The Mauritius Command
Published: 1977
Author: Patrick O'Brian
Book 4 of 21: Aubrey/Maturin Novels
Genres: Action, Adventure, British & Irish, Family Life, Fiction, Historical, Literary, Literature, Medical, Military, Saga, Sea, Suspense, Thriller, Travel
Check out the review of this book here:
Summary
Jack Aubrey and Sophia Williams are married and have twin daughters. They reside in Ashgrove Cottage on his half-pay, which is insufficient to support the household's other navy men. Sophia's mother has lost all of her money, including Sophia's share, and is now living with them. Cecelia, Sophia's little niece, lives with them as well.
Aubrey, as much as he adores Sophia, is eager to return to the sea. Stephen Maturin comes to call, and Aubrey's instructions are brought from the port Admiral soon after. He is assigned command of the HMS Boadicea, a 38-gun frigate.
He picks up orders and Mr. R T Farquhar, a political gentleman, in Plymouth. He's supposed to cruise to Cape Town, where a convoy of ships will gather. They encounter the French ship Hébé, which is escorting a seized merchant ship, not far from home. Both ships are captured by the Boadicea. Aubrey arranges for the rewards to be sent to Gibraltar.
The timely capture enables the ship to send messages home, get a French chef, and obtain the Hébé's English captives, all of whom are capable seamen. The extended cruise across the Atlantic allows Aubrey to train the crew of the Boadicea to his gunnery standards, as well as Maturin and Farquhar to formulate plans.
Aubrey meets Admiral Bertie upon his arrival, who confirms his title as Commodore and authorizes him to raise his broad pendant ('broad pennant' in certain versions). He is given official orders to disrupt French interests in the region, with the goal of capturing Mauritius and La Réunion in the end. Captain Corbett of Néréide, Lord Clonfert of the Otter, an Englishman with an Irish title, and Captain Pym of the Sirius are among the convoy's leaders.
With some of Aubrey's followers onboard, Corbett sailed from the West Indies post. After Aubrey switches men into Corbett's ship, Bonden, Killick, and others get aboard. Corbett is a good captain, but he's a flogger. Bertie informs Aubrey that Clonfert and Corbett are feuding.
Aubrey changes his pendant to the ancient 64-gun line ship HMS Raisonnable for the first 2,000 miles of the trip to the islands. The Caroline is captured; Corbett christens her HMS Bourbonnaise and sends her to Cape Town and England with messages. The remainder of the convoy makes its way back to Cape Town.
Aubrey returns aboard HMS Boadicea and sets sail after hearing that the French had captured several merchant ships. The convoy is trapped in a big cyclone and must return to Cape Town for repairs, where it receives its first letter in months. Due to the water damage to Sophia's letters, Aubrey is unable to comprehend her entire message.
After a landing by Army forces supported by sepoys under the British East India Company, all under the energetic and decisive Lieutenant Colonel Harry Keating, with ships of the convoy on both sides of the island, La Réunion capitulates nearly without loss. Maturin's propaganda and political gatherings help them along the way by explaining why the people should welcome the British with Farquhar as interim Governor. Mauritius proved to be more difficult.
Maturin is killed while boarding the HMS Néréide, which is part of the force dispatched to the Île de la Passe. He's badly hurt, so he keeps an eye on Clonfert while he recovers aboard. The action has been completed successfully. Maturin is assigned to Mauritius in order to continue his work. Captain Pym commands a small group of ships to land men on Mauritius to staff the fort.
Three French ships, Bellone, Minerve, and Victor, as well as two Indiamen, Ceylon and Windham, appear. They attack the fort and then sail into the harbor, catching the British off guard and deciding to attack. The battle lasts for days, with high fatalities, and two British ships eventually go aground.
Iphigenia and the fort at Île de la Passe are abandoned to be retaken by the French, while Sirius and Magicienne are burned to avoid their capture. Clonfert is gravely injured in the neck and head by a splinter, and Néréide is taken. Maturin is onboard a message ship that arrives at La Réunion to notify Aubrey of the losses and the unsuccessful attack on Port Southeast.
Boadicea sails through the night to inspect Île de la Passe for French control, and then pursues Manche and Vénus in a futile attempt to separate them. Aubrey feels his circumstances have altered after contacting Pullings, who has the guns of Windham onboard Emma. Captain Corbett then rejoins HMS Africaine at St Denis. Africaine battles with the Astrée and the French Iphigenie while chasing the French during the night.
The conflict goes horribly, and Corbett is slain in the middle of it after being wounded by his own downtrodden soldiers. When the Boadicea closes in on them, the French take the Africaine but dismast it; Astrée refuses to engage. The fleet arrives in La Réunion, joined by the Otter and Staunch, where the Commodore prioritizes the refurbishment of the Africaine.
Maturin and Bonden come from Mauritius with news that the HMS Bombay is near, engaged in combat with the French Vénus and Victor. The Boadicea has engaged the French ships. With the assistance of volunteers from the refitting HMS Africaine, Aubrey boards and takes Bombay and Vénus. During the combat, French Commodore Hamelin is killed. Once the surviving French ships have departed, Aubrey devises a strategy to end the battle, and his ships are ready to fight again when they return to Mauritius. Keating is also ready.
With numerous other British sails in view, the Emma approaches the Boadicea. Tom Pullings arrives with the Gazette, which announces Sophia's pregnancy. Aubrey is overjoyed by the news. He then reads Admiral Bertie's letter, in which he is instructed to accompany the fleet at Rodriguez, where he would be aboard the HMS Illustrious alongside General Abercrombie's forces. Based on Aubrey and Keating's initial strategy, the final assault is practically bloodless. After being offered honorable conditions, the French submit.
Clonfert has committed himself at the military hospital at Port Louis since the conflict, unable to face Jack Aubrey, whom he deems a competition. At Government House, a formal meal is held. Maturin, through Mr. Peters, spreads rumors about Aubrey's father gaining influence in London, which Bertie believes. The Admiral assigns Aubrey the task of transporting the dispatches of this victory to England aboard the Boadicea.
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Rating: 95/100
Recommended: 95/100 Yes.
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