Alfred and Royal George deepened the Pulo Aura deception

Alfred's listed battery of twenty-eight 12-pounder guns gave the convoy another armed ship able to sustain the appearance of naval strength. She was on her sixth voyage in 1804 and eventually made eight. The Royal George involved at Pulo Aura was the 1802 merchant ship, about 1,334 tons burthen, whose seven company voyages ran between 1803 and 1818 before her sale for breaking. Some paintings shown depict the earlier 1777 ship of that name. A contemporary Royal Navy Royal George was a 100-gun first rate, so recognizing the name without resolving the distant gunports could suggest a much more powerful opponent. Actual gun batteries, familiar naval names, and uncertain silhouettes all helped the deception.