Whilst you were diddling around with your spells the Medtic fleet in Hamburg Germany was settling to the bottom of the harbour.In one hour the entire US Navy presence in the European region had suffered a grievous blow.And all because of mad Captain Hiram Christian and his ancient sailing brig the Hippocampus.
Reporter June April had been a first hand witness to this horrific event and unleashing of 18th century naval might against all a 21rst century superpower could throw at it.
After WW2 the USA had placed the Medtic fleet in Hamburg,the better to keep an eye on Soviet activities in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.After the collapse of the Soviet Union the fleet had been scaled back somewhat but it still contained 10 diesel electric subs, 5 destroyers,2 battleships and 4 aircraft carriers.
Reporter June April of Skye TV had been ordered to film the nesting habits of the rare duckbilled petrel on one of the islands that lay just outside of the US Naval base.She'd got the permits and a small group of naval tars and a officer had accompanied her to the island in a motor launch.Whilst the boys spent the morning sipping a beer,June and her camera man filmed the duck billed petrels
screeching,flapping and pooping overhead.
Nobody knew exactly when the thick fog rolled in from the Baltic but it was shortly after lunch that the officer suggested they might want to cut short the trip because of the fog which was roiling and billowing in.
They had just managed to launch the boat when the fog suddenly cut off their view of the base half way through the return trip.
They shut off the engine and listened carefully for the approach of other vessels.They heard the sound of something approaching them in the fog.There was the twang of rigging,the rattle of blocks and the ding of a ships bell.They saw no vessel,but listened as the sound seemed to drift away from them an continue in the direction they thought the naval base lay.
With the passsing of the mystery ship the sun came out again and they found themselves on open water,only 100 meters from the island they had just left.
They looked back and were spooked when they realized the fog only covered the naval base.Elsewhere it was clear and the sun was shining.Some 6th sense kicked in and June suggested to the officer that it might be better if they returned to the island and completed filming.The officer agreed.
They were just pulling up onto the beach when the first BOOM of a big gun could be heard,as well as its muzzle flash through the fog.
Soon big guns were firing all over within the fog and the silent group listened to the screeching as jets took off and went in search of the enemy.They could hear the bombs being dropped,the sound of the ack ack guns and shouts and yells and screams from all over the base within the fog.
Then there was a deathly silence,except for the odd jarring SNAP of a pistol being fired.They watched as the fog began once again to move out to sea.
It would head towards the island and the group all stood on the beach and stared expectantly at the wall of fog roiling towards them.
June told her camera man to put a fresh roll of tape into his machine and begin filming THERE,she pointed her finger at a certain spot along the fog front.
And thus it all caught on tape as the Hippocampus burst out of the fog,all sails set,clipping along at twentyfive knots,far faster then she could be expected to sail at.Her smoking guns,all 10 of them were still rolled up to their gunports on their carriages.
On the tip of the bowsprit stood a tall man,dressed in ancient naval uniform,standing firmly behind a flag and pole which had not been seen for 300 years.
Captain Hiram Christian and the Hippocampus were back.