Taka-Enterprise Affair
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| Battle between Taka and Enterprise | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Taka–Enterprise Affair | |||||||
 HMAS Enterprise (right) fires upon CTT Taka | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Aswick |
 Cadenza | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Captain James Munro, Esq., RN |
Captain Pei Thorerë | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 4th rate | 1 frigate | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
12 killed 2 wounded |
1 frigate damaged 7 killed 19 wounded 6 captured | ||||||
The Taka-Enterprise Affair was a diplomatic incident which occurred over a number of months in 1796 between Cadenza and Aswick, then a crown dependency of Aquitayne, after the Aswickan ship Enterprise fired on Cadenzan Taka to recover a number of deserters who had joined Taka's crew.
After a brief engagement off the coast of Cadenzan Kamalbia, the captain of the Taka surrendered his ship and allowed it to be searched. Aswickan marines apprehended the surviving deserters, who were subsequently tried and executed. The local Cadenzan earl, Jakúba Kimepra, was incensed, and authorised the ships under his command to raid Aswickan merchant shipping. Taka and Txatka captured a convoy in early October and led it back to port, whereupon Aswick's government called for war with Cadenza. Both sides immediately began preparing for war, until Aquitaynian ambassadors intervened and ordered Aswick to stand down.
Background
Cadenza and Aswick were friendly with each other because they were both supporting the Beriqois monarchists whose Royal Family had fled to Cassonne. A small flotilla consisting of the Aswickan frigates HMS Valentine, HMS Surprise, and HMS Stalwart were assigned to roam around Beriquois Kamalbian waters under broad orders to sink, burn, or take as a prize enemy merchant and military ships"[1] under command of Commodore Jack Aubrey While refreshing stores in a port in Cadenzan Kamalbia, a small number of sailors deserted and were taken aboard CTT Taka.
The Commodore made a report and sent it off to the Admiral commanding the Aswickan fleet in support of its allies. Upon receiving this, a number of weeks later, the Admiral detached HMS Enterprise commanded by Captain Munro to seek out the Cadenzan ship, and to apprehend the deserters.
Battle between Taka and Enterprise
Commerce raiding
Aquitaynian intervention
When a packet arrived in Jamestown carrying news of the action, the Aswickan Admiralty initially kept a tight lid on the information because the two countries were allied. Reports indicate that though they did not entirely agree with Captain Munro[2] they had still quietly prepared for open conflict following Cadenzan retaliation. The Admiralty was unable to stop news of the retalitations from reached the public, being uninformed of what caused the retalitations, clamoured for war over what appeared to them to be unprovoked attacks.
After much deliberation, the Prince of Aswick was ready to overstep his authority and declare war on Cadenza. To that end, a flotilla commanded by Commodore Sir Andrew O'Rourke was sent to deliver the declaration and to then harass Cadenzan merchant and military ships on the 11th of March, 1797[3] but before was called back before they could start performing their assigned duties. Aquitayne had responded, and had in no uncertain terms ordered Aswick to cease any movement towards war[4]
Furthermore, Aswick was ordered to pay reparations to both the damage Enterprise caused, as well as pay head money to the families of those the incident had left killed and maimed.[5] Aswick, fearing that Aquitayne would limit a number of the freedoms it had acquired over the past years, quickly complied thus staving off a fullout war. Due to all of this, the Aswickan Navy started to take less of a hardline stance on impressment and searching foreign vessels for deserters.[6]