Naval ignorance

[diane]

I don't recall the title either, but they were on the Java when she was defeated, then taken to Boston as you say, and then Aubrey found some way to be on the Shannon when she fought and beat the Chesapeake.

I appreciate using history as a backdrop for fiction, but I don't care for writers just putting their characters in place of historic persons. I remember thinking that O'Brien had written a great story in the orginal M&C and being a bit disappointed to learn that it was mostly Cochrane's exploits.

Lol! I was, too. I'd hoped he'd used some more of Nelson's early days as a raider - he was good and had some adventures that didn't need embellishment. But, well, you sink a couple fleets and nobody remembers anything else!

 

[TinCan]

My 7th grade Texas History teacher had the complete set of Hornblower books on a cabinet in the front of his classroom. He offered to let any of us borrow the books, if we were interested. I checked out the first one that day and read them all as fast as I could. He then loaned me "The Fleet That Had To Die" and I was hooked -- from that time on, I was certain I wanted to be a Navy officer, sail ships, command sailors, go strange places and do big things. Many years later, I retired after 25 years as a Navy officer -- all because of Hornblower.

Had somewhat the same experience Dave. Was at the movies one night and watched ,"The Sand Pebbles", got up the next morning and joined the Navy. Wasn't until boot camp that I snapped out of it and realized what I had done. (I liked it though).

 

[rebelatsea]

They liked French models, too. British naval architecture is like British cuisine -- it serves the purpose, but that's about all that can be said for it.

The purpose being to serve anywhere in the world in any conditions. I reckon we did rather well at it, At risk of getting a broadside- better than a lot of US designs.