Chapter 182: Chapter 160: Intelligence Leak

Bermuda, British Occupied American Territory
March 29th, 1833

"And you are absolutely certain that the French king is correct?"Admiral Amelius Beauclerk asked his subordinate.

Commodore Edmund Lyons, one of the most promising officers in the British Navy, nodded. He was tasked with handling intelligence in the American theater, through the Royal Intelligence Agency (an agency that was created in 1828 due to America's NIS). The RIA was still young and was unpolished compared to its American counterpart, but it still managed to acquire important pieces of information from the American mainland. However, the RIA was not the only source of military intelligence Great Britain had. In fact, the most secret and critical knowledge about the United States came from the French Empire, which Admiral Beauclerk thought was odd. Simply put, the French Empire was a minor power, no matter what King Louis (who was nearly eighty) claimed. The fact that the French Empire was able to acquire more sensitive intelligence than Great Britain, without an intelligence agency or anything of the sorts, was baffling. However, the information sent by the French king in exile was almost always useful, which made Admiral Beauclerk believe this mind-boggling secret American project.

The Royal Marines managed to capture Bermuda just over a month ago. While the commanding admiral of the North American theater was no friend of the Yankees, he had to admit that they were a fierce and stubborn bunch. The Americans, despite their numerical inferiority at sea, harassed the Royal Navy for months, using a combination of privateers and frigates. It wasn't nearly enough to turn the tide of war, but it delayed the British invasion of Bermuda for some time. After the Royal Navy managed to secure the waters around the small island, they bombarded the isle for over a week before the Royal Marines arrived onshore. When they did, they discovered that the American Marines stationed on Bermuda were extremely resilient, with many of them surviving the heavy bombardment that destroyed most of the infrastructure and fortifications on the island. Additionally, those blasted American mines wrecked a few of the ships that were used to deliver the troops for the invasion, along with a frigate offshore. Admiral Beauclerk and the other officers were already working on a "minesweeper" to clear the American mines that littered the eastern coast of the United States, but during the invasion itself, he had none at his disposal. Hundreds of good men lost their lives before they even landed on the beaches of Bermuda, and once they stepped onto the sand, they were fired upon immediately. After a fierce battle that took a week, the surviving American Marines finally surrendered. The British military took over nine hundred losses, while the Americans lost under six hundred men. Apparently, the civilians of Bermuda were evacuated first, with some Marines remaining behind to delay the British takeover of the island and to inflict casualties. And to an extent, they succeeded.

Evidently, it was not a fun ordeal, as he had seen the aftermath. There were bodies in every house that was still partially standing and more. The port was badly damaged, while entire settlements were flattened.

He shuddered as he thought of how the other fronts were faring. The Spanish were bogged down in South Africa, unable to advance past the coastal areas. They were having trouble in Colombia as well, to the point that they were considering withdrawing from the theater altogether, though not before they sacked Caracas and dashed any Colombian attempts to seize Guiana (with some pressure from Britain, as it was a British colony). Oregon was no better, as communications with the soldiers in the area were extremely difficult. Though, he heard that it was a stalemate for both sides, a very bloody stalemate. The Portuguese and Brazilians, along with their Federal League allies, were being battered and bruised from the "guerilla" Argentinan fighters, despite their initial sweeping successes.

However, everywhere else, Britain was proving itself to be the world's premier power. Singapore and Iceland were in British hands. The Atlantic and Caribbean Oceans were both owned and ruled by the Royal Navy. The American Navy, down to just three dozen ships, were now in hiding. While mines were still a problem, the Royal Navy was able to routinely hit a number of America's coastal cities, causing significant damages and deaths. Kingston, Jamaica was in British hands, though there were still resistance fighters hiding out in the western parts of the former British colony.

If all went well, then the war would be over soon and America would sue for terms.

At least, that was if America didn't have another damned ace up their sleeve.

"Metal warships," Admiral Beauclerk scowled as he looked at the report that was provided for him, "How long do we have?"

"A year, at maximum, before they finish their first. This "Project Monitor" was originally supposed to be developed in Halifax, but after the American Navy was defeated, they moved the entire project to Quebec City."

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The admiral flipped through the report and quickly scanned the content, "Three different types of ships... Ironclads, armored frigates, and torpedo boats. Each of them with incredible capabilities to make our navy obsolete. Rotatable turrets, rolled four inch armor, and explosive shells for the ironclads..."

"Do we have any similar projects of our own, admiral?" Commodore Lyons asked.

"If we did, I wouldn't be scowling," Admiral Beauclerk replied, "Some of our engineers theorized that such ships were possible, but they were still researching on what type of steel and iron ally could be used to create such metal monstrosities. But if the Americans are starting to build their own..."

"They have the designs and science to create them."

"Ten of these "Monitor class ironclads" by 1836? And twenty of these "Bunker Hill class armored frigates?" My God..."

The intelligence officer winced, "Their only limitation is that they need time to set up the proper facilities in Quebec and Montreal to start building these ships. Once they are ready, the Americans will start constructing the ships of "Project Monitor" right away. Their industrial output... may have eclipsed ours."

Admiral Beauclerk wanted to snort, but maintained a trouble expression as he finished reading, "I will report this to London right away. They will need to make a decision quickly. Now, do you have anything else for me?"

"One more thing sir," The commodore said as he handed another pile of papers to the admiral, "The French monarch managed to acquire valuable information on the American NIS."

As he flipped through the pages, the admiral's eyes widened. The papers were filled with information on known agents, past agents, points of contact, operations, etc. Most of the information was slightly outdated, dating back to 1825 and it seemed as though these reports were created from memory. But it was more than enough to reveal ways to root out American agents and make the Americans blind.

Or, use America's eyes against itself.

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