Movies: Jack Aubrey Commands

Over at The Dear Surprise, Monday saw The Dear Knows posting a thesis on leadership theory entitled “Mastering Leadership Reflexes: A Case Study of Captain Aubrey”. Of course, all it takes is the last two words of that title to get any O’Brian fan going. Needless to say I read the whole thing. Twice.


The paper is fascinating as a stand-alone evaluation of Russell West’s 2004 piece “A Reflex Model of Leadership Development” published in the Journal of Religious Leadership. It layers the groundwork of West’s theory with the command skills of the fictional character John Aubrey, RN as portrayed, not in O’Brian’s fiction, but in the movie Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Before I go any further, I feel compelled to point out that the co-authors of the thesis are all members of evangelical Christian churches. Though it is not my habit to discuss my personal feelings on religion here at Triple P, I must say first and foremost that this was a stumbling block for me in evaluating the material. I could not, in all fairness, get past the thought that the examples and information put forth would be used to manipulate people into a devotion to a business model that wears the vestments of spirituality. This is purely an honest, upfront admission on my part so that anyone reading my analysis will know that I come to the material with a bias.

Well, more than one bias if I’m honest. The authors rely entirely on Jack Aubrey the character as portrayed in the Peter Weir film. There is no reference to O’Brian and certainly no reference to the historical accuracy which was so important to that author. I won’t go through the piece line-by-line as that would be a crazy insult to the Brethren, but allow me to point out a few issues which jumped out at me.

A specific juxtaposition is made by the authors under the heading of “The Ethical Consideration Reflex.” Here they point to Aubrey’s ability to “… make right choices in ethically muddled situations…” One is the scene where in able seaman Worley is lost over the side of Surprise during a storm. Part of a mast is torn away and it begins to drag the ship down, as the line in the movie says, “like a sea anchor.” Aubrey makes the decision to cut the mast’s rigging, freeing the ship but dooming Worley to death by drowning. The second is Aubrey’s decision to suspend the pursuit of Acheron in favor of making landfall so that his friend, Stephen Maturin, can be saved vis-à-vis removal of a bullet from his abdomen.

These “right choices” are perhaps not so black and white outside of the context of the movie – particularly in the second case. While saving the many over the one is an almost textbook military leadership choice, saving the personal friend over duty, ship and crew is quite another thing. This is not, one must be thankful to say, a choice that Aubrey was required to make in O’Brian’s series but it is a choice faced by military leaders throughout history. Would John Aubrey, however fictional he may be, have made the choice of friend over duty? We probably would like to think that the answer would be yes but, based on the historical record, it is more likely “maybe.”

Another glaring issue for me was the authors argument under “Collaborative Reflex”, wherein they assert that Aubrey “develops camaraderie with his executive team…” and “… creates an environment in which [the crew] work together using their individual strengths and abilities to accomplish a common goal.”

Indeed, and again on the face of it, Aubrey is a cheerful “friendly” leader, willing to allow men to do what they are best at without hovering while showing compassion in times of injury, illness or death. Unfortunately this is not as uncommon, historically speaking, as the authors might like to imagine.

Aside from the likes of captains such as Bligh and Pigot, who created hells afloat, most naval leaders were and are aware of the confinement of their situation. There truly is nowhere to go in the middle of the ocean and it is not only the leaders but the men who must trust in and encourage one another in order to ensure that everyone not only gets home safe, but successful as well. Making repairs at sea, changing approach rather than sticking to “orders”, promoting or disciplining individuals as necessary and so much more would have not only been required but expected.

The idea of camaraderie was a feature of Jack’s personality as penned by O’Brian. He was very much a captain who needed a particular friend like Stephen Maturin. In stark contrast, and to stay within the realm of fiction, C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower is very much “the man alone.” He may consult and dine with his lieutenants, but in the final analysis he will decide the fate of his ship and her souls. I wonder what the authors of this piece might make of Hornblower as his leadership style in the BBC dramatizations of Forester’s works relates to West’s theory.

Of course there is so much more to consider but I may already have worn out my welcome. Click over and read the piece yourself. If you’re so inclined, let me know what you think. I’d particularly like to hear from you O’Brian scholars; you know who you are.

Header: Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey in Master and Commander

Books: Nautical Literature Good, Bad and Ugly

Peter H. Spectre’s A Mariner’s Miscellany is a book that no one writing nautical fact or fiction should be without. Spectre is a wealth of marine information and, best of all for those of us who deal in history, he by no means confines himself to modern ships and shipping.


As with everything, there are drawbacks to Spectre’s tome. He does not site sources, which limits one to what Spectre has to say. Taking his book as a starting point for research is impossible; he will credit individual writers and older books, but you can rarely go further than his book itself. He’s also a little opinionated. We all are, of course, but one of my favorite stands taken by Spectre is his ranking of 20th century writers who touch on the subject of the sea. While I vehemently disagree with Spectre’s assertion that C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series is better than Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels, there are some points in his rankings that it is hard to argue with. In particular I am struck by how much I agree with his first and last choices. Here, then, for your consideration, Peter H. Spectre’s entry “A nautical writer Hall of Fame, twentieth century” from A Mariner’s Miscellany:

All Century, Cannot be Topped - Joseph Conrad
Best American, Boating - Joe Richards
Best British, Boating - Maurice Griffiths
Most Entertaining - L. Francis Herreshoff
Most Enthusiastic - William Atkin
Most Inventive - E.H. Morgan
Best Sea Stories, American - Lincoln Colcord
Best Sea Stories, British - "Shalimar" (F.C. Hendry)
Most Entertaining Braggart - Weston Farmer
Brightest Technical Prose - David C. "Bud" McIntosh
Dullest Technical Prose - Howard I. Chapelle
Best Historical, the Grand Sweep - Samuel Eliot Morison
Best Historical, Small Craft - John Gardner
Best Historical, Naval Architecture - Howard I. Chapelle
Best Expository - Hervey Garrett Smith
Hippest - George J. Putz
Artiest - Rockwell Kent
Saltiest - Carl Lane
Most Co-Authors, Books - Basil Greenhill
Most Prolific, Good Books - Alan Villiers
Most Prolific, Bad Books - Bill Robinson
Best Father-and-Son Team - William and John Atkin
Hairiest Chest, Deserved - Uffa Fox
Hairiest Chest, Undeserved - Sterling Hayden
Best Novels, Nineteenth Century Naval - C.S. Forester
Best Novels, Twentieth Century Naval - Nicholas Monsarrat
Best Novels, Tugboats - Jan de Hartog
Most Novels, Good but Impossible to Finish - William McFee
Most Novels, Mediocre But Impossible to Put Down - Alistair MacLean
Best Current Reputation, Deserved - Patrick O'Brian
Best Current Reputation, Undeserved - Tom Clancy

If you have a strong opinion, let me know. I have not had the pleasure – or perhaps pain, depending – of reading all these authors so I’m keen to hear what the Brethren might think. Especially on such issues as, say, hairiest chest…


Header: A Mariner’s Miscellany via Amazon

Women at Sea: Girl with the Turban

The painting above, once attributed to Johann Zoffany, may be more familiar to most than the story of the women it portrays. It is an attractive portrait with both women, obviously just out of girlhood, looking mischievous and friendly. Surely, one must think, this is a lady and her maid hamming it up for their visual biographer. Finding out that, in fact, the ladies are cousins should make one at the very least a tad more curious.


On the right is Lady Elizabeth Murray. Born into privilege in 1761 as the daughter of the Earl of Mansfield, she was orphaned in her youth and went to live with her uncle James, who inherited his brother’s estate. Elizabeth was an heiress in her own right but, because her aunt and uncle were childless, faced the prospect of a lonely, country youth. All that changed with the appearance of the woman on the left, Dido Belle Lindsey.

Around the same time in the West Indies, the son of the Earl of Mansfield’s sister was making a name for himself in the Royal Navy. John Lindsay was in command of HMS Trent, a frigate of 28 guns. While on the Jamaica station Lindsay became known as one of those typical spit and polish Royal Navy Captains that were notorious in the Caribbean. Some time in 1761 he did something else not entirely unheard-of for a British man in foreign waters: he fathered an illegitimate child by a local woman.

Dido was the daughter of the Captain and a slave or free black woman named Maria Belle. Various fantastical stories – including that she was an abused slave aboard a Havana gunship rescued by Lindsay – surround Maria. The fact of the matter, though, is that she was probably Jamaican and the Captain’s companion while he was in local waters. Though this is speculation, both fact and very well researched historical fiction (Forester and O’Brian mention these kinds of arrangements, for instance) point to this possibility.

It is probable that Maria either died in childbirth or shortly thereafter because in 1762, after Lindsay had made a name for himself at the capture of Havana, he sent little Dido home to live with his Uncle James. It appears that, in fact, Dido may have been the first little girl taken in by the childless – and at the time future – Earl and Countess of Mansfield.

While Lindsay prospered at sea (and fathered at least two other illegitimate children), Dido was raised at Kenwood House in Hampstead, England. Historians note that she had a fine, four-poster bed with chintz hangings, was given asses milk when she was ill, and learned not only to read and write but to speak French, Italian and possibly Latin. It is even reasonable to say that Dido was tutored alongside her cousin Elizabeth.

While the same historians relate that her Uncle Mansfield, a judge, would later make decisions on slavery cases based on his love of Dido, some distinct differences were at play back at home. Dido did not dine with the family when guests came to call, but only joined the ladies in the parlor after the meal was over. She did not formally come out into society as Elizabeth did, either, being considered her cousin’s “companion” by the time they were old enough to accept suitors.

On the other hand, Dido was afforded broad and in some cases unusual duties. She travelled extensively with the family and with Elizabeth in particular. She was given the oversight of both the poultry house and the dairy at Kenwood, in which case she supervised the laborers, bought and sold animals and their produce, stocked the household larder and kept the books. This would have been a typical assignment for a young woman learning the art of keeping an estate. Atypical in the extreme was one of Dido’s later duties: secretary to the Earl. She dealt with messengers, read correspondence and wrote out dictated letters and other papers. This kind of work was generally reserved for a male steward or secretary. For a woman to take up such a task in the late 18th century was virtually unheard of.

Dido was left a yearly allowance not only by the Earl of Mansfield but also by her father, who died without legitimate offspring. Some writers point to her race when comparing Dido’s annuity of 30 pounds from the Earl to the one he settled on her cousin of approximately 100 pounds. What is often overlooked in these discussions is the stigma of illegitimacy, which would have also contributed to Dido’s inability to be introduced into society. This, perhaps even more than mixed race, certainly slammed doors in the face of even the most cheerful, polished and beautiful girls of the era.

Dido married after her Uncle’s death in 1793. She and John Davinier had three sons baptized in the church of St. George on Hanover Square. Dido was buried there, in St. George’s Field, after her death in 1804.

The lovely portrait of the two happy friends who clearly charmed the anonymous gentleman on the other side of the canvas is currently owned by the present Earl of Mansfield. It hangs in Scone Palace in Perth, Scotland. One hopes that more people will learn the intimate and fascinating story of both ladies, and particularly the pretty girl with the turban.

Header: Lady Elizabeth Murray and Dido Belle Lindsay by an unknown artist c 1779

Books: The Short List

It flatters me somewhat to have had more than one request to have a list of nautical books I would recommend posted here at Triple P. Being of the writing persuasion myself, I’d hope that someone in my shoes would recommend my book (when it comes out that is) and I’m heartened to know that someone wants my opinion on such a very dear subject.

In the interest of simplicity, here’s the short list in three categories. A brief explanation of the book’s inclusion on the list accompanies the title (hopefully I can keep it brief; I want very much to sing about some of these).

Nonfiction:

These are books I use for research for my novels and for my fact-based writing including Triple P:

The Searover’s Practice, The Buccaneers Realm, The Pirate Hunters, all three by Benerson Little and published by Potomac Books. Little is not only an accomplished writer and researcher but a former Navy Seal as well. His insight into pirating is superb although his descriptions of much of the technical end of sailing and weaponry could be a little hard to follow without some background knowledge of both. While the first two books are personal favorites the last one was a bit disappointing for me. Any book about pirate hunting that 1) calls the Laffite brothers and their associates sorry excuses for freebooters, writing them off in one paragraph and 2) does not even bother to mention David Porter and his Mosquito Fleet is missing the boat. Pun intended.

The Pirates Laffite: The Treacherous World of the Corsairs of the Gulf by William C. Davis published by Harcourt. I’ve said it before: this is far and away the best book ever published on the Laffite brothers. If there is a fault here it’s Davis’ overt “pro Pierre” stance by which he almost turns Jean into a knuckle-dragging thug good only for keeping the riff raff in line, but that may be a symptom of how very little attention history has given Pierre. Well written, exhaustively researched and a must for anyone interested in the Baratarians.

Under A Black Flag by David Cordingly published by Harcourt Brace. Cordingly’s book is the final word on Golden Age piracy, easily separating fact from fiction. The only drawback here is the author’s clear contempt for the rogues he’s writing about.

The History of Pirates by Angus Konstam published by The Lyons Press. There’s a lot of information here so the individual profiles of pirates are necessarily short but Konstam is an excellent writer and knowledgeable historian and his book is a great jumping off point for further research. As an added bonus, it is full of wonderful illustrations.

She Captains: Heroines and Hellions of the Sea by Joan Druett published by Touchstone. Druett is a sailor of the first order and her book is crammed with interesting historical tidbits about women at sea, from pirates to lighthouse keepers to prostitutes.

Jack Aubrey Commands: An Historical Companion to the Naval World of Patrick O’Brian by Brian Lavery published by Naval Institute Press. This is the definitive book on the Royal Navy of the Napoleonic wars and it is written without the unnecessary use of “sailor speak”. The illustrations are also gorgeous.

Empire of Blue Water by Stephan Talty published by Crown. The book that changed my mind about Henry Morgan, Talty’s biography is part history, part imagination and all swashbuckling good time. Excellent reading for any fan of adventure, history, buccaneers and/or the sea.

Fiction:

The Matty Graves novels by Broos Campbell published by McBooks Press. Written in the spirit of Marryat, Forester and O’Brian, but translated to America. Campbell’s novels follow the adventures of their narrator, Lieutenant Matthew Graves, USN, beginning around 1802. These are stay-up-all-night novels with strong characters, gripping action and accurate detail.

Anything by Frederick Marryat, C.S. Forester and in particular Patrick O’Brian. Marryat is, of course, the original. He entered the Royal Navy in 1806 under then Captain Thomas Cochrane and wrote of his adventures in a number of novels with great names like Mr. Midshipman Easy and Peter Simple. Forester created Horatio Hornblower and followed his exploits through 11 books. O’Brian, it goes without saying, wrote the Aubrey/Maturin novels and, in my humble opinion, nothing has matched them since.

The Pirates Own Book by Charles Ellms published by The Marine Research Society and online via Guttenberg. Rip roaring, old time pirate action full of spice and bloodshed. A book to lose yourself in.

For Kids and Parents:

What If You Met a Pirate? written and illustrated by Jan Adkins and published by Roaring Book Press. I love this book for the illustrations alone but the history is accurate, easy to understand and great for preschoolers as well as younger readers. The sketch of the guy on the head always makes me chuckle.

Eyewitness Pirate from Dorling Kindersley. As with all the Eyewitness books, great illustrations, good information and an easy to use format. My daughters have used this and other Eyewitness books for reports and papers more than once to great success.

Treasure Island by Robert Lewis Stephenson available from various publishers. Seriously, if you and your children haven’t read this one it’s time for a trip to the bookstore. Like now.

Looking back on this list it is obvious to me that it is lacking, but that’s enough for now. Remember, real books with pages are not without benefit. Libraries and local bookstores and shelves in homes with real books in them lead to a life long love of reading and a memory of history. Those are two things the whole World could use, I reckon.

Header: Illustration by Howard Pyle for his Book of Pirates c 1896

Booty: Not Nelson But Shakespeare

I've never been shy about voicing my opinion (*in general*) about who the finest author of seafaring fiction was, is and ever shall be. Yes, I pray to Patrick O'Brian the way Baudelaire prayed to Poe. Don't judge me. But one has to acknowledge those who came before. Without Poe there would have been no Baudelaire. Without today's author there would have been no Aubrey/Maturin series by O'Brian.

Today is the forty-fourth anniversary of the death of C.S. Forester, the rightly famous author of the Horatio Hornblower series of nautical novels. He died in Fullerton, California and is buried in Loma Vista Memorial Park. It's kind of ironic for me to know that now as I spent part of my youth in Anaheim and went to school in Fullerton. So close to such an icon.

Forester was born in Cairo, Egypt to British parents and was living in England by the age of three. His first novel was published when Forester was in his twenties (A Pawn Among Kings, set during the Napoleonic wars but not specifically nautical) and his career took off from there.

A decade later, Forester was in Hollywood writing screenplays when he began the first Hornblower novel. What C.S. didn't know was that he was on his way to fame.

After a stint back in England, Forester returned to Hollywood during World War II and lived in California the rest of his life. He authored numerous novels and screenplays, the most famous outside the Hornblower series being The African Queen, which of course became the movie featuring Hepburn and Bogart. He also wrote two books about his adventures aboard his boat Annie Marble and a scholarly book about naval history, The Age of Fighting Sail.

Many critics and historians have stated unilaterally that Forester's Hornblower books are the best of any Royal Navy series yet written. Better than Marrayat, Pope, Kent, Woodman and yes, O'Brian. The argument is that Forester makes the story interesting, the characters believable and the seamanship easy to understand. To each there own, I say. Forester's series is compelling, even gripping, but I am not so much a fan that I cannot see the forest for the trees. Hornblower grates on me like fingernails on a chalkboard. His incessant adherence to honor, his over-riding need to be the "man alone" and infallible commander, his failure to marry the woman he loves. Gah! Do something "bad" already! Jack Aubrey he ain't.

But that's just me. As I said, to each his own. One thing I do find particularly interesting about the series is the hero's name. The overwhelming number of people I've spoken or corresponded with about the books assume (as I once did) that Hornblower's given name comes from the famous Nelson. Not so, according to Forester:

"Horatio" came first to mind, and oddly enough not because of Nelson but because of Hamlet... Then from Horatio it seemed a natural and easy step to Hornblower.

When Forester died his publishing company went into a minor paroxysm wondering what they would do about the loss of such a lucrative author and series of novels. The answer was found six months later, when Forester's editor approached Patrick O'Brian about creating a new series about Nelson's navy. And so the baton was handed over. And the adventure continued.

If you'd like to read the Hornblower series, I suggest (as I do with the Aubrey/Maturin series) that you start at the beginning. Any book will stand alone, however, and my personal favorite is Beat to Quarters. Here are the books in order for your convenience and as a tribute to the great author who to this day gives so many so much pleasure. Fine weather and fair winds, sir.

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower, Lieutenant Hornblower, Hornblower and the Hotspur, Hornblower During the Crisis, Hornblower and the Atropos, Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line, Flying Colours, Commodore Hornblower, Lord Hornblower and Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies.