Master and Commander discussion

Len wrote: "Just want to clear something up about the book. Maybe I am misreading, but it seems like Aubrey and the Sophie are terrorizing the seas. What is the justification for chasing and boarding random sl..."

They are terrorizing the seas. The justification is that they are at war. Therefore, any Spanish or French vessel that they come across, even the merchant boats, are the enemy. For merchant boats/ships, they would seize the vessel, which would become a prize, and would take the crew as prisoners. For enemy ships, they would be expected to fight them.

But, if a vessel they come across is not Spanish or French, they have no right to seize it. That would be piracy. This situation is shown in the novel, when they come across the Danish merchant boat. Aubrey and the crew expected it to be a Spanish vessel flying under false colors, but when they drew alongside and discovered she was actually Danish, they could not do anything with her (much to the disappointment of Aubrey who was looking forward to the prize money resulting from her seizure).

The British navy at this time was known for its high-handed treatment of all foreign vessels, even neutral ones like the Danes and Americans. This led to diplomatic tensions and international incidents. The British impressment of American sailors was one of the main causes of the war of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States.

Regarding your statement prizes = robbery?, this is not correct. Prizes simply refer to a captured vessel. An enemy ship that is defeated and captured in battle becomes a prize, unless it sinks. A hostile merchant ship that is seized is also a prize.

I hope that clarifies the situation a little!

They are terrorizing the seas.

Nailed it. Perfect.

Aubrey/Maturin novels are down-low Kafkaesque. The world they characters inhabit is completely insane and no one seems to be aware of it.

Imagine it's 2004. DC gives carte blanche to any American to kill and rob Baathists. Imagine guys take out bank loans for the express purpose of purchasing military gear to go terrorize Baghdad. The interest rates on those loans are calculated by underwriters, based on the average ROI for looting and murdering. Now imagine that soldiers for this enterprise are recruiting grunts in a Walmart parking lot, across the street from a bail bondsman. Half the people signing up have felony warrants and give fake names.

"Welcome aboard, John Smith. You'll be fed 2 square meals and a weekly ration of bourbon. Pay is $8/day, plus 4 basis points on the bounty. Here's your mk19 belt-fed fully-automatic 40mm grenade launcher, and long live the USA!"