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HMS Surprise (novel)
Encyclopedia
HMS Surprise is a 1973 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian
. It is third in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. In it Aubrey gains command of HMS Surprise, the most important fictional ship in the Aubrey-Maturin series.
), the Admiralty
is debating on how to reward the captains responsible, including Jack Aubrey. As Spain was not at war the captured ships are not considered prizes, and as a result of the decision the captains end up with much smaller bounties than they hoped. The new First Lord of the Admiralty also mentions Stephen Maturin's name during the proceedings, despite the information being classified, possibly exposing him to a large audience as an intelligence agent.
Stephen willingly goes on a mission to Spain anyway, and is to be picked up by Jack on the on its return to English waters. Jack arrives at the rendezvous point to learn from a Catalan revolutionary that Stephen has been captured and is being tortured by French intelligence. Jack decides to lead a rescue mission, saving Stephen and killing the French interrogators.
Upon returning to England Jack finds that the fortune he had expected from the Spanish gold fleet was not as large as he had hoped and he is still in debt. Jack is taken by bailiffs and is held in a sponging-house
. Stephen returns to Sir Joseph and tells of his capture and Jack’s predicament.
Jack's arrest for debt also puts his would-be marriage to Sophie Williams into doubt, as her mother has stipulated that her husband should be financially stable. Stephen uses his influence to get Jack an advance on his grant of money (far smaller than the prize would have been) which clears some of his debt so he is released. Stephen meets with Sophie and convinces her to see Jack secretly before he takes command of his new ship HMS Surprise. Jack and Sophie meet in a coach in the middle of the night, and promise to marry no one else.
Stephen and Jack leave in the Surprise to ferry an ambassador to the East Indies. He is also interested in tracking down a French squadron commanded by Admiral Linois
, as the waters of the Indian Ocean are otherwise devoid of prizes. On their journey, Surprise gets caught in the doldrums
north of the equator, and the crew, especially those who had recently come from long service aboard another ship, begin to show signs of severe scurvy
. The ship makes an emergency stop along the coast of Brazil
for fresh fruit and supplies.
As the journey continues the Surprise goes wide around the Cape of Good Hope
, held by the Dutch who are at war with England. To avoid encounters, Surprise ventures into the waters of the Antarctic Ocean, where they are forced to endure a severe storm. The ambassador at this time becomes very ill. The Surprise puts into India to refit from the storm and to rest the ambassador. While ashore Stephen meets a local street-wise child, a girl named Dil, who eagerly shows him around the city. Stephen is watching a parade with Dil when he sees Diana Villiers, who has returned to India ahead of her companion, the wealthy merchant Richard Canning, Stephen's rival for her affection. They agree to visit, and spend several days together, at the end of which Stephen asks her to marry him. She does not respond immediately, but promises to at a later date, and Stephen departs. Meanwhile Dil is killed when she is robbed of silver bracelets which Stephen gave her.
The ambassador dies east of India and the Surprise turns around, setting sail for Britain. They soon encounter the East India Company
's China Fleet, returning to England, unescorted. A day after leaving the China Fleet the Surprise spots Linois's squadron cruising the Indian Ocean
. Surprise engages the smallest ship of the squadron, the corvette
Berceau
, shredding her rigging, then turns and makes speed back to the China Fleet to warn them and organize a defence.
Choosing the largest ships of the China Fleet, Jack dresses them as Men-of-War and sends some of his officers to help them fight. The French squadron closes on the Surprise and the large Indiamen. The Surprise turns and engages the largest French warship, the 74-gun ship of the line
Marengo
, and exchanges broadsides with the heavier ship, but is outgunned and in peril when one of the Indiamen engages the French ship from the other side, forcing her to disengage. The damage from the action forces the entire French squadron to flee to refit.
Upon entering Calcutta, Jack receives an enthusiastic welcome from the merchants, including Canning, who are happy to refit the Surprise and allow him to transport jewels as freight, which will gain him a percentage of their value on his arrival in England. During the refit, Canning confronts Stephen and they challenge each other to a duel. During the duel Canning shoots Stephen in the ribs, but Stephen is able to gather himself and then shoots Canning in the heart, killing him. Stephen convinces Diana to return to England, though on a merchant ship instead of Surprise; Jack will hear nothing of it. Meanwhile, Stephen is running a high fever because the bullet is still lodged in his ribs. With the help of Jack and the ambassador’s surgeon, Stephen operates on himself, removing the bullet.
As the Surprise sails home they stop at Madeira
, and there Stephen finds that Diana has left him for a Mr. Johnstone from America (called "Mr. Johnson" in later books). Jack, on the other hand, had sent ahead for Sophie so that he may marry her now that he is out of debt, but she is not on the island. Within a day’s sailing, Jack overtakes an English frigate in the night and finds that Sophie is aboard. She refuses to marry him then but promises that once they return to England, she will.
The French:
, the last-published full length novel in C. S. Forester
's Hornblower
series. Forester adds Hornblower in the Hotspur as an extra to the five British ships in the squadron sent to intercept the fleet. Theoretically, the episode provided the fictional character Jack Aubrey with an opportunity to meet the fictional character Horatio Hornblower.
refers to an actual event involving HMS Surprise in 1799.
The capture of the Spanish treasure fleet, with Jack in command of HMS Lively
, is based on the 1804 Battle of Cape Santa Maria
.
Aubrey's attack on the French squadron is a fictionalization of the 1804 Battle of Pulo Aura
.
strand on BBC Radio 4
, adapted by Roger Danes and directed and produced by Bruce Young, with Aubrey played by David Robb
and Maturin by Richard Dillane
. The rest of the cast was:
Patrick O'Brian
Patrick 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 centred on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen...
. It is third in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. In it Aubrey gains command of HMS Surprise, the most important fictional ship in the Aubrey-Maturin series.
Plot summary
After the capture of the Spanish gold shipment (in Post CaptainPost Captain (novel)
Post Captain is a 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the Aubrey–Maturin series of stories set in the early-nineteenth century, concerning the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and naval surgeon Stephen Maturin...
), the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
is debating on how to reward the captains responsible, including Jack Aubrey. As Spain was not at war the captured ships are not considered prizes, and as a result of the decision the captains end up with much smaller bounties than they hoped. The new First Lord of the Admiralty also mentions Stephen Maturin's name during the proceedings, despite the information being classified, possibly exposing him to a large audience as an intelligence agent.
Stephen willingly goes on a mission to Spain anyway, and is to be picked up by Jack on the on its return to English waters. Jack arrives at the rendezvous point to learn from a Catalan revolutionary that Stephen has been captured and is being tortured by French intelligence. Jack decides to lead a rescue mission, saving Stephen and killing the French interrogators.
Upon returning to England Jack finds that the fortune he had expected from the Spanish gold fleet was not as large as he had hoped and he is still in debt. Jack is taken by bailiffs and is held in a sponging-house
Sponging-house
A sponging-house was a place of temporary confinement for debtors in the United Kingdom. If someone were to get into debt, their creditor would lay a complaint with the sheriff, the sheriff sent his bailiffs, and the debtor would be taken to the local sponging-house. This was not a debtor's prison,...
. Stephen returns to Sir Joseph and tells of his capture and Jack’s predicament.
Jack's arrest for debt also puts his would-be marriage to Sophie Williams into doubt, as her mother has stipulated that her husband should be financially stable. Stephen uses his influence to get Jack an advance on his grant of money (far smaller than the prize would have been) which clears some of his debt so he is released. Stephen meets with Sophie and convinces her to see Jack secretly before he takes command of his new ship HMS Surprise. Jack and Sophie meet in a coach in the middle of the night, and promise to marry no one else.
Stephen and Jack leave in the Surprise to ferry an ambassador to the East Indies. He is also interested in tracking down a French squadron commanded by Admiral Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand Linois
Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
, as the waters of the Indian Ocean are otherwise devoid of prizes. On their journey, Surprise gets caught in the doldrums
Doldrums
The doldrums is a colloquial expression derived from historical maritime usage for those parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean affected by the Intertropical Convergence Zone, a low-pressure area around the equator where the prevailing winds are calm...
north of the equator, and the crew, especially those who had recently come from long service aboard another ship, begin to show signs of severe scurvy
Scurvy
Scurvy is a disease resulting from a deficiency of vitamin C, which is required for the synthesis of collagen in humans. The chemical name for vitamin C, ascorbic acid, is derived from the Latin name of scurvy, scorbutus, which also provides the adjective scorbutic...
. The ship makes an emergency stop along the coast of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
for fresh fruit and supplies.
As the journey continues the Surprise goes wide around the Cape of Good Hope
Cape of Good Hope
The Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
, held by the Dutch who are at war with England. To avoid encounters, Surprise ventures into the waters of the Antarctic Ocean, where they are forced to endure a severe storm. The ambassador at this time becomes very ill. The Surprise puts into India to refit from the storm and to rest the ambassador. While ashore Stephen meets a local street-wise child, a girl named Dil, who eagerly shows him around the city. Stephen is watching a parade with Dil when he sees Diana Villiers, who has returned to India ahead of her companion, the wealthy merchant Richard Canning, Stephen's rival for her affection. They agree to visit, and spend several days together, at the end of which Stephen asks her to marry him. She does not respond immediately, but promises to at a later date, and Stephen departs. Meanwhile Dil is killed when she is robbed of silver bracelets which Stephen gave her.
The ambassador dies east of India and the Surprise turns around, setting sail for Britain. They soon encounter the East India Company
East India Company
The 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...
's China Fleet, returning to England, unescorted. A day after leaving the China Fleet the Surprise spots Linois's squadron cruising the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. Surprise engages the smallest ship of the squadron, the corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
Berceau
French corvette Berceau (1794)
The Berceau was a 22-gun corvette of the French Navy.In 1799, she took part in the Cruise of Bruix. On 11 May, Admiral Bruix set his flag on Berceau to direct a battle against the British off Cadiz; after the Spanish broke contact, Bruix cancelled the attack.On 13 July 1800, Berceau measured...
, shredding her rigging, then turns and makes speed back to the China Fleet to warn them and organize a defence.
Choosing the largest ships of the China Fleet, Jack dresses them as Men-of-War and sends some of his officers to help them fight. The French squadron closes on the Surprise and the large Indiamen. The Surprise turns and engages the largest French warship, the 74-gun ship of the line
Ship of the line
A ship of the line was a type of naval warship constructed from the 17th through the mid-19th century to take part in the naval tactic known as the line of battle, in which two columns of opposing warships would manoeuvre to bring the greatest weight of broadside guns to bear...
Marengo
French ship Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795)
The Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In October 1796, under captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest...
, and exchanges broadsides with the heavier ship, but is outgunned and in peril when one of the Indiamen engages the French ship from the other side, forcing her to disengage. The damage from the action forces the entire French squadron to flee to refit.
Upon entering Calcutta, Jack receives an enthusiastic welcome from the merchants, including Canning, who are happy to refit the Surprise and allow him to transport jewels as freight, which will gain him a percentage of their value on his arrival in England. During the refit, Canning confronts Stephen and they challenge each other to a duel. During the duel Canning shoots Stephen in the ribs, but Stephen is able to gather himself and then shoots Canning in the heart, killing him. Stephen convinces Diana to return to England, though on a merchant ship instead of Surprise; Jack will hear nothing of it. Meanwhile, Stephen is running a high fever because the bullet is still lodged in his ribs. With the help of Jack and the ambassador’s surgeon, Stephen operates on himself, removing the bullet.
As the Surprise sails home they stop at Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
, and there Stephen finds that Diana has left him for a Mr. Johnstone from America (called "Mr. Johnson" in later books). Jack, on the other hand, had sent ahead for Sophie so that he may marry her now that he is out of debt, but she is not on the island. Within a day’s sailing, Jack overtakes an English frigate in the night and finds that Sophie is aboard. She refuses to marry him then but promises that once they return to England, she will.
Main characters
- Jack Aubrey - Captain in the Royal Navy and appointed Captain of HMS Surprise.
- Stephen Maturin - ship's surgeon, friend to Jack and intelligence officer.
- Sophie Williams - Jack's love interest
- Mrs. Williams - Sophie's mother
- Diana Villiers - Stephen's love interest
- Dil - Female child, Stephen's Indian guide
- Richard Canning - Rich merchant, Diana's "protector" in India
- Tom Pullings - Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, third of the Surprise
- Barrett Bonden - Jack's coxswainCoxswainThe coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
- Preserved Killick - Jack's steward
- Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand LinoisCharles-Alexandre Léon Durand LinoisCharles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linois was a French admiral during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. He won a victory over the British at the Battle of Algeciras in 1801 and was reasonably successful in a campaign against British trade in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea in...
- French Admiral
Ships
The British:- HMS Surprise - frigateFrigateA frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
- Addington - Indiaman
- Ocean - Indiaman
- Camden - Indiaman
- Bombay Castle - Indiaman
- Alfred - Indiaman
- Wexwood - Indiaman
- Lushington - Indiaman
- Royal George - Indiaman
The French:
- MarengoFrench ship Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1795)The Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line of the French Navy.In October 1796, under captain Racord, she was part of the Villeneuve's squadron that sailed from Toulon to Brest...
- 74-gun ship of the line commanded by Linois - BerceauFrench corvette Berceau (1794)The Berceau was a 22-gun corvette of the French Navy.In 1799, she took part in the Cruise of Bruix. On 11 May, Admiral Bruix set his flag on Berceau to direct a battle against the British off Cadiz; after the Spanish broke contact, Bruix cancelled the attack.On 13 July 1800, Berceau measured...
- 22-gun corvette - SemillanteFrench frigate Sémillante (1792)The Sémillante was a 32-gun frigate of the French Navy, lead ship of her class. She was involved in a number of multi-vessel actions against the Royal Navy, particularly in the Indian Ocean. She captured a number of East Indiamen before the she became so damaged that the French disarmed her and...
, frigateFrigateA frigate is any of several types of warship, the term having been used for ships of various sizes and roles over the last few centuries.In the 17th century, the term was used for any warship built for speed and maneuverability, the description often used being "frigate-built"...
- 36-gun frigate - Belle PouleHMS Belle Poule (1806)HMS Belle Poule was a 40-gun Royal Navy fifth rate frigate, formerly Belle Poule, a Virginie-class frigate of the French Navy, which was built by the Crucy family's shipyard at Basse-Indre to a design by Jacques-Noël Sané...
- 40-gun frigate
Allusions
The capture of the Spanish treasure fleet features in Hornblower and the HotspurHornblower and the Hotspur
Hornblower and the Hotspur is a Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester.It is the third book in the series chronologically, but the tenth by order of publication.-Plot summary:...
, the last-published full length novel in C. S. Forester
C. S. Forester
Cecil Scott "C.S." Forester was the pen name of Cecil Louis Troughton Smith , an English novelist who rose to fame with tales of naval warfare. His most notable works were the 11-book Horatio Hornblower series, depicting a Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic era, and The African Queen...
's Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower
Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy officer who is the protagonist of a series of novels by C. S. Forester. He was later the subject of films and television programs.The original Hornblower tales began with the 1937 novel The Happy Return Horatio Hornblower is a fictional Royal Navy...
series. Forester adds Hornblower in the Hotspur as an extra to the five British ships in the squadron sent to intercept the fleet. Theoretically, the episode provided the fictional character Jack Aubrey with an opportunity to meet the fictional character Horatio Hornblower.
History
The "cutting out" (capturing while in port, either at anchor or berthed) of HMS HermioneHMS Hermione (1782)
HMS Hermione was a 32-gun fifth-rate frigate of the Royal Navy. She was notorious for having the bloodiest mutiny in British naval history, which saw her captain and most of the officers killed...
refers to an actual event involving HMS Surprise in 1799.
The capture of the Spanish treasure fleet, with Jack in command of HMS Lively
HMS Lively (1804)
HMS Lively was a 38-gun fifth rate frigate of the Royal Navy, launched on 23 July 1804 at Woolwich Dockyard, and commissioned later that month. She was the prototype of the eponymous Lively class of 18-pounder frigates, designed by the Surveyor of the Navy, Sir William Rule...
, is based on the 1804 Battle of Cape Santa Maria
Action of 5 October 1804
The Battle of Cape Santa Maria was a naval action that took place off the southern Portuguese coast, in which a British squadron under the command of Commodore Graham Moore attacked a Spanish squadron commanded by Brigadier Don José de Bustamante y Guerra, in time of peace, without...
.
Aubrey's attack on the French squadron is a fictionalization of the 1804 Battle of Pulo Aura
Battle of Pulo Aura
The Battle of Pulo Aura was a minor naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars, fought on 14 February 1804, in which a large squadron of Honourable East India Company East Indiamen, powerful and well armed merchant ships, intimidated, drove off and chased a powerful French naval squadron...
.
Literary criticism
- "His books can absorb and enthral landlubbers like myself who do not even know the difference between a jib-boom and a taffrail."
Adaptations
The novel was adapted in three parts in the Afternoon PlayAfternoon Play
The Afternoon Play is a long-running drama programming strand, broadcast every weekday at 2.15pm on BBC Radio 4. Each play lasts for 45 minutes, and roughly 190 new Afternoon Plays are broadcast each year....
strand on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
, adapted by Roger Danes and directed and produced by Bruce Young, with Aubrey played by David Robb
David Robb
David Robb is an English actor.Robb has starred in various British films and television shows, including films such as Swing Kids and Hellbound. He is well known for playing Germanicus in the famous 1976 BBC production of I, Claudius and as Robin Grant, one of the principal character in Thames...
and Maturin by Richard Dillane
Richard Dillane
Richard Dillane is an English actor. He appeared as Merv, the husband of Margaret Humphreys in Jim Loach's fact-based movie Oranges and Sunshine, as Wernher von Braun in the BBC television docudrama Space Race, as Nero in Howard Brenton's play Paul at the National Theatre of GB and as Stephen...
. The rest of the cast was:
- Preserved Killick - Jon GloverJon GloverJon Glover is a British actor. He has appeared in various television programmes including Play School, Survivors, the Management consultant in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Casualty, Bodger and Badger and Peak Practice....
- Barret Bonden - David Timson
- Sir Joseph Blaine - Struan RodgerStruan RodgerStruan Rodger is a British actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles. His first feature film role was as Eric Liddell's friend and running coach Sandy McGrath, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film, Chariots of Fire....
- Sophie Williams - Liz Sutherland
- Lieutenant Pullings - David Holt
- Lieutenant Simmons - Dan StarkeyDan StarkeyDan Starkey is a British actor.Dan studied at University of Cambridge before training at the Bristol Old Vic .-Theatre credits:*The 39 Steps UK national tour* The Fitzrovia Radio Hour-Filmography:...
- Mrs Williams / Lady Forbes - Lesley Nichols
- Cecilia Williams / Miss Agatha - Sarah Danes
- Diana Villiers - Adjoa AndohAdjoa AndohAdjoa Andoh is a British film, television, stage and radio actress of Ghanaian descent. Andoh is known on the UK stage for lead roles at the RSC, the National Theatre, the Royal Court Theatre and the Almeida Theatre, and is a familiar face on British television Adjoa Andoh (born 1962) is a British...
- Arthur Stanhope - David Timson
- Midshipman Callow - Carl PrekoppCarl PrekoppCarl Prekopp is a British actor. He played Richard III at the Riverside Studios and originated the part of Lawrence in Tim Firth's stage adaptation of Calendar Girls. He has appeared in BBC Radio 4 adaptations of Terry Pratchett's Mort , Small Gods and Night Watch...
- Tobias Atkins - Stephen CritchlowStephen CritchlowStephen Critchlow is a popular and versatile British actor, notable for his work in the theatre and appearances on radio series such as Truly, Madly, Bletchley, The Way We Live Right Now and Spats, along with radio episodes of Torchwood and Doctor Who...
- Lieutenant Nichols - Dan StarkeyDan StarkeyDan Starkey is a British actor.Dan studied at University of Cambridge before training at the Bristol Old Vic .-Theatre credits:*The 39 Steps UK national tour* The Fitzrovia Radio Hour-Filmography:...
- Midshipman Babbington - Chris Pavlo
- Canning - Chris Pavlo
Release details
- 1973, UK, Collins (ISBN 0002213168), Pub Date ? ? 1973, hardback (First edition)
- 1973, USA, Lippincott (ISBN ???), Pub date ? ? 1973, hardback (1st American edition)
Editions
- W. W. Norton & Company; Hardcover Reprint edition (1994) (ISBN 0393037037)
- W. W. Norton & Company; e-book edition (2011) (ISBN 9780393088465)
- Thorndike Press; Largeprint hardcover edition (2000) (ISBN 0786219343)
- Harper Collins; reprint paperback edition (2002) (ISBN 0006499171)
- Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged Audio CD edition (2004) (ISBN 078618597X)
- Fontana; Paperback edition (1976) (ISBN 0006141811)
- Recorded Books, LLC; Unabridged Audio edition narrated by Patrick TullPatrick TullPatrick Tull was a British stage, film and television actor.-Early life and education:Tull was born in Sussex, England.-Film and television work:...