is told will forfeit his wine ration. This will be no great hardship because that man will be dead long before the
next Wine issue!”
May 25, 1619 1900 In the great cabin of Prinsipe Royal, Navigator Caboto sat in the deceased captain’s chair with his key Lieutenants, Shipmaster Pietra, Supercargo Volpe, Tomocomo, Capitano Moreno, Titurio Sabino First mate, Alanzo Conte Second mate, Paolo Abruzzo BOSUN, Master Shipwright Colleoni, Ship's Doctor Andriotti and Riccardo Panettiere "Ncvle (uncle)" Sergente Di Prima Classe (1st Sgt) # 6 Co. Liguria. They were all pretty beat after the last week and especially the blood bath this afternoon.
However, Marco Caboto as commander of this scouting voyage and now a Squadron commander, if you counted the two badly damaged but still afloat French Galleons, still had much to do to fulfill his orders before recrossing the Atlantic. They had to establish good relations with the native Indian tribes. The first battle had seen both Genoese and Nanigonset as allies against the French. The Genoese had been able to distribute a good deal of booty from the French along with prisoners. A couple of Mules and even a 17and a half pounder great gun to “Tisquantum” Nanigonset Sachem (chief) over all of Narraganset Bay tribe. This had gone far to show the natives not all White Devils were their enemies.
They had to pick a site for the fortified Trading post which would be the center of the Nova Genova colony. The French had already begun the project, and an initial survey by Shipmaster Pietra, Master Shipwright Colleoni and Capitano Moreno and myself, indicated they had chosen well.
Shipmaster Pietro stated where they were was a good place to build a wharf or dock and associated buildings shielded from storms. He also wanted a protected cove or bay with sufficient room and depth of water for a half dozen ships to anchor. Pietro also wanted a source of clean water close by.
Master Shipwright Colleoni, charged with establishing a dockyard to support shipping that would use this trading port also was in favor of the current site. Initially he needed a careenage for large ships, a place to build slipways and saw pits, for constructing coastal trading vessels, and the many boats a maritime colony required and the repair and fitting out of ocean going ships. He also wanted a site that would eventually support a water powered saw mill, a Forge, rope walk, a crane house and various shops and storage sheds for constructing and major repair of ocean going vessels.
Only Capitano Moreno was skeptical about the French choice. His garrison would be quite small, at least until the colonization expedition reached them next year. Even then he doubted the Company and certainly not the Doge would be willing to go the expense of a large garrison of gunners, cavalry and more infantry here, at least not until Nova Genova started to turn a handsome profit.
He then asked with a sneer, “Can anyone here tell an ignorant soldier when that would be?” Getting no answer but a dark scowl from Caboto who was the one who had to make the choice and found nothing about this subject funny. Caboto merely said, “Capitano please inform us of your other military concerns.” He bit back the urge to tell the young idiot to leave matters of trade and state to his betters but decided not to.
Carlo quickly became serious and said, “As you know I am no artillerist and certainly no seaman so I asked our Shipmaster and his mates about the sea defenses of this port. They told me this site is good to engage ships coming up the East Passage. As you all know Narragansett Bay has three openings to the ocean, the West, Middle, and East Passages. They also told me the West Passage (Sakonnet River) and the Middle passage were not deep enough to accommodate major warships.
My chief concern is siting the stockade on the the northern tip of “The Neck”. For one thing it is not an easily defended, steep hill top from attacks by land. Granted the position has water on three sides but to the South East it is wide open, practically level and heavily wooded. I could not think of a better place for our “Friend” Sachem (chief),“Tisquantum” and a couple thousand of his your warriors to launch a surprise attack on my few men. No doubt a strongly and cleverly constructed stockade with canons mounted and manned could do serious damage to the first waves of his attack. If the other warriors and especially their leader and his lieutenants kept their nerve and made it to our curtain walls we would soon be in trouble from their Bowmen as my men had to expose themselves to kill the Indians climbing the siege ladders and ropes. Our numbers would soon thin to the point sections of wall would be manned by nothing but the dead and dieting and here they would get over and once into our fort in numbers we would be lucky to be quickly massacred to the last man.”
I asked Tomocomo "Uttamatomakkin", our much valued and proven, Indian advisor of the Powhatan tribe what he thought of the Capitano’s concerns.
As was his want Tomocomo did not answer immediately. He inhaled on the cigar and watched the smoke he exhaled for a few minutes and then spoke. “All that my good friend Capitano Moreno has said about the land defenses are true. There really are far too many Niantic, to say nothing of the Narragansett and Wampanoag who live close by. Our very best defense is to treat them fairly, pay large bribes to the Sachems to distribute to their young warriors, influential war band leaders, the Shaman, and not to appear to offend our Gods. I will instruct your leaders Navigator in our ways and they should spread that learning among all your men. It would be of great help in this if you make a very public terrifying example of a few of your men and state the same will happen to anyone high or low who insults the Indian gods.”
I appeared to ponder all this for some time, just for show. I had already made up my mind we would use the French fort site for our initial base of operations. At length I said “We will stay here at PortoNuovo (Newport)”, the name I had decided on was now public.
I let that sink in, passed around the bottle of wine taken from the dead captain’s extensive store and lit one of his cigars and then said, “Now what do we do with our prizes and our prisoners?”
Supercargo Volpe was first to speak, Navigator there is still much intelligence to be gained from searching both ships thoroughly. Thanks to Tomocomo and the young brave Miantonomo, the French are eager to cooperate. Unfortunately it seems we managed to kill all the officers in a position to tell us things of import and must relay on their papers some of which were destroyed in taking the ships. The officers secretaries and servants are reluctant to come forward although they would be of great help finding secret hiding paces. This morning, with your approval Navigator, I will have our French interpreters read a decree I have written promising a hefty reward for anyone who turns over a secretary, assistant or servant of any senior officer.”He then handed the paper to me. I found it well worded and the reward enough to listen tongues but not overly taxing of our booty so I gave him my consent.
Capitano Moreno said “We could use the French guns to improve the defenses of our fort and to establish a couple of hidden batteries to seaward guarding all three passes, if you approve Navigator.”
I replied to the entire assemblage “Do we have the trained gunners to spare for those hidden batteries?
Ship’s Master Pietra answered. With our latest “Recruits”, I now have 60 Mariners for duty and possibly another score after a few weeks rest and healing according to our “Saw Bones”. That is more than enough to crew Princessa and maybe, one of the French Galleons under my first mate, although we would be very short of watch officers. I have some very experienced mariners who could step up to Bosun and quartermasters. Both ships would be short handed but I would be willing to take that chance. The real worry is both galleons are very badly damaged after the battles. Those 17 and a half pounders really tore them up. I would defer to our "Master Shipwright" as to just how seaworthy we could make them with what he have here.”
Bartolomeo Colleoni "The Master Shipwright" did not hesitate and said, “Both are structurally much too damaged to hazard a North Atlantic crossing without a major rebuild in a good dock yard. As they are now, given the best I can do here and now, even I a summer crossing would be a death sentence, Navigator. I would say we can make better use of their timber to build our trading post fort and get started on a dock and a boatyard”.
I then asked Capitano Moreno his opinion of his troops. Carlo pulled out a sheet of paper and said. "Ncvle (uncle)" Panettiere took muster this morning and, with our French “volunteers”, we now have one hundred twenty five infantry able to stand duty. We also have 18 wounded that should be fit for light duty in a couple of weeks and another 10 who may survive but never be fit for soldiers again.
I then asked our Supercargo how we stood for supplies. “Volpe, who had been acting purser as well as his usual duties as agent for THE BANK of Saint George said. We have plenty of everything we need to restock Princessa, leave here with the garrison and provision both Galleons if we had to. We have plenty of barrels and a very good source of sweet water here. There is also plenty of gun powder, spare rigging and sails. If the sacham allows, it we can support two batteries of three guns each for the lookout posts on the points and enough troops to man those great guns. Although I doubt their rate of fire or ability to hit a moving ship would impress anyone.
We still have ten of our mules to help us establish the fort and to patrol but our Cavalry are hardly expert riders and so their numbers will fall in time.
We must soon establish better relations with the natives. I and Tomocomo should visit the Sacham as soon as possible. I am hopeful, with the booty we have captured, we should be able to convince the Niantic not to massacre the Garrison after Princessa put to sea.”
This begged the question of what we could expect from the natives, so I put the question to Tomocomo. As was his habit he took some time to martial his thoughts. “We have three strong and influential friends in “Tisquantum” , Hobbamock and even Miantonomo. Having a sacham, a war chief and senior councilor of the tribe and a very respected young warrior willing to give us the benefit of the doubt, even if YOU are all White devils, helps us much. If we bribe them with some of what we captured from the galleons, we are in good shape for a while.
After a while the young warriors will probably get greedy and IF the Sacham changes his mind and also gets really greedy they will try to kill us all and take everything. They have now seen the slaughter we can do with our great guns and muskets. If we build the trading post fort strong enough with plenty of great guns, I don’t think they will try that more than once. We have to appear to have beaten them off easily with little loss to our men and inflict a very, very large butcher’s bill on them. They will respect us after that and be more content with what we pay for their furs and the occasional gift to the Sacham, war band leaders and old men of the council.
It was now time to get on with the business none of us wanted to deal with so I said,”What do you advise I do with the French Pirates” I used the term pirates instead of mariners and soldiers to make their acceptance of my decision easier. I had decided none of the French could be allowed to reach The New France’s trading company, the “Company of One Hundred Associates” with the news we were here and establishing our colony of Nova Genova at PortoNuovo (Newport).
Tomocomo spoke first, “We give them to Nanigonset Sachem “Tisquantum”. We show him we are great friends by this “gift”. It will go a long way to convincing him we are different from the French they have, for very good reasons, come to hate. “
Master Shipwright Bartolomeo Colleoni spoke next. “Navigator, it would make my tasks of building docks, assembling and building river and coastal boats and salvaging as much of the two prizes with those French prisoners labor go much faster. I could also use them to prepare the site for the dock yard. I would not to want to keep them all; there are over a hundred of them. Once we the galleons stripped of everything of value, get the docks and yard built you could give most of them to the sacham as Tomocomo proposed. If we could keep a score or so to work the saw Pits and do other heavy labor would free up our own people for other tasks.”
I then asked Capitano Moreno for his opinion. He said, “I don’t like the idea of giving white men, especially soldiers to the Nanigonset women for their entertainment. We saw what they do to male slaves, even to those they are not allowed to kill. I say we keep all of them and use them as prisoner labor.”
Finally I asked “Supercargo” Volpe his opinion as Agent of THE BANK. “I see keeping good relations with the Nanigonset absolutely essential to the success of this trading colony. We have to keep them happy and those 100 or so slaves, men who would have murdered everyone of us, would make them very happy. That is our task set by "Commissario" Luigi Grimaldi and Doge Bernardo Clavarezza of the Republic of Genoa.
I think Shipwright Colleoni’s idea of using all of them initially is a very good idea. I also would have no problem with selecting 20 of the healthiest, most skilled and best even tempered as laborers in the colony. If we could select non native Frenchmen, it would be easier to integrate them into the colony. AND greatly reduce the chance they would betray us.
I thanked Volpe and then asked Tomocomo “ What do you think Sachem “Tisquantum” would do if we delay giving him the prisoners and, when we do, withhold 20 or so for our own use.
Tomocomo said, “ I am sure he would be willing to wait for a month or two, if we made him and his ‘Great’ men “Potlatch”, I mean gifts, to distribute to the Nanigonset people. Supercargo and I should bring this up as soon as we meet with “Tisquantum” , Hobbamock and even Miantonomo.”
I informed my Lieutenants “ We will do exactly what Colleoni and Tomocomo recommend and we will do it today.” |
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
Posts: 967
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Post by oscssw on May 30, 2023 4:18:56 GMT
IRIC Italian Rhode Island Colony ATL
May 30
THE EARLY YEARS OF RHODE ISLAND’S MARITIME DEVELOPMENT AS A GENOESE COLONY
DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS (Cont.)
The following are entries from the journal of Master Navigator and Commander of the Esploratore (scouting) Voyage Marco Caboto to PortoNuovo (Newport)” .
May 26, 1619 0800 Supercrago Volpe, Tomocomo, his shadow and possible executioner Miantonomo set out for the Nanigonset village of Sacham “Tisquantum” with a pack mule loaded with “gifts”for the great chief. Sergente Di Prima Classe (1st Sgt) Panettiere had detailed a very good squad, (5 Genoese and three of their new French volunteers), from the overstrength # 6 Company Regiment Liguria as escort under the very young Tenente Anziano (Senior Lieutenant) Salvatore Lucania. Tomocomo, had strongly suggested to Navigator Caboto one of their “prettiest” officers decked out in his very best uniform would be of help in the negotiations.
Salvatore met the first criteria but Volpe had had to make it absolutely clear to the LT he was there for show and not to take part in the negotiations. Both Aldo and "Uttamatomakkin" had long sailed and fought three times alongside Lucania. He was a brave “good subordinate Officer”, who fought well when carrying out someone els’s orders. Aside from that they had a very low opinion of his intelligence. He also had to be watched closely around woman (ALL women regardless of age, social standing and/or marital status found him irresistible). He could be relied on to think with his “piccolo pene” (Little head). That was one kind of trouble both senior members of the expedition knew could wreck everything.
May 26, 1619 10:30 AM First mate Titurio Sabino of Grande Impresa anchord her down river in 20 feet of water at Brenton’s Cove, the site selected by Master Shipwright Colleoni as a careenage, protected anchorage and boat yard. He found the hulk of Prinsipe Royal beached with men stripping her of everything usable. Sabino also observed Louis XIII’s former Galleon Province de Normandie was anchored close to shore with spring lines fastened to another anchor to keep her from swinging.
May 26, 1619 NOON Shipmatser Pietra greeted his First mate in the somewhat worse for battle great cabin of Province de Normandie. They had much to discuss but first a glass tof the ship’s late captain’s excellent Burgundy was in order. Titurio noticed the table was laden with excellent French navigational instruments. There were two intact heavy brass “Spy Glasses” and one with smashed lenses. There were over a dozen ship’s and boat compasses; all in good condition.
There were many accurate navigational charts; some fairly new others well worn with many useful markings and notations in French, Spanish, Portuguese and English. These of course, had to be examined by Navigator Caboto against his collection and if duplicates found just might be distributed to Pietro and his two mates.
There were also sets of very expensive and accurate chart plotting tools. He observed Various sizes of brass navigation dividers and compasses. There were also displayed Blundeville precision protractors, nautical scaled rulers, navigation Triangles, fine nibs and both black and red ink powder.
A small number of books on math and navigation lay on the table. One was Thomas, Blundeville 1561. “A briefe description of vniuersal mappes and cardes, and of their vse and also the vse of Ptholemey his tables. Necessarie for those that delight in reading of histories: and also for traueilers by land or sea.” Another was Davis’ 80-page pamphlet called “The Seaman's Secrets which, among other things describes great circle sailing.
Six of Captain Davis’ quadrant or back-staffs were present. These were great improvement on the cross staff enabled a navigator to observe the sun's altitude with safety and ease without looking directly into the sun. They proved far more accurate in determining latitude at sea and saved the eyesight of many mariners. One of the major advantages of the Davis back-staff over the cross-staff was that the navigator had to look in only one direction to take the sight - through the slit in the horizon vane to the horizon while simultaneously aligning the shadow of the shadow vane with the slit in the horizon vane.
There was even two Mariner’s Astrolabes a simplified version of the much more sophisticated astronomer’s astrolabe. All the complex scales were eliminated, leaving only a simple circular scale marked off in degrees. A rotatable alidade carried sighting holes. Holding the instrument at eye level, the user could sight the star through the holes and read the star’s altitude from the point where the alidade crosses the scale astrolabes still very useful for night observations.
Most intriguing of all was something he had never seen but had heard of; Cole’s Compendium.
The instrument Pietra had before him was one of 'Humfrae' Cole’s (once the finest maker of scientific instruments in England) improved Cole astronomical compendium dial for latitudes 0°-90° North. This compendium is made up of a number of different scientific instruments and has many uses, such as, as a compass, a calendar and a geometric square, from which it is possible to calculate anything from high and low tides and the phases of the moon to the height of buildings. This oval-shaped instrument has five leaves held together by small brass pegs. Engraved on leaf Ia is an image of Juno, together with three peacocks and two mythical beasts. Leaf Ib contains a lunar volvelle with an aspectarium. On leaf IIa is a perpetual calendar and on IIb a table of latitudes. Leaf III is a universal equinoctial dial on which is the maker's signature: 'Humfray . Colle . made this . diall . anno . 1590'.
Leaf IVa holds a compass and a simple theodolite and on leaf IVb is a table of ports used for determing the time of high tide according to the compass direction of the moon ('establishment of port'). The upper part of this leaf hinges back to reveal the underside of the compass. Leaf Va contains an instrument for finding times of high water. Engraved on leaf Vb is a picture of Jupiter standing on an eagle, surrounded by various creatures and decorations.
Pietra said, “The spoils from the French galleons are of good quality. You may select a personal compass, back staff and a sets of chart plotting tools. I’m afraid there were not enough undamaged spy glasses to give you one but we are still searching and just might come up with some more. Since Rank hath it’s privilages Cole’s compendium dial is of course mine” he said with a wink.
Pietra drank some wine and continued, “Supercargo Volpe, acting as Agent of THE BANK has confiscated all the Gold and silver coins. Since we are not Navy there is no prize money that has to be shared among we poor mariners but I have it on good authority Navigator Caboto is pressing our Supercargo to make a ditsribution to we greatly deserving heroic mariners and the soldiers” another wink. “We will see just how persuasive our Navgator will be. Gifts to our Indian neighbors will account for a lot of French trinkets and jewelry so I don’t see any of us getting much of that booty. Those bastards, the much honored Board of Directors of the Bank of Saint George, in Palazzo San Giorgio will want to recoup as much of this venture as they can as fast as they can.” He then said with a truly evil contenance, “I don’t envy Navigator Caboto and Aldo Volpe as they try to convince those skin flints every bit of Prize money and other captured booty distributed by them on this volyage was in the best interest of THE BANK. Let’s have another drink of this excellent wine., shall we?.”
After both finished their mugs Pietra continued “Colleoni has judged both Galleons unfit to hazard the Atlantic without a major dockyard rebuild. Caboto agrees and so they are to be broken up for their timber, copper and iron. The soldiers will use the stoutest timbers for to construct the Fort/ Trading post. Our Master shipwright will also use a lot of heavy wood for piers, docks, slip ways, shops and storage buildings. Not having to cut down trees and shape timber and the use of our French captives will greatly speed up our task here this summer, leaving us much more time for exploration. That is where you come in. Once we get our boats sorted out you and Tomocomo will take one or two up this river and chart out the lay of the land. Tomocomo’s shadow Miantonomo shows a quick mind with an aptitude for languages. I myself had a simple little talk with him in my horrible French which he picked up when he was hired as a guide over the last few years. Caboto thinks maybe Miantonomo would be a good guide for the mule scouts. Time will tell.
May 26, 1619 1:30 PM Supercrago Volpe, Tenente Anziano (Senior Lieutenant) Salvatore Lucania, Tomocomo and the young “Brave” Miantonomo were seated cross legged in the lodge Nanigonset village of Sacham “Tisquantum”. The gifts packed on the two mules was laid out before thye Chief. Tomocomo bowed his head and said, “Your Genoese friends send you these gifts as tokens of their respect and fear of you Sacham.” The old warrior’s face did not convey anything more than mild irritation at the speeches.
When “Tisquantum” spoke looking directly at Supercargo Volpe his tone conveyed no warmth.
“ You are welcome in my camp and have nothing to fear this day. Your gifts are acceptable. We now go outside and will sup the “ ‘White Drink’ and then we will talk about a compact between our two peoples.”
Volpe braced himself because Tomocomo had warned him and the young fool Salvatore
what to expect. His Powhatan “Friend” had been greatly amused as he told them about this devil’s brew. Their would-be native allies used the dried twigs and leaves of yaupon plant to make a drink as a purifying agent. One of the ways it “purified” was by inducing vomiting. The beverage was also generally cleanse the soul, serve as a social bonding agent, is the ultimate expression of hospitality.
Yaupon can be made into a mild tea, but if drunk in a concentrated brew, as it would be as a precursor to negotiations, it could also cause hallucinations and violent vomiting. The natives called the brew ‘white drink’ because white symbolizes purity, happiness, social harmony, and so on. They placed the roasted leaves and twigs in water and boiled it until it was a dark-brown liquid. The drink then was poured through a strainer and into vessels to cool. As soon as it could be poured over one’s finger without scalding, it was ready to be consumed.
Once seated around a camp fire a couple of lovely young Nanigonset women served the White Drink, that looked black to all the men in fire glazed pottery bowls. The smell was enough to gag a maggot but with a smile on his face Volpe drank deeply of the vile brew. Then with a savage glare looked at Tenente Anziano (Senior Lieutenant) Salvatore Lucania and willed him to follow suit of the others. The young man made an effort but he could not hold it down. He gagged and spit out his drink. Both Tomocomo and the Sacham looked at the young man with undisguised anger. Salvatore, remembering the dire warning, quickly downed another bowl and kept it down this time. It seemed puking your guts out was a good thing but spitting out the White drink was an insult.
At this point Tomocomo said something to the Sacham that made him and the young women, who pointed to the Tenente Anziano face, now turning a deep purple with his effort to keep the damn drink down laughed heartily. Volpe saw, once again their Indian advisor had saved the mission and probably his and that young fool from a slow and painful death.
Later, after all had vomited many times, Tomocomo translated the Sacham’s words. “Enough, we now know your heart is true and you know how great Nanigonset can be trusted Volpe. We can now talk as brothers.” He than called over the Nanigonset Council of wise, mature war band leaders and great warriors, including Hobbamock. First the Sacham distributed most of the gifts to his council members. Then the negotiations began, Tomocomo took his place next to Volpe and spent a very long day and most of the night translating what the council members had to say and they had a lot to say, and Volpe’s replies.
The Sacham did not speak on a point until his councillors had made their opinion known. Some times he either accepted a point of negotiation and they went onto the next point. Other times he rejected the point and this merely became a means to modify the details to better accommodate the Nanigonset requirements. As it turned out all the major points, such as their alliance of mutual support if either were attacked and how they would conduct the Fur Trade with the Genoese as the tribe’s exclusive trading partner were eventually agreed to. Volpe wrote them up and Tomocomo read them back to the Sacaham and council. At this point a councilman might have a problem with the wording. It was his right to be heard by the council members and the Sacham. Then other councilmen would have their say and eventually the Sacham would decide and Volpe may or may not have to amend the Treaty. In the end it was done and the Pipe of peace was filled, lit and passed from the sacham to Volpe, to the councilmen and then to Tomocomo and finally to Tenente Anziano (Senior Lieutenant) Salvatore Lucania.
All had fasted throughout the negotiations and now they were served a grand feast of the best the tribe could offer. The Narragansetts women were farmers and harvested corn, squash and beans. They also gathered nuts and fruit to eat. Narragansett men were skilled hunters so there was also deer, turkeys, small game, and fishing.
Supercargo and Bank Agent Volpe also had a keg of the best prize French Brandy starpped to a mule and now served it out to his new allies. Even with the large meal consumed the brandy hit the Nanigonset Council and the Sacham very hard. Thankfully they were all too old, too tired and too pleased with the deal thay ahd cut with these “White Devils” to become billigerant and soon they were all past out and would sleep for many hours.
May 27, 1619 12:30 PM Tomocomo, who knowing the effect “Fire water” had on him, had drunk little. He woke Volpe and advised it would be prudent to get back to Porto Nuovo (Newport) as soon as possible. The longer the young fool stayed here the more trouble they would be in. He had noticed that the village women were very, very impressed by Tenente Lucania, his gaudy uniform and accoutrements. He also noticed Salvatore was seething like a stalion next to a phile in heat. Volpe agreed but the Mule drivers reported both mules had been stolen during the night.
This really posed a problem. Volpe asked Tomocomo what he should do. Tomocomo, as was his want, took his time before answering. When he did he said, Supercargo, you have just gotten a very good treaty we need very much. This is no time to anger the Sacham or the council by demanding return of the mules. I would recommend you and the others leave as we planned. I will stay behind visiting with old friends and amusing the women. Later, after I have talked this over with Hobbamock and Miantonomo and depending on what they advise, I will either speak to Tisquantum about getting the mules back or I will thank him for his hospitality and hurry to join you at our Fort.”
May 27, 1619 5:15 PM Volpe and his negotiation team arrived back at the Fort/Trading post.
Navigator Caboto, Capitano Moreno, Master Shipwright and now builder Colleoni and Sergeant Riccardo were gathered around a trestle table going over the plans for Porto Nuovo (Newport) when Volpe Arrived. He immediately walked over to them. His broad grin told them he had been successful. The lack of their valuable mules would requires explaining. Navigaor Caboto expressed his relief that Volpe and his band had returned safe. Volpe was ready to make his oral report to Navigator caboto right there and then but the Commander of the Esploratore (scouting) Voyage asked him to delay that until later this evening.
As it turned out Miantonomo knew exactly who had stolen the mules. They were of Hobbamock’s Warband. He suggested he talk to his two friends and fellow braves about buying back the mules at the price of both of Tomocomo’s wheel lock pistols. Both had failed him some time during the three fights and even when they worked; there was a large chance they would miss even an enemy at very close range. Therefore, Tomocomo was more than ready to trade them for the mules. Besides, there were so many extra prize fire arms, he could replace them if he chose very easily.
The deal was struck and Miantonomo and Tomocomo road into the unfinished fort before sunset. Miantonomo had never ridden anything before and had been thrown, bitten, pissed on, shat on and generally was aching all over; particularly in his groin area. He told Tomocomo the white devils could keep their mules and he would travel by canoe or afoot from now on.
May 27, 1619 8:15 PM over wine and cigars after a fine venison supper in Caboto’s cabin aboard the Princessa. Present were Caboto and Supercrago Volpe. On the table was the “Treaty”. Over supper Volpe had divulged the major points and now it was time to dissect every point. Caboto would ask many questions as every word would be scrutinized by THE BANK’s lawyers and commissioners and most important "Commissario" Luigi Grimaldi.
The fur trade with the local tribes seemed to be to the benefit of both THE BANK and the natives. In fact the localswere very happy not to be dependent on the French, who had used them badly because there were no other buyers for their furs. The Sacham and the Council agreed to the exclusive trade terms with NOVA GENOVA for their pelts and their oil.
Caboto said, “are you talking olive oil?”
Volpe replied, No Navigator I am talking whale oil. It seems they “fish” the beasts from their canoes for their meat and also render the ones who wash ashore, which is quite common. The fur Trade is much larger but with a ready market I think we could persuade them to increase their “ Whale Fishing”. Speaking of fishing, they have a modest Salt Cod industry but only for their own consumption. I am less certain we could pay them enough to increase that by much more than to cover what we buy for our own use here.”
Caboto, then brought the report back to the Fur Trade, the reason NOVA GENOVA was established by THE BANK. The Trade was conucted by individual Indians who bought small quantities of goods at retailand paid in furs. As time progessed dedicated fur traders became middle men collecting pelts and paying the Indians in retail, goods. The large French trading companies eventually drove the small Fur traders out of French controlled territory and were the only “buyers” for the indians pelts. As a Monopoly they paid little; not enough for the tribes to do any more than casual trapping.
Since the best trapping took place inland it was important to establish “Trading Posts” on the rivers deep into the best trapping country. The rivers would provide a ready means to ship the pelts down to Porto Nuovo (Newport). This was dangerous work as the posts were small manned by few Genoese. Their stock of trading goods were a lure to Indian bands who would just take what they wanted after killing or torturing and then killing the staff. Buying very good relations, with the local Sachams was the best method of avoiding those raids. It was usually well worth bribing a Sacham and his council to keep the “Young Bucks” in line. The furs were very profitable once they got to Europe.
The principal item exchanged for furs was cloth accounting for about half a Fur Traders stock in trade. The fabric most commonly listed was called “Trading Cloth,” a woolen material; blue was in the greatest demand next came red and finally white. Lesser amounts of other woolen materials—red serge, quince, light gray, nutmeg gray, red kersey, and scarlet broadcloth were also available for trade. lesser quantities of red, white, and blue shag cotton and red-napped cotton were also traded. The shag cottons were cheaper than wool ones.
Surprisingly, some Indians were also wearing ready-made clothing provided by fur traders. such as coats, waistcoats, stockings, hats, and caps, which indicate the familiarity of the natives with European garments. One sacham traded beaver pelts for coats, some red and blue shirts, breeches, and a blue waistcoat. A Fur trader also stocked shoes, shirts, coats, several types of waistcoats, caps, white cotton stockings, thread, and leather laces.
The Indians also traded for hardware. In one of the Algonkian dialects, Europeans were at first referred to as “Knivesmen” because they used metal instead of stone tools for cutting. The natives particularly welcomed knives and blades for fashioning wampum, hatchets, and hoes. The Indian dependence upon tools and trinkets of European manufacture, of large quantities of knives, large and small scissors, tin and brass looking glasses, brass kettles, tobacco boxes, brass tobacco pipes and tobacco tongs, mackerel hooks, needles, pins, thimbles, rings, and even Jews’ harps. These items, together with wooden and bone combs, made up the bulk of non fabric stock in trading goods.
Volpe confirmed that Tomocomo’s memory of the fur trade was essentially correct. The Sacham and council spoke of beaver in such terms as good, bad, spring, winter, and stag. Additional descriptions of coarse, small, old, summer, and Mohawk beaver were also mentioned. “Apparaently there is great difference in beaver, although it be all new skins, for some is very thick of leather and thin of wool, which is best discerned by laying your fingers on the middle or back of the skin. One pound of deep-wooled skins may be worth two pounds of thin-wooled skins. Also note that the old [Indian] coats are better by a third than new skins are, partly for that they generally dress the best skins for that purpose, partly for that the leather is thinner and so consequently lighter by dressing, and partly for that the coarse hair is part worn off from the wool. You may know the otter skin from the beaver partly by the fabric, for the otter is more long though the tail be off, and the wool is more short and of even hair, the glossy hair not much exceeding the wool in length, but the coarse, glossy hair of the beaver doth more overtop the wool and is more straggling and wild.” Because most of the beaver was used for making felt hats (castors or demicastors), the coat beaver, which had been worn by the tribesmen with the fur inside and therefore had become soft and supple, was as much in demand as new skins.”
As caboto listend intently Volpe continued, “It is customary in the fur trade to record the number of skins but, more often, set down their weight, which was the deciding factor in valuing them. For his own information the merchant added the descriptive terms especially good, rich, better than the rest, and pelts scraped thin as opposed to those that were thick and heavy. A final point Navigator is the pelts ready for shipment must be dressed.”
Whales and seals have been exploited in Europe for many hundreds of years. From early on, stranded whales provided not only meat but oil and bone as well. Excavation of the middens of the Neolithic village of Skara Brae on Orkney Mainland has, for example, revealed bowls carved from whale vertebrae.
Whale oil was not what they came for but Caboto knew it was a very profitable commodity and there was plenty of room for another source. He knew enough about Luigi Grimaldi "Commissario" (Chairman BOD) The Bank of Saint George that profit would get his interest.
Caboto did not know a great deal about the whale fishery. He did know In Viking times walrus tusks were traded around Europe.
Organized whaling probably started in the Middle Ages in the Bay of Biscay where a shore-based industry exploited migrating right whales. The level of persecution was such that the local stocks dwindled and the Basque whalers had to look further afield and by the 16th and 17th centuries they were whaling along the coast of Newfoundland. However, because of the vast distances involved this early Arctic industry was doomed to failure. It was the Dutch, sailing out of Rotterdam, who were the first to successfully exploit whale stocks at long distances from home. From the mid 1600s onwards they sailed each spring to the Greenland Sea and Spitzbergen to arrive just as the pack ice was beginning to break up. There they hunted the bowhead whale, which swam in such abundance in the cold arctic waters that the supply must have seemed endless. The Dutch fleet was massive, reaching about 12,000 sailings now. The whalers were not particularly efficient however, and each boat typically took only 3-4 whales in a season. Enough to return a profit, but possibly few enough to ensure that the "fishery" was sustainable. There was a market for every barrel of whale oil brought in to fuel lamps and to a much lesser extent the making of perfume, lubricants, and very fine candles. His swinging lantern used whale oil. He used whale oil to lubricate his navigation instruments and watches. His best candles were also of whale oil and he had won more than one lady with a gift of fine perfume, fixed with a whales ambergris.
He would have to learn more about the whale populations within easy sailing from Nova Genova. Enrico Pietra, as a veteran New world shipmaster was the man to start with.
May 28, 6 AM Caboto found Pietra on deck overseeing something to do with his ship. He asked him. “Shipmaster what do you know about the whales in these waters?” Enrico answered, “Not much Navigator. However, our Bosun Paolo Abruzzo has a few whaling voyages under his belt and been on this coast for a few exploration voyages. To the best of my knowledge he is the only one with that knowledge.” Caboto said, “Have him join me for a few glasses of wine in my cabin this morning.”
May 28, 8:15 AM He had poured the bosun a first glass of good wine and made him comfortable. Caboto then asked “Bosun what do you know about whales within five days sailing of us?” Paolo had to rack his memory and so took a few minutes to reply. “Navigtor there is a very large population. Inshore it’s mainly pilot whales ("blackfish") are driven onto the shelving beaches for easy slaughter, a sort of dolphin drive hunting.
Offshore swim the larger whales, the locals do not, as rule, hunt these. There are large numbers of 65 to 80 foot Finback Whale. The Finback is a Grayish, sleek whale with tall, curved dorsal fin, that give up to 100 barrels. There are also Humpback Whales; full grown they reach 50 to 60 feet that can yield about 50 barrels. There are also a good many Minke Whale’s that grow up to 30 to 35 feet that sometimes give up 25 to 30 barrels of oil. Hunting the big whales is a very dangerous business but the rewards are even greater. You really need masters and mates who know their business. The boat crews need to be young and strong because the business requires rowing long distances at great speed. Before we left the price of a barrel of oil was going for about 900 Grosso which was low. I have known whale oil to go for as much as 2,000 Grosso.”
Caboto thought, “That settles it I must make sure my report to Luigi Grimaldi "Commissario" (Chairman BOD) The Bank of Saint George, stresses this opportunity.”
June 3 Tomocomo, The Supercargo, six mariners and twelve soldiers had taken one of the French cutters up the river for their first exploration and mapping excursion. They were to be gone for 10 days but had supplies for three weeks if Tomocomo and The Supercargo decided that was warranted.
June 8 Both coastal batteries and lookout posts were completed, armed and manned.
June 18 Tomocomo and Supercargo Volpe returned to PortoNuovo (Newport) reporting the Fiume Pietranera (Blackstone) river was navigable much further than they sailed. The land was well suited for agriculture and industry, after clearing the forest. Thye found deposits of iron and copper bearing rock. The river was full of fish and the land was heavy with game. They encountered Narragansett, Wampanoag and more Niantic peoples. All had heard we defeated the hated French and, although wary, were not hostile to us.
June 20 Fortified Trading Post PortoNuovo (Newport) was completed and garrisoned.
June 21, Launched the tender Santa Caterina (patron saint of Genoa) Using the largest Long boat (40 ft long and 11 foot beam), and seasoned timber from the captured galleons, Master Shipwright" Colleoni built his version of an armed coastal sloop.
The longboat’s hull form and the addition of a false keel that increased her draft by one foot made for an excellent sea boat and a very weatherly sailer, well suited to offshore cruising. He built up the gunnels forward and mounted a Spanish four pounder gun along with four swivels. The sail rig was that of a sloop with jib and she was pierced for ten oars if required. She could easily stow a two week supply of food, water and other necessities for her four man crew and 12 passengers or just over two tons of cargo in heavy weather.
June 23 Santa Caterina set sail for a recon of the coastal waters North of PortoNuovo (Newport). Second mate Alanzo Conte was master of the four mariner crew and they carried six soldiers to assist the crew and, if necessary, help fight the boat.
July 1 4 PM Santa Caterina moored alongside Impressa. Second mate Alanzo Conte informed Master Shipwright" Colleoni she was a good sea boat but he would not like to spend more than a week aboard in winter conditions. The inability to get out of the wind and rain in summer was nothing to hardened mariners and he could see two or even three week cruises bearable.
The Navigator had asked him to take notice of whales and he confirmed there were many, many pods of them both inshore and to seaward. They also had sampled the local fish and they were both very good eating and very, very abundant. There was no sign of the French or any other Europeans at sea or ashore. We did encounter Wampanoag temporary coastal villages. We also exchanged greetings with warriors fishing and hunting whales. We did not land, per my orders. We had the lead out and took soundings every hour. I have recorded them for the navigator. Inshore there are many rocks, reefs and even sand bars.
July 3, 1619 10:30 AM Lewis Le Trappeur and the surviving French officer who had arrived at Port-Royal Acadia ( Nova Scotia) Nouvelle-France French Fur Trading company, current location of Samuel de Champlain.
Once he explained to what passed as a gate guard he was taken to Champlain. He infomed him that both Marine Royal Galleons had been captured by the Genoese under someone called “Le Navigateur”. The Genoese had been assisted by “Tisquantum” Nanigonset Sachem (chief) over all of Narraganset Bay, a Warband “Chef” named Hobbamock and about twelve hundred Nanigonset sauvages assoiffés de sang.
Champlain, was quick to demand “What force did the Genoese fornicateurs de porc have?
Lewis, replied “Votre Honneur they have one Carrack with about eight guns and 40 mariners. They also have Two companies of line infantry, a small number of Mule mounted Cavalry and a battery of petits canons, quatre livres I think, on field carriages. I also saw some of the guns of the first galleon captured on sleds in the second battle. These were much bigger but I do not know how heavy their shot is.
July 9, 1619 9:45 PM Mlle Jacques” had an early supper followed by an abbreviated assignation. As usual her souce into the latest workings of Port-Royal Acadia ( Nova Scotia) Nouvelle-France French Fur Trading company, very pleased and only moderately drunk from the excellent wine she had provided tried to impress her with his importance. With little prompting the middle age “commissionaires” told her about the Champlains meeting with Lewis Le Trappeur and the surviving French officer. She let him talk, while pouring him another goblet of wine, until he devulged what the Trapper had said. She immediately knew this was very vital, inteligence for her Genoese employers who were always generous paymmasters.
She had to get this to both the colonists establishing Porto Nuovo (Newport) and THE BANK commissioners in Genoa. She would use the next ship heading back to France which carried whatever mail and official correspondence along with it’s cargo and passengers by simply “Mailing” a letter, in code, to her contact in the destination port.
Although Porto Nuovo (Newport) was much closer there was no established maritime commerce between Port-Royal Acadia and NOVA GENOVA. If she used a trusted courier another Trapper, it would take a few weeks and may not get through if the local Indians decided robbing and torchering another White Devil to death would be fun.
She did have another means and that was a local fishing boat with a greedy skipper and a crew who if paid well would not talk about this fishing trip. It helped that both the Marine royal and the Nouvelle-France French Fur Trading company had demonstrating such a distination or contact with the Spanish or English or anyone but Nouvelle-France French Fur Trading company was punishable by death. She would not contact the skipper herself, she had two layers of cutouts that would come up with a contraband cargo, maybe wine or gunpowder, as a cover and of course a small bag of écu (silver coin) of 6₶. about 120 sous. That much silver would not make the crew rich but it was certainly more than they could earn in a dozen good fishing trips.
With decent weather and a fair wind the fishing boat could be in Porto Nuovo (Newport)
in as little as five days. She knew THE BANK had an agent aboard the Genoese carrack who had a copy of the cypher she would use. All the skipper had to do was get her letter into the hands of a ship’s or infnatry officer and it would quickly find it’s way to the right man. She would have her cutout hold back the second half of the bribe until the fisherman made it back with acknowledgment and anything else new colony nmasters wished ot convey to her. She also was faily certain the BANK’S agnet would reward the fishing boat skipper handsomely.
July 11, 1619 6AM the chasse-marée “Madeleine” a decked small but very seaworthy sailing vessel set sail for a routine fishing voyage of about ten days, or so the port authorities were told. Once well out of sight of her home port her maître (master) began a long reach to the south east, the wind being dead foul for Nova Genova, from the south. In her fish hold were 12 cases of Armagnac, an accapetable french Brandy, especially far from France.
July 19, 1619 2 PM “Madeleine” was met by the guard boat mid channel off Bull Point Porto Nuovo (Newport). An armed boarding party of three two mariners brandishing pistols , one stayed in the guard boat, and three soldiers with bayonet tipped muskets came aboard. One of the mariners spoke very good French. Madeleine’s maître offered the boarding party some of his Brandy and asked to be taken to a senior officer, as he had a cargo he was sure would be welcome here.
After the crew had been relived of their knives, the chasse-marée had been thoroghly searched, and the dozen cases of Brandy found the older Mariner ordered sails to be set and steer a course for the far shore and Brenton cove. Once under the guns of the still building “Fort” Madeleine’s hook was dropped and a boat pulled out from the Carrack moored to pilings, that would soon be a pier.
At the tiller was Second Mate Alanzo Conte of Grande Impresa. He, through the French speaking mariner listend to the French fisherman maître. He then ordered the prize crew to keep a close watch on the fisherman; had one of his men pick up a case of brandy and directed the maître into his boat for the short row to Impressa. At this point the maître told Alanzo he had a letter for THE BANK’s Agent. “You mean Aldo Volpe?” said Conte.
The maître said “chevalier” I do not know his name just that I was to give this letter to him and arrange for him to buy my brandy.”
Volpe was aboard Princessa and soon the chasse-marée’s master was seated in the great cabin with Volpe, Shipmaster Enrico Pietra, Navigator Caboto and an armed soldier, Conte having been dismissed as soon as Volpe recognized the cypher mark on the letter. He then brake out his cypher key and quickly transcribed the message. Read it over twice and handed the trascription to Navigaor Caboto.
Caboto said, “It was bound to happen but I did not think it would be so soon Aldo!
Pardon me Shipmaster” and handed the message to Enrico immediately who read it with a look a slight concern on his face. Next caboto asked the Fisherman if he had any other letters or a message for him? The fisherman said “No “chevalier”.
At that Caboto said “I am no knight, just a simple Navigator so you call me by my name Caboto” and then said to Volpe, “I think we better buy, the dozen cases of his terrible Brandy from our “honest” fisherman. Maybe the drunks in our crew and our Regiment of will be able to stomach it, eh?” He then said to the guard, “Take this man on deck. Give him a
a meal of my own cheese, a loaf of soft native corn bread, a glass of my wine and a good cigar.”
To the fisherman he said “My deck watch will help you unload your cargo, show you where to refill your water cask, give you a haunch of venison. I will have a letter to return to whoever sent you here before you leave and something that chinks to reward you for your troubles. You will quit this bay at sunrise tomorrow. Until then my guard will stay aboard your chasse-marée and my shore batteries will guard your slumbers.”
Once the Fisherman left the three senior men discussed the unknown Port-Royal Acadia spy’s report. Volpe said, “It’s obvious it was that young puppy soldier, the one that escaped, did not manage to walk to Acadia on his own in such a short time, or ever. So we can assume Champlain had someone watching Porto Nuovo (Newport) for some time. It had to be a trapper, not one of the natives.
Enrico said, “The supercargo must be right. There is nothing to do but continue with our plan to eatablish the fort/trading post and the batteries, send out our scouting parties and continue our efforts to secure a firm alliance with Sachem“Tisquantum” of all the Nanigonset and all of Narraganset Bay. Princessa needs hauling down, her undrwater beard shaved and under our Master shipwright’s direction repair her frames, replace some of her hull planking and anything else in a ship’s carpenter’s bag of tricks.
I, the bosun and my mates have inspected our “Sticks”. Those masts and spars, aside from a few minor spars, are very sound. The standing rigging has to be set up anew and the running rigging replaced, for the most part. We have sufficient able mariners for that job. We have plenty of good cordage and our pick of healthy spars from our prizes.
I would dearly love to have that chasse-marée as a tender to this port. It would be very helpful once we leave for home. With your permission, Navigatot I’d like it very much if "The Master Shipwright" Colleonie of The Genoa Arsenal would inspect that fine vessel and maybe take of the draughts to use as a basis for one we build ourselves?”
I had to think about that. By default our Master Shipwright" had been pressed into service as architect and master builder of our fort/trading post, the new boat yard and any other major structure we require. He still had his duties getting Impressa ready for the northern passage home. I could not use that man up. So I replied, I will bring the matter up with him Enrico but if he tells me I am asking too much I will not presshim and see that you do not either.”
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
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Post by oscssw on Jun 16, 2023 15:35:56 GMT
IRIC Italian Rhode Island Colony ATL
June 16
THE EARLY YEARS OF RHODE ISLAND’S MARITIME DEVELOPMENT AS A GENOESE COLONY
DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS (Cont.)
The following are from reports made by Matteo Adorno, First Governor of NOVA GENOVA to Luigi Grimaldi "Commissario" (Chairman BOD) The Bank of Saint George
July 15, 1619 6:45 AM the merchant ship Dame de Nantes set sail for Saint-Nazaire. Along with her cargo of furs she also carried the coded letter from Mlle Jacques” to a shipping agent in the port who was a cutout for THE BANK. The letter which had gone through two cutouts innocently traveled with the regular mail from the colonists, not the more secure correspondence of the fur company or the French Colonial officials. The code was quite clever in that when worded by an expert, which Mlle Jacques was, it appeared to be a very dull, quite ordinary letter.
August 9 The Saint-Nazaire shipping agent delivered to an aquaintence who would paid him the usual “gift” of three écu (silver coins) for his trouble. This acquaintance was an under cover agent of THE BANK. He would in turn, after ensuring he was not being watched, make an innocent visit to the Saint-Nazaire “Branch” of the Bank of Saint George. In the bank a copy would be made of the coded letter and then the original was forwarded, by express messenger along with other time sensitive bank Correspondence to Palazzo San Giorgio Genoa. It was addressed to Commissioner Ferrante Pallavicino, known only to the board as Direttore Della Ricerca (Director of research) of the Bank of Saint George.
August 14 Commissioner Ferrante Pallavicino, Luigi Grimaldi "Commissario" of The Bank of Saint George, Antonio Paolo Damato the Colonel of Regiment Liguria representing the Doge and Matteo Adorno, first governor of NOVA GENOVA met in the Commissario’s Map lined study. Each had a decoded unsigned copy of Mlle Jacques brief report on the battles at NOVA GENOVA. None were surprised the French had acted quickly. All were pleased the men they selected or approved for this expedition had proven quite up to their tasks. These men were well aware French retribution might be delayed but it was absolutely certain.
All knew the situation in Europe, always volatile, was about to become even worse with a general war Between the Catholic Church and the forces of the Reformation in open conflict out side Germany. To bankers this was not necessarily a bad thing. In war there was money to be made as well as there was in time of peace. THE BANK was very adept of making the best of both situations. As long as THE BANK was Spain’s banker they would have powerful “friends” and powerful enemies. Fortuneatly both needed THE BANK and therefore their leverage of both sides paid handsome dividends.
The one concern which had to be managed very delicately was Genao’s geographic position as a key stop on the “Camino Español (The Spanish Road) a military and trade route. It linking the Duchy of Milan, the Franche-Comté and the Spanish Netherlands;all territories of the Spanish Empire under the Habsburgs. As such stupid, short sighted military leaers may not be smart eniough not to threaten THE BANK’S interists by their actions and that could cost THE BANK temporary inconvenencies. “Camino Español
Case in point is the utterly tragic for the peasantry and most of the nobility as well but very profitable for THE BANK War that started in 1567 and still going strong. Spain had borrowed largely to transported her 123,000 man army to the Spanish Netherlands overland by the “Road”, compared to only 17,600 transported by sea.
At length "Commissario" Grimaldi said, “Speaking for THE BANK I assure you we are still completely committed to establishing NOVA GENOVA per our original overall plan and time line. THE BANK lives in the world as it is and will back any reasonable additional resources you gentlemen require to make this venture a success.
He then turned to look at Matteo Adorno and said, “What say you Governor?”
Matteo replied, "Commissario" All this report tells us is our plan is working. Thast bieing the case I see no reason to make any substantial changes from the little we know.”
Next the "Commissario" turned his gaze on the soldier, here as the Doge’s Military advisor, “Colonel what do you think about these developments?”
The soldier, who unlike many of his rank was a very brave man, a very good tactician, and comptent strategist who knew how to play the political game without becoming a
Two Quartaro whore. “I would recommend that Capitano Marino and his entire # 6 company garrison NOVA GENOVA until the colonization fleet arrives. I intend to promote our capitano to Maggiore. I strongly suggest that fleet carries another Infantry company, an field artillery battery, a half troop of cavalry with sufficient horses and at least one capitano of military engineers; all under the new Maggiore’s command. This is all assuming when your Navigator presents his detail report nothing material changes.”
Just for forms sake Luigi then asked, “Commissioner Pallavicino, would you care to advise us on the foreign affairs aspects of this news? Actually the Commissario and Pallavicino, had gone over the short report for some time and both were in agreement that nothing, based on this meager informnation, material had changed.
Commissioner Pallavicino replied, “ We never expected the french to welcome us with open arms. I am certain the French will have plans for us but they have their hands full right now and as long as Spain continues to back us, we will only have to deal with them stirring up the natives, piracy and many other cloak and dagger operations. It does seem to me that the colonel’s suggestion makes a lot of sense. I would just like to add that buying the good will of the region’s stotng man has paid off well.
I would make just three suggest.
First, we include more of the trinkets these savages like in the supplies of the Colonization fleet.
Second, that we pay our Indian advisor anything he wants, as it seems his advice has proven it’s worth.
Third, we should think very carefully, based on what our Indian advisor recommends and the experience of Nvaigator Caboto and his senior men have had with the savages exatly how we accommodate the will of Mother church without alienating the current religious leaders of these tribes. That in my opinion is our achilles heel, at least for many years to come.”
The "Commissario" of The Bank of Saint George, would have to commend and meaningfully reward Ferrante on how well he introduced the subject of the church’s interference in THE BANK’s business. He did better than what they had agreed to.
Now it was up to that soldier, to report this to The Doge. With luck The Doge would bring the matter up to the "Commissario" and that would give him the opneing and maybe the leverage to nuetralize Papal ecclesiastical hatchet man Monsenior Guido Sarducci. The manwas an agent of the Vatican's clandestine intelligence service Santa Alleanza ("Holy Alliance") or L'Entità ("The Entity") Motto “Cum Cruce et Gladio” (With the Cross and Sword) and had to be handled judiciously.
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
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Post by oscssw on Jul 4, 2023 17:05:17 GMT
Italian Rhode Island Colony ATLJuly 4th![]() THE EARLY YEARS OF RHODE ISLAND’S MARITIME DEVELOPMENT AS A GENOESE COLONY
DISCUSSION / ANALYSIS (Cont.)
The following are entries from the journal of Master Navigator and Commander of the Esploratore (scouting) Voyage Marco Caboto to PortoNuovo (Newport)” .
July 22, 10 PM in his cabin/workshop in the fort Master Shipwright" Bartolomeo Colleoni was making final notes on the plans for a new tender for NOVA GENOVA, “Piccola Maddalena”. The plans were drawn and the half model carved from a survey he made of the French chasse-marée Madeliene. He had decided not to alter her lines or rig but he reduced the new tender from 54 to 40 foot length with corresponding beam of 11 feet and draft of 6 feet. This would allow him to utilize ready seasoned and formed timbers from the two French prizes which would greatly reduce the work force and time to get the Tender built, proven seaworthy and train her new crew before “The Impresa” sailed home. This would also lesson her three mast lugger rig sail area to 600 square feet which would allow for a smaller crew.
Although “Shipwright"Colleoni had become a Master” of his trade building vessels mainly for use in “The Med” he was quite familiar with the French chasse-marée as an excellenty small Atlantic ocean work boat. They were the very succeesful coasters and large fihing boats of France and most other Atlantic facing European countries, although the name and rig was slightly modified by each nation.
Before starting the survey Colleoni had had a long talk with Sipmaster Enrico Pietra. Pietra was a master mariner who had wide knowledge of the Atlantic as well as the Meditteranean sea. He really admired the rig of a large sail plan on three masts, all three raked aft, the mizzen being stepped hard up against the vessel's transom. A long bowsprit and bumpkin enabled a greater area of canvas to be spread. All three masts carried a standing lug rig, with a jib to complete the rig, thus producing a very fast and weatherly vessel.
Shipmaster Enrico not only agreed with his mate and Colleoni that the converted long boat was only a “Summer sailor” and that the chasse-marée would make an excellent tender. He also spoke to me stressing the absolute neccessity for building their own chasse-marée before he sailed home. That was no later than the first week in September.
What sealed the deal was the fact Shipwright Colleoni had selected ready, seasoned and formed timbers from the two French prizes which would greatly reduce the work force and time to get the Tender built. It did not hurt that that old bastard had named the tender “Piccola Maddalena” My name for my now grown daughter when young.
July 23 6 AM Prisoners, under the direction of one of the French warrant carpenter’s were hard at it in the saw pit cuttiing down the chosen timber for the keel to the specifications required for “Piccola Maddalena”. Warrant Officer Jean François Reno had decided working for the Genoese was better than being given to the savages. He was able to persuade most of his carpenters’ mates to join him so Shipwright Colleoni had a skilled workforce to man his new boat yeard. This freed Shipwright Colleoni to ovresee the overhaul of Grande Impresa for her voyage home.
July 23 1PM keel, of the finest seasoned French Oak grown in the Vosges forest, laid for chasse-marée “Piccola Maddalena”. Warrant Officer Jean François Reno had taken great care that this key timber was placed squarely on the building ways. On hand for the great event were, Bartolomeo Colleoni "The Master Shipwright" late the staff Shipwright of The Genoa Arsenal, Enrico Pietra Shipmaster of Grande Impresa, Alanzo Conte Second mate Grande Impresa soon to be master of “Piccola Maddalena” and myself Marco Caboto NG Squadron Master Navigator Venetian Cartographer, North America explorer. Grandson of Giovani Caboto (John Cabot). My special guest was Hobbamock warchief and senior councilor of the Nanigonset and the Warrior Miantonomo who was now an interpreter. I suspect Hobbamock understands a lot more Genoese than he would have us believe.
Miantonomo’s facility for languages is astounding, he now spoke more than passable Genoese and French along with the dialects of all the local tribes. He also was making fine progress at reading and writing Genoese. He had become a very valuable asset to NOVA GENOVA as the understudy but a very long way an equal to Tomocomo. Tomocomo "Uttamatomakkin", our trusted interpreter, indispensable advisor on all things native, and go-between for the colonists and the Nanigonset. Miantonomo had shown his worth as a guide/scout for our expeditions by both water and land to map and discover mineral wealth of our new colony. He was still a brave and cunning warrior in his prime whose reputation among the various villages made our scouts far safer and better directed than they would have been had we been forced to go it alone. I still valued Tomocomo far to much to allow him to guide these scouting trips as often and he would have liked.
The time was fast approachig when he had to make up his mind as to whom he would choose to “Hold the fort” of Porto Nuovo (Newport). A few were obvious. He would turn over command of NOVA GENOVA to Aldo Volpe Supercargo of Grande Impresa and Agent of The Bank of Saint George. Tomocomo had seen to it Volpe and Miantonomo had plenty of opportunities to work together. He informed me, although Volpe could be a real pain in the ass at times so was Miantonomo. They got on well enough, now that Miantonomo’s oral and written Genoese had progressed that for the right price his apprentice would give good loyal service. For influence of the sachem Volpe had better rely on warchief and senior councilor Hobbamock whose oral Genoese was better than he let on. He also advised Volpe would be wise to reward Hobbamock handsomely; even better than Miantonomo. It was clear that our indian advisor had no desire to stay and really missed the pleasures and comforts of Genoa, especially ther women and wine.
Capitano Carlo Marino C.O. # 6 Company Regiment Liguria, Tenente Anziano (Senior Lieutenant) Salvatore Lucania # 6 Co. and Riccardo Panettiere "Ncvle (uncle)" Sergente Di Prima Classe (1st Sgt) # 6 Co. had to stay along with 120 privates.
He would need twenty for the voyage home with a sergeant of Capitano Marino’s choosing. In a sea fight he could count on Pietra to employ them to best advantage.
Bartolomeo Colleoni "The Master Shipwright" of NG & la former staff Shipwright of The Genoa Arsenal would stay to begin the expansion of the “Boatyard” into a dockyard and oversee whatever building projects required his skills such as piers, docks and warehouses. He would also oversee the completion of the chasse-marée Madeliene and build specialized boats to explore the local rivers and streams. Although there was some merit in just using the same craft as did the natives. Added to that was the repair work required of all the Colony’s water craft. Finally, he was absolutely vital in dismantling the two French galleons, whose timbers were a God send for NOVA GENOVA.
He had to leave a Master’s Mate to sail Madeliene and the converted long boat. Whoever it was had to undertake the exacting buoyage of this harbor. That was no small task requiring a seasoned mariner. He had talked over just who with Shipmaster Pietra.
Not to my surprise Pietra chose Second mate Alanzo Conte. I’d have preferred the more senior mariner First mate Titurio Sabino because he would have no one to turn to when left here.
Our shipmaster simply said, “I trust Conte with the chasse-marée but not with my Impressa.’ When I questioned Conte’s ability to install the aids to navigation accurately Pietra smiled and said. “I will give him a thorough instruction on the taking of land mark sightings, accurate casts of the log, transferring them to charts and planting the markers. He is more than capable of learning what he does not know in a matter of a week or less. So, as is my custom whem dealing with Pietra on maritime, NEVER with stritcly celestial and nocturnal navigational matters and cartography, I consented.
I also decided to give Alonzo a course on chart making, especially for coast lines, the rivers and streams that would be explored when we left. Might as well have him get that right.
I decided to leave the two French doctors who both seemed quite more knowledgeable than Mario Andriotti Ship's Doctor Grande Impresa. I would employ the simple expedient used by Master Shipwright"Colleoni. I told them work for me or I hand you over to the natives. They both enthusiastically volunteered so we had an overabundance of doctors. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing I just don’t know.
July 24 10 AM this day Master Shipwright"Colleoni and Pietra worked Impresa to a very steeply shelving position off the boatyard with very sturdy oak trees, firmly anchored in the ground close by the water’s edge. Pietra had sturdy tree trunks driven deeply into the bottom to act as mooring points for his ship a few days ago. First mate Titurio Sabino had stripped the ship of everything movable including, top masts, yards, all supplies, gear and some of her ballast stones. Only a portion of the ballast, determined by the Pietra, was left in the hold to maintain the ship’s equilibrium. During this work, the crew caulked the upper part of the hull facing the shore and ship’s carpenters fastened temporary battens over various ports to prevent flooding while the ship was hove-down in the water.
With the ballast greatly reduced Sabino and Colleoni had a chance to see the actual “Bilges” including the longitudinal structure running above and fastened to the keel oin order to stiffen and strengthen its frameworkthe keelson and the well with it’s bilge pump. That pump had been a man killer requiring great effort to remove water from the ship. Colleoni took a good look at it and said to First Mate “how much trouble has this pump caused you”?
Titurio replied “It is a stone cold bitch especially when the ship is working hard in a storm Master shipwright. I think the draw is too deep for this pump.”
Colleoni replied “Titurio how would you like me to replace it with one of the French pumps we stripped from the galleons?”
Titurio grinned and said, “I don’t do the pumping myself but our mariners would probably light many candles for your soul if you could. Will you have the time?”
I will make the time First Mate. With Impressa empty this is the perfect time. I also have two French Warrant carpenters who know their pumps like the back of their hand.
I can spare one with a few carpenters mates to do the job before we heave her down. I will have them get started today. Maybe we can use this pump in Madeliene? We will see.
By the end of the day Impressa’s overwork Burr pump had been removed and the replacement French “Common” suction pump lay in pieces on the main deck.
Both pumps are of similar designs and had been used on ships for a few generations. T
The Suction pumps were preferred by mariners to the “Force pumps” because of the reliance on two solid pistons working in tandem, burr and common pumps utilise two permeable valves to lift water through a single tube. Mariners also hated chain pumps which are predominantly mechanical and lift water using a series of discs strung on a the chain.
The Suction pumps have a stationary lower valve, installed either just below the pump tube as part of a separate wooden foot or inside the tube itself. A timber with a central vertically drilled hole, and the lower end was stepped to fit between floor timbers formed lower part of the pump tube or the Well. Since the galeons had much great depth of hold it would be simple to cut them down to fit Impressa.
The pump swap out was completed by the end of the next day, tested and approved by Pietra and the french men returned to their normal duties.
Even our Shipmaster deferred to Master Shipwright"Colleoni to supervise this exacting evolution. Pietra was more than confident in his ability at “heeling” Impresa. In heeling the ship is anchored in calm waters, the crew can shift its cargo and ballast to one side of the hull to cause the vessel to lean or heel less than forty-five degrees to one side or the other. The act of heeling brings part of the lower hull above the water line, but it does not expose the keel.
However, “Careening” a vessel of any size is an exercise in physics and geometry best left to Master shipwrights. Careening requires an understanding of vertical axis of a sailing vessel at rest extends from the top of its mast to its keel, while the waterline on the hull represents its horizontal axis. The intersection of these two axes forms a fulcrum on which the vessel pivots from side to side. To expose the keel above the waterline, one has to rotate the vessel to one side or the other more than forty-five degrees from the vertical axis towards the horizontal axis. That is not a thing a shipmaster unless in dire straights would ever attempt. Careening is a prelude to the work of inspecting, cleaning, and repairing a vessel’s hull below the waterline and that job belongs to Colleoni and his press gang of former French ship’s carpenters.
The wooden fabric of sailing vessels demanded constant maintenance. After all the hull of an ocean-going ship, like Impresa, was a massive wooden frame, like the ribcage of a whale, sheathed with a skin of wooden planks nailed in place. This organic fabric, when immersed in fresh or salt water, accumulates a coating of algae, seaweed, and barnacles that slow its movement through the water and attracts boring worms that can devour a ship’s bottom like underwater termites. To slow this process down Impresa’s below water hull was protect by coating her with noxious compounds like tar and tallow, and adding a second layer of sacrificial wooden planks to the lower hull. To keep such a vessel in good condition and operating at maximum speed, one had to maintain the hull below the waterline at regular intervals and especially before an Atlantic crossing.
I have long been fascinated by the process of careening or “Hauling down”. The technique and equipment used to expose a vessel’s keel depended largely on its size, but the work generally required a strong and stable surface—like a beach, bluff, or sturdy wharf—to support the mass of the vessel. The main principle of careening a vessel, is to use one or more of its masts as a lever to rotate a fulcrum within the hull—that is, the intersection of the vessel’s vertical axis with the waterline. For a vessel the size of Impresa, the physical stress associated with this technique increased in proportion to the vessel’s size. To counteract the tension applied to the masts when careening a the shipwright attached auxiliary timbers called “shores” that extended diagonally from the deck to the mast to create an A-frame of support.
To multiply the mechanical force of the mariners hauling the ropes, were bent on block and tackle to the top of each mast. The crew then attached implements to facilitate the ship’s roll towards the wharf. To the top of the fore- and mainmast they attached a pair of careening blocks—large wooden cases with brass sheaves—that multiplied the mechanical force exerted on a line rove through them. To brace the two masts, the crew affixed to each a pair of timber shores that extended from the outboard edge of the deck to the middle of the mast. To help distribute the pulling force from the blocks to the hull, the crew installed several outrigger spars across the deck that projected through gun ports over the water side of the ship. Heavy ropes led from the outboard ends of the outriggers to ring bolts set into the hull, while similar rope shrouds led from the outriggers to the mastheads. Our mariners rove these lines through each of the blocks at the mastheads and led the bitter end or “outfall” from each block down to another block attached to a well-braced oak stump on the nearby shore.
After all of this tedious preparation, which took several days to accomplish, the ship was ready to careen. Our mariners, under the direct supervision of the master shipwright, standing on the shore pulled the rope falls in unison to rotate or “heave down” the ship. Their combined force traveled from the oak trees to the mastheads, to the outboard ends of the outriggers, to the ring bolts in the opposite side of the hull. As the hull rolled toward the shore, the masts slowly descended over the beach while the keel gradually ascended through the water on the opposite side of the ship. Impresa’s heel to expose the lower hull and keel, mariners “made fast” the loose ends of the falls to secure the ship’s position.
Impresa was now under a great deal of mechanical stress and tethered in a compromising position. A sudden gale or rogue wave could easily sink the hull, while a failure in any of the equipment under tension might cause a sudden, jerking movement that could snap the masts like twigs and perhaps crush anyone standing nearby. Although this was not a typical day in the life a mariner, it was quite common for a master shipwright. During this time Colleoni gave his full attention, night and day to Impresa’s repairs.
The purpose of careening is to facilitate the inspection, cleaning, and repair of a vessel’s hull below its waterline. Such work was complicated by the location of the job site, which was suspended over a body of water. The exposed area of a careened hull faced away from the shore or the wharf supporting the rest of the vessel. Floating platforms or raft-like “stages” sturdy enough to support a number of laborers and their equipment facilitated ship carpenter in their work. Standing on a floating stage tethered to the ship, our master shipwright and his carpenters could inspect the hull and determine the extent of the necessary repairs. Such work on Impressa included removing rotten or damaged planks and fitting new ones, replacing the sacrificial false keel that protected the actual keel from damage. Vessels with carvel-planked hulls, like Impresa —that is, boards laid edge to edge—also required regular caulking to keep the water out. Ship caulkers with specialized hammers tapped dense stands of tar-soak oakum into the seams to keep the water out, and their tedious work formed a staccato chorus that put local woodpeckers to shame.
The bottom of nearly every type of watercraft had to be coated with some kind of anti-fouling and water-proofing substance. Row boats and small sailing vessels in received a simple coating of pitch, which is boiled tar made from distilled pine resin. Pitch and tar were also widely used to waterproof ropes, cables, and textiles, but the hulls of larger, ocean-going vessels like Impresa got a more substantial protection. Over the planking and caulking, and perhaps over a generous layer of pitch, laborers slathered a viscous compound called “graving.” The ingredients varied, but graving generally included some combination of tallow (rendered animal fat), quicklime, white lead, and rosin. A vessel with a black bottom had minimal graving, Impresa’s white bottom had the more expensive, fatty graving saturated with toxic lime and lead.
The hard work of applying pitch and graving to the bottom of a wooden vessel was made even more disagreeable by a few truths. First, any remnants of an older layer of graving had to be removed by a process called “breaming.” Workers gathered reeds and pine brush from local maritime forests to create torches that they held against the hull. While the flames burned the accumulated bio-growth and melted the old graving, workers used iron tools to scrape the residue from the wooden hull into the water below.
After the surface was thoroughly breamed, all of the ingredients for the fresh graving had to be heated before application. Because the laborers stood on platforms floating off-shore, the graving materials were were heated in iron cauldrons standing on the same platforms. In short, the men performing the breaming and graving worked in a noxious atmosphere of acrid fumes and smoke, and occasionally suffered burns from the bubbling brew near their feet.
With her hot graving, applied with a swab, dried quickly into a smooth layer of waterproof protection. Ship’s carpenters then moved the floating stages, cast off the ropes, and carefully returned the ship to its normal upright position. Impresa had to be rotated 180 degrees to bring the opposite side of the hull to the wharf, and the entire process was repeated. After graving the second side of the hull, Ship’s carpenters and mariners could begin the tedious work of removing the careening tackle, returning the ballast, provisions, and guns to their former places, raising the topmasts and topgallant masts, and re-reeving all of the running rigging. If very, very lucky, Master Shipwright"Colleoni, figured the entire careening process might be completed in as little as ten days but it was more likely to be three weeks.
August 10 7 AM Shipmaster Enrico Pietra reported to me that Grande Impresa was in all respects ready for sea and he had a fair breeze to clear harbor. I already had Volpe’s reports and the private letters of the expedition members in my strong box. I had no idea if I’d ever see him again. Not likely was my best guess.
For me it was an East bound northern route Atlantic passage while the weather was still mild home, immediately followed by hand delivery of my reports to The BANK at the Palazzo San Giorgio. I would then be free to reunite with my wife and children. I was pretty sure it would take at least a week for Bank Officials to skim over my reports but a detailed analysis would probably take many months. Matteo Adorno, future First Governor of NOVA GENOVA and, far more important, Luigi Grimaldi "Commissario" (Chairman BOD) The Bank of Saint George would not wait that long to haul me in for questioning. I would use the voyage to polish my reports, organize them into a portfolio, clean up the updates of my charts, finish the “Port Pilot” and sailing directions I was writing for the use of the colonization expedition to come. Thank God I would not have to sail with them. My part of Nova Genova would be done and I was happy to move on to other things.
August 10 Noon First mate Titurio Sabino, with his master watching from windward
weathered Brenton point well to the south took bearings on Price Neck and and Cogshall point and set his course South South East. He secured the Larboard watch from sea and anchor detail to eat. They had to eat fast because they had the afternoon watch and would relieve the Starboard watch by two bells. Close hauled on the starboard tack Impresa could hold course comfortably. The last cast of the log showed her making four knots and as they got further off shore she would pick up a knot or two. At this point they were hunting for the Gulf stream current with it’s 4 to 5 knots to speed them on their way back to Europe at an average speed of 6 to 7 knots.
I am also counting on The Westerlies to allow us to keep to a course within the gulf stream moving generally north and East without tacking all over the Ocean. As I figure it we have 1,100 leagues rumb line to Cadiz. That works out to about 3,500 miles and 30 days, if all goes well. Which it will not if the Atlantic ocean has it’s way and the Atlantic always has it’s way. We should make landfall off Cadiz between 10 to 25 September.
My plan is to hire a “fast Coach”, load in copies of all our reports in cipher in the Custody of an agent of the Cadiz branch of THE BANK . "Sergente” Aldo Regioni with five of his toughest privates of # 6 Co Liguria disguised as merchants will be his guard. Over mainly Spanish roads they should make about 60 miles a day and should reach Genoa in 20 days. I and the original reports along with charts, official and personal mail will continue to Genoa aboard Grande Impresa. We will stay at Cadiz for two days to provision repair damage to essential parts of the ship and give the crew two nights of shore leave. With typical Mediterranean September weather we should be in Genoa in 10 days.
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oscssw
Senior chief petty officer
Posts: 967
Likes: 1,575
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Post by oscssw on Oct 11, 2023 23:24:55 GMT
j ust wanted my friends here to know I have moved intro a new home which is keeping me very busy. I have every intention to continue this ATL story but for now I am being worked like Gally slave by Shanghai Debbie to get this place ship shape Andy Bristol fashion.  |
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I have made up my mind that NOVA GENOVA (that name cracks me up every time I write it. I bet my hero Mel Brooks would approve!) will be a colony of Genoa. 
