Chapter 11 and 12 Summary

Sutherland stands out from Llanza and sails north about eighteen miles to Port Vendres, France. Sutherland closes with the land and then turns about and appears to sail away as night falls. After an exciting day of action, Hornblower is in high spirits and decides to personally lead the planned attack. Hornblower hosts the officers at dinner and explains his complicated plan of attack, stressing that the timing of all components must be carefully coordinated. In the early morning hours, Hornblower and 250 men embark in the ship's boats. One boat runs ashore near each battery, and the men then simultaneously commence a noisy, but ineffective, attack on each battery; the attacks are intended to cause confusion and delay, but not to be tactically effective. As the attacks begin, Hornblower's boat slips silently through the night and runs alongside a harbor guard...