HMS Sutherland

A Dutch-build, English-captured 74-gun ship-of-the-line commanded by Hornblower prior to the opening of the novel. Hornblower used the ship to engage a French squadron of four ships off Rosas, Spain in a fierce battle, which resulted in the loss of the Sutherland but also the disablement of all four French ships. Hornblower spends much of the novel fretting over an impending court martial for the loss of the Sutherland. The court martial is a standard procedure in the Royal Navy when a captian has lost his ship.

Rosas

Rosas is a town and port on the Eastern, Mediterranean coast of Spain. Rosas, modern Roses, provided a good harbor with several strong coastal defenses and a prison. Chapters 1, 2, and 3 are set in Rosas.

Fire Ship

When Admiral Leighton attacks the crippled French squadron at Rosas, he uses a weapon known as a fire ship. In brief, an...