Hornblower.. Navigation and Battles

Nostrodamus

Nostrodamus

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I started to watch Hornblower again last light (box se 15quid in Asda).

A brilliant series and I forgot how good it was.

Now I wish I had a ensign like there’s.

I do find films like this fascinating and should imagine that battles were like a game of chess played out for days trying to get your boat in a more advantageous position whilst using poor or no charts and limited navigation aids. The more I think about it the more respect I have for the captains.

Is there anyone else who find s the sailing in these times fascinating or knows a little more about the sailing and tactics.

My wife won’t let me change our boats name to the “Indefatigable” and I may have to hide the DVD’s before going to France.
 
Nostrodamus said:
I started to watch Hornblower again last light (box se 15quid in Asda).

A brilliant series and I forgot how good it was.

Now I wish I had a ensign like there’s.

I do find films like this fascinating and should imagine that battles were like a game of chess played out for days trying to get your boat in a more advantageous position whilst using poor or no charts and limited navigation aids. The more I think about it the more respect I have for the captains.
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We were looking at some old charts while in a museum in Jersey and I was explaining the methods available for navigation and what good sea men they were then.

SWMBO : If they were that good why is the chart littered with wrecks :(:(:(
 
Wonderful level of research by Forester. His autobiography makes good reading as well.
I related the story to a Dutch pilot in Antwerp about flyboats, fast horsedrawn barges which could make 9kts, cost a penny a mile, he refused to believe it. Hornblower and the Atropos.
 
Many years ago I read the biography of Pellow, Viscount Exmouth. He blagged his way to command of the Indefatigable as it was a Raze - a two decker cut down to be a large frigate which made it a heavily armed fast raider - in which to make his fortune via prizes. But he was a top quality naval captain with many successes including if I recall right the Battle of the Bay of Algiers.

You should try to get the 'Life and times of Horatio Hornblower', the biography of Hornblower by the top naval historian Northcott Parkinson. Great read - includes a confession to the murder of the Captain and a wonderful tale about saving his career. Between ships as a junior Lt, Hornblower is on a receiving hulk in wither Plymouth or Falmouth, can't remember which. The officers of the hulk waiting for appointments take it in turns to provide officer of the watch. The harbour guard boat which patrolled the harbour was under orders from the Port Admiral to board any hulks which failed to challenge the guard boat and seqize the pennant. The officer of the watch was then summoned to the Admiral and effectively that was the end of his career. Hornblower was ashore one evening on leave and the officers of the hulk played cards and the watch equally neglected their duties. The guard boat boarded and sized the pennant. In the morning, an order for the officer of the watch to report to the Port Admiral the next day was received on the hulk. When Hornblower returned from shore leave that day, he was told by the other officers that they had changed the duty rota and he that being the junior was recorded as officer of the watch, and ergo, he had to report to the Port Admiral the next day. Hornblower could not get out of the deception of his fellow officers but that night he was in command of the guard boat, came alongside the Admiral's ship, boarded it unseen and removed the Admiral's pennant from the masthead. The next day on reporting to the Port Admiral, he was torn off a strip and asked if he had anything to say. He said nothing but produced the Admiral's pennant and placed it on the deck. The Admiral said nothing but picked up the pennant and put it in his desk. A few days later Hornblower got a posting!
 
Patrick O'Brian

If you enjoyed the Hornblower series, may I suggest that you follow it up with the Aubrey/Maturin series. All ship actions are based on true accounts and the career of 'Lucky Jack' draws heavily on the life if Cochrane. An incredible read in it's own right.

O'Brians use of language, his characterisations and detailed knowledge of period sailing is second to none.
 
I believe there is a "Hornblower Companion" which goes into the technical details of the navigation and battles. Otherwise, Darcy Lever's "Young Officer's Sheet Anchor" (usually called "Sheet Anchor"), although later than the Napoleonic period, does give a good overview of the handling and running of a ship of the times, including (AFAIR) things like gun drill. The "Sheet Anchor" is a text book actually used by junior officers!

Personally I prefer the Aubrey/Maturin stories to Hornblower, but as I came to the former via the latter, I appreciate both! But I find Aubrey a more sympathetic character.
 
Sophie19 said:
If you enjoyed the Hornblower series, may I suggest that you follow it up with the Aubrey/Maturin series. All ship actions are based on true accounts and the career of 'Lucky Jack' draws heavily on the life if Cochrane. An incredible read in it's own right.

O'Brians use of language, his characterisations and detailed knowledge of period sailing is second to none.
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I concur, C.S.Forester is to Patrick O'Brian as, say, Ian Fleming to John Le Carré. Different class altogether.
 
I've always enjoyed Hornblower from a kid and liked the TV series until one episode where they are adrift in a small boat praying to be rescued and wondering where they are. All the time, quite clearly in the background you can see the coast. SWMBO got really cross with me shouting at the television telling them to look behind them!!!!!!

Oh by the way I've got a sailing novel out which has a bit of Nelson in it - see my signature below. Oops sorry - how did that slip out?
 
I don’t know but I presume that once another ship was spotted they spent days trying to get in position. I should imagine by the time battle came sailors were often exhausted.

I saw Nelsons ship and was surprised by quiet barbaric and varied missiles they would fire from the cannons.

In another program from this area it was surprising to see that there were also a lot of black sailors and the “prize” money was quiet substantive depending of course on your rank. One other thing I found out was that sailors also got compensation for injuries sustained in battle.
 
Nostrodamus said:
I don’t know but I presume that once another ship was spotted they spent days trying to get in position. I should imagine by the time battle came sailors were often exhausted.

I saw Nelsons ship and was surprised by quiet barbaric and varied missiles they would fire from the cannons.

In another program from this area it was surprising to see that there were also a lot of black sailors and the “prize” money was quiet substantive depending of course on your rank. One other thing I found out was that sailors also got compensation for injuries sustained in battle.
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If you saw round HMS Victory, please be aware that the people who show you around don't distinguish fact from naval tradition; I am afraid the two are not necessarily congruent! I am afraid I listen to them with polite interest, and then turn to more authoritative historical sources.
 
I've always loved our Naval history - we had so many outstanding sea captains that inspired me in lots of ways.

If you enjoy reading about real exploits of derring do I can highly recommend Donald Thomas' biography of of the amazing life of Thomas Lord Cochrane. It makes Hornlower's fictional deeds pale by comparison.
 
Having started with Hornblower as a youngster and done Aubrey I can recomend the series by Richard Woodman which features Nathaniel Drinkwater.There are fourteen books in the series taking him from midshipman to an Elder of Trinity House.He does Trafagar as a prisoner on a French ship so you get another perspective.I got the books from charity shops etc and some from Amazon.There are some omnibus editions with three books in one.
 
Nostrodamus said:
Is there anyone else who find s the sailing in these times fascinating or knows a little more about the sailing and tactics.
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Don't claim to know about their tactics, but sailing on a modern square rigger has certainly given me a greater appreciation for the sailing skills involved.

Pete
 
It is quite amazing how general perception of the RN in the Napoleonic wars is so misguided. Many assume that most of the men were pressed where in reality most were volunteers because in reality RN pay and conditions were good. Pressing was needed in wartime mainly because merchant pay went up dramatically because of the risk factor and war better than RN pay though conditions were usually worse. In peace and there was a lot of peace in the period, RN pay was normally better than merchant pay.

Equally officers were not chinless wonders from the aristocracy as in the army but came from a wide social background. Many were sons of warrant officers taken on as midshipmen by captains whom the warrant officers had served under. Pepys had ensured that no one became a lieutenant without passing suitable exams so all officers had a basic competance.

Yes life was hard but so was life ashore or in the merchant navy. A good captain who got good prizes meant his crew all did well finacially and many retired fron the RN assuing they survived with a pretty good nest egg. Punishment could be harsh though many captains did not like using the lash, but remember ashore you could be hung for stealing a loaf of bread so in many ways RN punishment was not that harsh compared to civvy justice.

At trafalgar Nelson had many more guns than Wellington at Waterloo and bigger guns too. RN gunnery drill was the best in the world then and the skill levels of the crews were also the best. Also the RN had devised systems that let innovative leaders like Nelson have the freedom to try new tactics and win, hence the great victories such as the Nile and Trafalgar.
 
Also remember that in those days, Hornblower would have had a sailing master who was responsible for ship handling and navigation on passage. The uniformed branchwere primarily responsible for fighting the ship.
 
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