Battle of Tirkhi

Battle of Tirkhi
Part of Hari Sardar Expedition
The Daryan corvette Tarksya sinks after being rammed
Date March 29, 1873 Location Tirkhi, Gaurnadi fief, Andhrapur Result Andhrapuri victory
Belligerents
Andhrapur	Daryan Empire
Commanders and leaders
Sharif, Rajkumar of Biral	General Hari Sardar
Units involved
Andhrapuri River Fleet, including Biral Rangers	Hari Sardar Expeditionary Force
Strength
One corvette, five juteclad steamboats, six barges, approx. 750 troops	One ironclad, three corvettes, four gunboats, approx. 120 marines
Casualties and losses
One corvette and two juteclads destroyed Most barges destroyed 160 troops killed	One ironclad and two gunboats captured Two corvettes and two gunboats destroyed 260 sailors and marines killed

The Battle of Tirkhi was a river battle in 1873 in which a naval assault by Andhrapuri forces routed a Daryan expeditionary force. The crucial Andhrapuri victory which defeated the Hari Sardar Expedition, the Battle of Tirkhi was the last major Andhrapuri victory before the 1877-1879 First Andhrapuri-Daryan War. The battle is commemorated annually in Andhrapur to this day.

Background

In 1873, General Hari Sardar, baron of a southern Daryan fief, persuaded Emperor Ranjit IV to sponsor a military expedition into Andhrapur, with the aim of conquering portions of the Andhrapuri lowlands and obtaining plunder. Sardar himself, a veteran of the Punam War, hoped to obtain personal glory and wealth. In February, Sardar and a fleet centering on the ironclads Akampana and Prahasta set sail southward along the Raomari River, the central artery of trade between Darya and Andhrapur, raiding coastal villages as they went.

Andhrapuri small-arms and river fortresses, primarily constructed of mangroves and clay, were unable to resist Hari Sardar's incursion, with most weapons unable to penetrate the ironclads' armor. The Maharani ordered Sharif, the rajkumar (prince) of Biral fief, to lead the ships of the Andhrapuri River Fleet against the Daryan forces. Having spent several years in his youth abroad in Darya, Sharif was familiar with Daryan shipbuilding technology, including their new ironclads. Knowing that the existing fleet of Andhrapuri riverboats would be little more than kindling against Hari Sardar's expedition, Sharif ordered the construction and modification of the River Fleet to carry out modern warfare. In particular, Sharif had five juteclad steamboats built: paddlewheel steamboats had heavy bales of the tough fiber jute affixed to their sides, providing rudimentary protection against enemy cannon fire. These juteclads were fitted with rams below the waterline to destroy Daryan shipping.

Meanwhile, Sardar's fleet was weakened due to the necessity to dispatch ships full of loot back to Darya, as well as tropical disease afflicting those of the expedition hailing from distant parts of the Daryan Empire. Most importantly, perhaps due to false guidance given from a captured Andhrapuri navigator, the ironclad Prahasta ran aground on a muddy river shoal and sustained engine damage, forcing its crew to jury-rig repairs and return to Darya. Hearing of this from local spies, Rajkumar Sharif prepared a plan of attack which would utilize the misty mornings common to the Raomari River.

Battle

On the early morning of March 29th, Rajkumar Sharif's flotilla, including a flagship corvette, five juteclads, and six barges carrying soldiers of the Andhrapuri army, advanced under cover of mist towards the Daryan flotilla at anchor. One barge, carrying the famed Biral Rangers, allowed its soldiers to disembark to capture the Daryan picket post positioned at a bend in the river; the skilled fighters successfully used their blades to subdue the picket post with nary a sound.

Once the picket post had been eliminated, Sharif's ships advanced up the river undetected before the ram-equipped juteclads moved at full speed to ram the enemy. Striking the exposed sides of several ships, believed to be two corvettes and two gunboats, the Andhrans crippled a significant portion of the Daryan fleet almost immediately. Sharif's plan had been for the ships to reach close-quarters, allowing for the Andhrans to win the day in close combat using their superior numbers.

The initial attack by the Andhrapuri force prove successful, with the stricken Daryan ships taking on water rapidly. Ship-mounted Daryan guns began firing on the Andhrapuri force, with the ramming juteclads coming in for particular punishment. One juteclad's crew, forced to abandon the sinking ship, instead stormed the gunboat they had rammed, dispatching the Daryan crew. As the Andhrapuri barges lodged on the riverbank and disgorged their troops, Andhrapuri soldiers engaged in pitched battle against the Daryan crews, including the ironclad Akampana. Gradually the Daryan warships began to strike their colors and surrender.

Aftermath

The ironclad Akampana, seen here earlier in the Hari Sardar Expedition.

Rajkumar Sharif's force had taken severe damage from Daryan gunfire and several ships were found to have been crippled and were abandoned; due to the density of shipwrecks, the battle site would remain a hazard for river trade for over a decade. The ironclad Akampana, captured relatively intact, would be renamed and form the nucleus of a new river fleet, as would two Daryan gunboats which were also captured.

The Daryan forces were deprived of their arms and transported northward, forcibly ending Hari Sardar's expedition. Hari Sardar himself would return triumphantly to Andhrapur as a commander in the First Andhrapuri-Daryan War, where he was appointed as military governor of Biral fief.

Sharif's victory was much celebrated, with the Maharana declaring a national Feast Day in recognition of the victory. Rajkumar Sharif himself would later become Raj of Biral fief, a post which he held (despite reported ambitions of becoming Maharaj of Andhrapur) until his defeat in the subsequent Daryan invasion.