AdamC: Hall of Heroes the Redoutable (35 Points)

 Can a ship be a Hero?  Some, especially sailors, will tell you ships have personalities.  Regardless the crews of ships can certainly be Heroic.

This is the French Ship of the Line Redoubtable built in 1791, her early career was fairly unremarkable with a mix of service in European and Caribana Waters.  Some time in 1804 or early 1805 she was placed under the command of Captain Jean Jacques Étienne Luca who was probably one of the best French officers of the Napoleonic wars.  He realized he couldn't train sailors in harbor but he could train fighters. By all reports Lucus put his men through a rigorous drill using small arms, grenades and hand weapons.  

Lucas and Redoubtable had a date with destiny on October 21 1805 at a point in the sea that would be know as Trafalgar.  Redoubtable was located three ships behind the French Flag ships and when those ships started to fall behind Lucus took Redoubtable into the gap and and tried to prevent Victory form cutting the line behind the flag ship.  The Redoubtable failed to stop the Victory and soon found herself in close action with the larger english ship.  In the early going Redoubtable held her own striking Victory with a broad side and a savage musket fire (Lord Nelson falling to a shot form an unknown French Marine).  Lucus was about to attempt to board Victory....

Dramatic recreation

When HMS Temeraire cut behind Redoubtable and raked her the broadside killed and wounded as many 200 men including Lucus and his 1st Lieutenant both of whom stayed at thier post directing the fire form both broad sides at Victory and Temeraire (both of which were larger ships). In this close range firefight the Redoubtable was savaged and most of her guns put out of action. Things got worse when the Tonnant crossed Redoutable's T again. Still Lucus and his crew responded with musket fire to a call for their surendure and fought on. Lucus struck his colors about 2:30 that afternoon his crew having sustained a casualty rate of 88% (544 out of 643) by comparison Victory suffered 160 casualties and Temeraire suffered 120. Redoubtable was reduced to wreck and her survivors were taken off by HMS Swiftsure.  By any measure this was a heroic if doomed fight. 

Redoutbtable is from the French Fleet box from Warlord a plastic 3rd rate with metal figure head and stern piece. I used the battle damaged sails I got as part of a prize over the summer. I did some damage of my own to the flags. Points  15 for the ship (under the new scoring) minions may add more for Rigging and Sails (pretty please) and another 20 for the room resulting in 35 points in total.