Rear AdmiralRear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "Admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "Flag officers" and/or "Flag ranks"...
Sir John Aubrey,
KBThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
,
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
,
JPA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, FRS, is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
in the
Aubrey–Maturin seriesThe Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of historical novels — 20 completed and one unfinished — by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a physician, natural...
of novels by
Patrick O'BrianPatrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centered on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician...
. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to
AdmiralAdmiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet. Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral and Admiral of the Fleet are sometimes considered generically to be Admirals....
in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
during the
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
. The twenty (and
almost twenty-oneThe Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey , the unfinished twenty-first novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series, appeared in the United States of America under the simpler title of 21...
) book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along his course to flying a rear admiral's flag. He starts as a lieutenant, depressed, poor and without a ship until he is given his first command: a fourteen-gun brig-rigged
sloopIn the 18th and the earlier part of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a small sailing warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen cannons...
,
HMSHer or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...
Sophie.
Most of his naval battles and adventures are drawn from actual Royal Navy history; several of his exploits and reverses are directly based on the chequered career of
Thomas CochraneAdmiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Marquess do Maranhão, GCB, ODM , styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a senior British naval flag officer and radical politician...
.
Rear AdmiralRear Admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a Commodore and Captain, and below that of a Vice Admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "Admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "Flag officers" and/or "Flag ranks"...
Sir John Aubrey,
KBThe Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the medieval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
,
MPA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a parliament. In many countries the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a unique title, such as senate, and thus also have unique titles for its members, such as senators. Members of...
,
JPA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
, FRS, is a
fictional characterA character is the representation of a person in a narrative or dramatic work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr through its Latin transcription character, the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its...
in the
Aubrey–Maturin seriesThe Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of historical novels — 20 completed and one unfinished — by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a physician, natural...
of novels by
Patrick O'BrianPatrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centered on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician...
. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to
AdmiralAdmiral is a senior rank of the Royal Navy of the United Kingdom, outranked only by the rank Admiral of the Fleet. Royal Navy officers holding the ranks of Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral and Admiral of the Fleet are sometimes considered generically to be Admirals....
in the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
during the
Napoleonic WarsThe Napoleonic Wars were a series of conflicts declared against Napoleon's French Empire and changing sets of European allies by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionized European armies and played...
. The twenty (and
almost twenty-oneThe Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey , the unfinished twenty-first novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series, appeared in the United States of America under the simpler title of 21...
) book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along his course to flying a rear admiral's flag. He starts as a lieutenant, depressed, poor and without a ship until he is given his first command: a fourteen-gun brig-rigged
sloopIn the 18th and the earlier part of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a small sailing warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen cannons...
,
HMSHer or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...
Sophie.
Most of his naval battles and adventures are drawn from actual Royal Navy history; several of his exploits and reverses are directly based on the chequered career of
Thomas CochraneAdmiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Marquess do Maranhão, GCB, ODM , styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a senior British naval flag officer and radical politician...
. O'Brian is said to have pictured his friend, actor
Charlton HestonCharlton Heston was an American actor of film, theatre and television.Heston is known for having played heroic roles, such as Moses in The Ten Commandments, Colonel George Taylor in Planet of the Apes, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar in El Cid, and Judah Ben-Hur in Ben-Hur, for which he won the Academy...
, as Aubrey.
Aubrey is a great lover of music and plays the violin. He is generally accompanied by his friend and shipmate
Stephen MaturinStephen Maturin is a fictional character in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. The series portrays his career as a physician, naturalist and spy in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, and the long pursuit of his beloved Diana Villiers.Maturin was played by Paul...
on the 'cello. Aubrey is particularly fond of
CorelliArcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, Romagna, in the current-day province of Ravenna. Little is known about his early life. His master on the violin was Giovanni Battista Bassani...
.
Aubrey is played by
Russell CroweRussell Ira Crowe is an Australian actor and musician. His acting career began in the early 1990s with roles in Australian TV series such as Police Rescue and films such as Romper Stomper. In the late 1990s, he began appearing in US films such as the 1997 movie L.A. Confidential...
in the 2003 film
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the WorldMaster and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir, starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin and released by 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films and Universal Studios. It is adapted from three novels in the Aubrey–Maturin series by...
.
Ships commanded by Jack Aubrey
During the series of novels, Jack Aubrey commands a large number of vessels. Most of them are ships of the
Royal NavyThe Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of HM Armed Forces . From the beginning of the 18th century until well into the 20th century, it was the most powerful navy in the world, playing a key part in establishing the British Empire as the dominant world power from 1815 until the early...
, prefixed HMS. On one occasion he commands an
Honourable East India CompanyThe East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
Ship, and for some time
Surprise is a hired vessel working for the Royal Navy (HMHV).
Nutmeg of Consolations status is undefined, as she belongs to
Stamford RafflesSir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is known as the "Father of Singapore"...
, the Governor of
BataviaJakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. It also has a greater population than any other city in Southeast Asia. It was formerly known as Sunda Kelapa , Jayakarta , Batavia , and Djakarta . Located on the northwest coast of Java, it has an area of and a population of 8,489,910...
.
| Ship |
Rate |
Guns |
Main armament |
Book |
Notional Year |
End of commission |
Fictional? |
| HMS Sophie |
Sloop |
14 |
4lb |
Master and CommanderMaster and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin.-Plot summary:...
|
1800 |
Captured |
|
|
| Sloop |
24 |
32lb carronade The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon...
s |
Post CaptainPost Captain is the 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin...
|
1803 |
Sunk (structural failure) |
Yes |
|
| 5th |
38 |
18lb |
Post CaptainPost Captain is the 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin...
|
1804 |
Temporary command |
No |
|
| 6th |
28 |
12lb |
HMS SurpriseHMS Surprise is the 1973 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is third in the series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin.-Plot introduction:...
|
1805 |
Paid off |
No |
|
| 5th |
38 |
18lb |
The Mauritius Command The Mauritius Command is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is fourth in the series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. It retells in fictional form the real campaign carried out by the Royal Navy in 1810 under Commodore...
|
1809 |
Paid off |
No |
|
| 3rd |
64 |
24lb |
The Mauritius Command The Mauritius Command is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is fourth in the series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. It retells in fictional form the real campaign carried out by the Royal Navy in 1810 under Commodore...
|
1809 |
Monsoon season; transferred back to Boadicea |
No |
|
| 4th |
50 |
24lb |
Desolation Island Desolation Island, is the fifth historical novel by Patrick O'Brian set prior to the War of 1812.-Plot summary:Jack Aubrey has been ashore for a while and is getting into difficulties due to his belief in the honesty of others in business and cards. Stephen Maturin is also in personal trouble over...
|
1811 |
Converted to transport |
No |
| HMS Ariel |
Sloop |
16 |
6lb |
The Surgeon's MateThe Surgeon's Mate, is a historical novel set during the Napoleonic Wars and written by Patrick O'Brian. From the title, the reader might expect the "Surgeon's Mate" to be Stephen Maturin's medical assistant...
|
1813 |
Sunk after striking reefIn nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water ....
|
No |
| HMS Worcester |
3rd |
74 |
36lb |
The Ionian MissionThe Ionian Mission, is a historical novel by naval author Patrick O'Brian in the continuing series about Jack Aubrey and sea surgeon and friend Stephen Maturin.-Plot summary:...
|
1813 |
Converted to shear hulk following storm damage |
Yes |
| HMS Surprise |
6th |
28 |
12lb |
The Ionian MissionThe Ionian Mission, is a historical novel by naval author Patrick O'Brian in the continuing series about Jack Aubrey and sea surgeon and friend Stephen Maturin.-Plot summary:...
|
1813 |
Temporary command |
No |
| HEICS Niobe |
|
|
9lb |
Treason's HarbourTreason's Harbour, by Patrick O'Brian is a historical novel set during the Napoleonic period and follows the life of two friends, a naval captain and his ship's surgeon.-Plot summary:...
|
1813 |
Temporary command |
Yes |
| HMS Surprise |
6th |
28 |
12lb |
The Far Side of the WorldThe Far Side of the World is an historical novel and tenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series. It was first published by HarperCollins in 1984...
|
1813 |
Paid off, then sold out of service |
No |
| HMS Diane |
6th |
32 |
18lb |
The Thirteen Gun Salute The Thirteen Gun Salute, is the thirteenth historical novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian. This first edition bears this title, whereas later issues have used The Thirteen-Gun Salute featuring a hyphenated title....
|
1813 |
Grounded on a reef, then destroyed by storm |
Yes |
| Nutmeg of Consolation |
6th |
20 |
9lb |
The Nutmeg of ConsolationThe Nutmeg of Consolation is the fourteenth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. Its opening chapter continues directly from the ending of the previous novel in the series, The Thirteen-Gun Salute.-Plot summary:...
|
1813 |
Returned to governor, transferred to Surprise |
Yes |
| HMHV Surprise |
6th |
28 |
12lb |
Clarissa Oakes Clarissa Oakes , is an historical novel set during the Napoleonic Wars written by Patrick O'Brian. It again features the duo, "Lucky" Captain Jack Aubrey and his friend and companion Stephen Maturin....
|
1813 |
Transferred to Franklin |
No |
PrivateerA privateer was a private warship authorized by a country's government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping. Strictly, a privateer was only entitled by its state to attack and rob enemy vessels during wartime. Privateers were part of naval warfare of some nations from the 16th to the...
Franklin |
|
22 |
32lb carronades |
The Wine Dark Sea |
1813 |
Temporary command |
Yes |
|
| 3rd |
74 |
32lb |
The CommodoreThe Commodore is a further historical novel entry in the Aubrey-Maturin series of naval stories by Patrick O'Brian. Set in the middle of the Napoleonic Wars, O'Brian takes the narrative further across the globe than other in this genre...
The Yellow AdmiralThe Yellow Admiral is a novel by English author Patrick O'Brian, the eighteenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series of historical fiction set in the era of the Napoleonic Wars.- Plot summary :...
|
1813 |
Paid off |
No |
|
| 5th |
38 |
18lb |
The Hundred DaysThe Hundred Days is a historical novel written by Patrick O'Brian. It is one of the series featuring Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin set normally at sea during the Napoleonic Wars, comprising the nineteenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series...
|
1815 |
Transferred to Surprise |
No |
| HMHV Surprise |
6th |
28 |
12lb |
The Hundred DaysThe Hundred Days is a historical novel written by Patrick O'Brian. It is one of the series featuring Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin set normally at sea during the Napoleonic Wars, comprising the nineteenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series...
|
1815 |
Damaged in collision, then sent in for repairs |
No |
| HMHV Surprise |
6th |
28 |
12lb |
Blue at the MizzenThe novel Blue at the Mizzen forms the last completed work in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. A blue ensign at the mizzen-mast indicated the presence of a Rear Admiral of the Blue, the lowest flag-rank in the Royal Navy of the early 19th century....
|
1815 |
Promoted: raised Flag on Suffolk |
No |
| HMS Suffolk |
3rd |
74 |
32lb |
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack AubreyThe Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey , the unfinished twenty-first novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series, appeared in the United States of America under the simpler title of 21...
|
1817 |
|
No |