The port flaps had retracted but the compensator caused the starboard ones to extend further.

She'd had a new tail section, the port flaps were new, and the nose and port wing had several riveted plates where flak had holed her.

On 3 July 1968, the port flap operating rod of G-AMAD, an Airspeed Ambassador operated by BKS Air Transport failed due to fatigue thereby allowing the port flaps to retract.

Ramage was not quite sure why he wanted the port lids left down.

"Trice up the port lids and run out the guns.

The port lids were pulled down outside.

Men stood by at every port lid, holding the lanyard that would trice it up, allowing the guns to be run out.

Several port lids torn off."

"Yes, general quarters, but leave the port lids down; don't forget we're a French frigate just paying a routine visit - probably to get fresh water.

The galleons carried white stripes along their sides, mark-ing the line of their gun ports, and the port lids were painted red.

Then he realized that although the frigate's port lids were not triced up, all the frigate's guns were manned.

In the meantime he didn't want those damned guns run out with all those port lids triced up so that even the slightest touch of ship against ship would tear off lids and wrench guns from their carriages.

The only answer to this was a fusillade of further shots, followed by the opening of the port lids nearest us, and the sudden appearance of the long black noses of several cannon, along with a more intense gust of stink.

"Probably," Ramage said, knowing that frigates carrying troops and stores usually had most of their maindeck guns removed to make more space and the port lids caulked, leaving the ships armed with only the guns on the fo'c'sle and quarterdeck.

Soon he could hear the rumble of the guns being run in, then the crash as port lid after port lid was allowed to slam shut, leaving the side as smooth as the walls of a house with the windows shut.

Oh, I'm a secret coward . . . Now it was too late to change his mind; the French frigate was slicing her way up to them, spray flying from her bow, port lids triced up, guns run out, Tricolour streaming out in the freshening breeze.

The gun port lids, painted red on the inside, here now open and triced flat back against the ships' sides, making a checkerboard of red squares along the white or yellow strakes painted on black hulls which gleamed wetly, while the muzzles of the guns poked out like accusing fingers.