Fire in the Night

At midnight, a small Holy Alliance squadron creeps to the entrance of the Pirate Bay. 

A single vessel detaches and, using the stars, the wind and dead reckoning, steers the furthest away path from the batteries guarding the harbour.

The wheel now bound and the sails set, the crew puts match to the cord and the order is given to abandon ship: the old hull becomes alight and the sleeping enemy is awoken to the terror of a fireship being launched right in their faces.

The ship crashes into the three galleys anchored on the northern side of the bay, and fires begin to spread quickly. The ships have to weigh anchor before they can employ their oarsmen to steer away... One ship of the line swings on the anchor cable and opens fire, and so does the Imam Fikus Point battery.

The brave crew reaches the safety of the Allied squadron under covering fire, which does not do any damage due to low visibility conditions, other than laying smoke around the water.

The wind changes and the fireship drifts towards the 4th rates. One galley, already aflame, manages to move away, and so does one of the larger ships. However, the other one has no leeway and the fireship makes contact, spewing hot tar, timed explosives and embers.

One of the galleys sinks beneath the waves, smoke still drifting from the place it did.

The fireship becomes disentangled, but too late: the flames reach the pirate ship's magazine and it explodes. Finally, a broadside from the surviving vessel disables the fireship as well.

The tally of the day: one galley and one ship sank, and another galley badly damaged. The Pirates were planning a sortie in the coming days - now they shall think again.

Rules used were my own Simple Age of Sail set with some tweaks, and the scenario can be found here.