Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816 | Page 6

or board or come to rescue or retreat, or give chase.
The which signals all must understand and remember what they are to
do when such signals are made, and likewise the armed boats shall take
the same care and remember what they ought to do, and perform their
duty.[10]
_Chapter IV.--Battle_
Then the flagship shall bid a trumpet sound, and at that signal all shall
move in their aforesaid order; and as they come into range they shall
commence to play their most powerful artillery, taking care that the
first shots do not miss, for, as I have said, when the first shots hit,
inasmuch as they are the largest, they strike great dread and terror into
the enemy; for seeing how great hurt they suffer, they think how much
greater it will be at close range and so mayhap they will not want to
fight, but strike and surrender or fly, so as not to come to close
quarters.
Having so begun firing, they shall always first play the largest guns,
which are on the side or board towards the enemy, and likewise they
shall move over from the other side those guns which have wheeled
carriages to run on the upper part of the deck and poop.[11] And then
when nearer they should use the smaller ones, and by no means should
they fire them at first, for afar off they will do no hurt, and besides the
enemy will know there is dearth of good artillery and will take better
heart to make or abide an attack. And after having come to closer
quarters then they ought to play the lighter artillery. And so soon as
they come to board or grapple all the other kinds of arms shall be used,
of which I have spoken more particularly: first, missiles, such as
harpoons [_dardos_] and stones, hand-guns [_escopetas_] and
cross-bows, and then the fire-balls aforesaid, as well from the tops as
from the castles, and at the same time the calthrops, linstocks,
stink-balls [_pildoras_], grenades, and the scorpions for the sails and
rigging. At this moment they should sound all the trumpets, and with a
lusty cheer from every ship at once they should grapple and fight with

every kind of weapon, those with staffed scythes or shear-hooks cutting
the enemy's rigging, and the others with the fire instruments [_trompas
y bocas de fuego_] raining fire down on the enemy's rigging and crew.
The captain-general should encourage all in the battle, and because he
cannot be heard with his voice he should bid the signal for action to be
made with his trumpet or flag or with his topsail.
And he should keep a look-out in every direction in readiness, when he
sees any of his ships in danger, to order the ships of reserve to give
succour, if by chance they have not seen it, or else himself to bear in
with his own ship.
The flagship should take great care not to grapple another, for then he
could not see what is passing in the battle nor control it. And besides
his own side in coming to help and support him might find themselves
out of action; or peradventure if any accident befell him, the rest of the
fleet would be left without guidance and would not have care to
succour one another, but so far as they were able would fly or take their
own course. Accordingly the captain-general should never be of the
first who are to grapple nor should he enter into the press, so that he
may watch the fighting and bring succour where it is most needed.
The ships of support in like manner should have care to keep somewhat
apart and not to grapple till they see where they should first bring
succour. The more they keep clear the more will they have opportunity
of either standing off and using their guns, or of coming to close range
with their other firearms. Moreover, if any ship of the enemy takes to
flight, they will be able to give chase or get athwart her hawse, and will
be able to watch and give succour wherever the captain-general signals.
The boats in like manner should not close in till they see the ships
grappled, and then they should come up on the opposite side in the
manner stated above, and carry out their special duties as occasion
arises either with their bases,[12] of which each shall carry its own, and
with their harquebuses, or else by getting close in and wedging up the
rudders, or cutting them and their gear away, or by leaping in upon the
enemy, if they can climb in without being seen, or from outside by

setting fire to them, or scuttling them with augers.[13]
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Fernandez