While searching for suitable identities for the aviso and corvette in the French squadron, I came across this naval skirmish during the Franco Prussian War in 1870. In fact, it was the only naval engagement of the war and didn't ammount to much, despite being widely reported at the time.
I'd heard of it before but, for some reason, thought it occured in mid-Atlantic rather than close to Cuba. Anyway, I reckon it would make an excellent little scenario and so I'm going to add a couple of extra ships to the production line so that I can play it out using Iron and Fire.
Obviously, it would be better to do it in 1/600th or 1/1200th but, as I'm building fleets in 1/2400th it makes sense to add the rival vessels, as I already have suitable models in the box of bits. I'll use a screw corvette for the Meteor and a screw sloop for the Bouvet.
As it happens, I also have some Hallmark 1/2400th ships for the Battle of Rugen, which was a similarly obscure naval skirmish in the Baltic between the Danes and the Prussians during the Second Schleswig War of 1864.
I told you it was obscure.
One of the reasons it caught my attention is that the Prussian naval commander shares my surname, give or take a vowel or two, so it had to be done. I'll get round to it as some point but for the moment, it's on with the French and British.
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