The Call of the Sea

Nick Turnhouse is a Dorset farmhand, a third son with nothing to inherit and no future, working his father's land for his keep. He is also tall, powerfully built, and handsome, and crosses the path of Squire's impressionable daughter. Nick has to run, fast, with ten shillings and his father's blessing. Luckily, or so he thinks, he comes across a kind gentleman who can help him. After Nick is persuaded to say that he is looking for work, he discovers the man is recruiting for the Navy, and Nick has just 'volunteered in fact'.

Nick Turnhouse continues his helter-skelter advance from Dorset farmhand to naval officer, relying on his sword arm and quick intelligence to achieve success. As he progresses, he is increasingly conscious of all he does not know, and how much he must rely on his subordinates to provide their knowledge of the sea. He also keenly appreciates how much he needs the aid and advice of Captain Woodmore, who has done so much to help him rise in the world.

Nick Turnhouse is captain of his own sloop, and increasingly aware of how rapidly he has been promoted and how much he does not know. He is reliant on the professional skill and goodwill of Master and Boatswain, both of whom are long experienced and old, coming close to the end of their seagoing days.

Nick Turnhouse knows how lucky he has been, and has little choice other than to ride the wave of his good fortune, regardless of where it may take him. He has made himself into Bloody Nick and must continue to take risks and hope to survive them if he is to make his fortune at sea.

Bloody Nick Turnhouse is in fine fettle, a frigate captain and respected by those who know him. He has taken a ship twice to the Bight of Benin and survived both occasions, falling to none of the fevers. Unfortunately, this has made him one of the few naval captains with a close knowledge of the fatal shores and Their Lordships are inclined to see him as their sole expert in sailing waters that have previously only been familiar to slavers and the few Guineamen.

Captain Nicholas Turnhouse—Bloody Nick—takes his new experimental Amphion-class heavy frigate out to the Mediterranean to join the command of Old Jervie, Lord St Vincent, immediately after the Battle of the Nile. His ship is new and powerful . . . and sails like a pig. He must make the best of it under the command of the harshest, but possibly fairest, taskmaster in the Navy. There are still a few rich prizes left, and any number of belligerent French and Spanish ships of war, and the Barbary Rovers are enjoying their final resurgence.

Captain Turnhouse RN—Bloody Nick—is still in the Mediterranean, nursing his experimental frigate and enjoying the mixed blessings of being favored by Old Jervie, a hard but just taskmaster. The French are still reeling from the shock of the Battle of the Nile, the Ottoman Empire is hastening into decline, the Spanish are in their customary disarray, and the Barbary Rovers are enjoying a resurgence. The Mediterranean is in a state of chaos—ideal for a predatory young captain, even if at first in an unreliable ship.

The short-lived Peace of Amiens is over. Entered into in bad faith, the Peace has provided both sides with the chance to take a breath and restock their arsenals. Sir Nicholas Turnhouse, Bloody Nick, has recovered from his wound and is ready to go to sea again, supported by his lady. Only at sea will he be able to achieve the promotion in rank and honors that both believe to be his due. He is given Hawke, 44, again and sets out for the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea to tidy up the remnants of Napoleon's Army of Egypt.

Bloody Nick Turnhouse has returned from Mauritius to Bombay, where he is welcomed with orders received from London by the overland route. He is to frighten the Spanish by showing himself in a powerful ship of war off Manila and then along the Pacific coast of South America, lands which have not...

The Royal Navy is larger than it has ever been—nearly eight hundred ships and one hundred and twenty thousand men—and it is too small for the tasks demanded of it if the war is to be won. British hardwood forests have been destroyed, with the exception of the untouchable New Forest. It is...

Nick Turnhouse is now a senior captain, some two thirds of the way up the List, perhaps as little as five years short of automatic promotion to Rear Admiral. As such, he must accept more responsibility, and he will be expected to offer more than blind obedience to his orders. It is time to...

The Mediterranean Fleet under Lord Collingwood is at its greatest ever—more than a hundred vessels—and is far too small for the tasks demanded of it. The French have invaded Spain, their former ally, and are ravaging the land in a fashion unseen since the Thirty Years War in the Germanies. The Barbary Corsairs are resurgent, slaving and raiding across the whole Sea. The Two Sicilies, an ally, has collapsed into corrupt desuetude. Turkey is rumbling in the East, and there is a renewed Russian interest in the old aim of achieving access to warm waters from the Black Sea.

Bloody Nick returns from the Mediterranean tired—he has done too much, seen too much, and needs rest at home. His ship, HBMS Hawke, needs time in the yard. A year of half-pay leaves Nick rested and anxious to get back to sea. He is close to the top of the Captain's List and automatic promotion to Rear Admiral must be due in two to four years—the actual date varying at the Admiralty's convenience. Captains sitting at home without a command are more likely to be yellowed, made without squadron, and never employed again.