Ira Riklis and Horatio Hornblower

There was much discussion among the officers present about how to handle the present situation without actually having a duel where blood would be shed and a life lost. Hornblower demanded an apology from Simpson to settle the case. This was impossible for Simpson in his present or typical state of mind to do. So the duel was on!

As Ira Riklis knows, Hornblower as the aggrieved party had the choice of weapons. Hornblower’s chosen seconds asked him about swords, pistols, etc. They stated that Simpson was probably a good shot. Hornblower in his suicidal mood thought pistols would be fine indeed. To make the situation even more interesting, Hornblower decided that only one of the two pistols used would be loaded. There would be at least a fifty percent chance that he then would not survive.

The ship’s captain getting wind of the coming event insisted that the lieutenant (Masters) that Hornblower had met with upon his arrival on the Justinian should supervise the duel. As Ira Riklis can see, the suspense builds to a nerve-racking point. Sleeplessness and excessive drinking occupy the time of the dueling duo up to the early morning of the duel.

Seconds in place. Pistols prepared. Simpson and Hornblower standing at point blank range. (Simpson pressed the gun against Hornblower’s ribs. Hornblower deciding he would not in any case kill Simpson pressed his gun against Simpson’s shoulder.) Both triggers were pulled and both pistols misfired. Neither man was harmed.

Well, Simpson quickly makes it known that he will take out his anger on the younger midshipmen especially Hornblower who thinks often now of suicide as his only way out of this miserable life that he finds himself in. Meanwhile the Justinian still waits in port in order to recruit an adequate crew.

Some of the midshipmen get shore leave and Hornblower finds himself involved in a heated game of whist (the game that is now known as bridge). Now Hornblower is an expert and enthusiastic whist player having honed his card playing skills while a young boy at home. He frequently made the fourth in games with his father and his father’s friends. In the present game, who shows up and joins the others at the whist table? Ira Riklis would guess correctly if he said, “Simpson”. Fortunately or unfortunately for Hornblower Simpson is a lousy whist player and a sore loser.

The play is routine but still fascinating for its ramifications. When Hornblower and his partner win the game against Simpson and the poor officer that was Simpson’s partner, Simpson accused Hornblower of cheating (of course). Hornblower demands an apology from Simpson which he had a fat chance of getting. Hornblower knows that only more abuse from Simpson will be in his future. So (as Ira Riklis knows), Hornblower challenges Simpson to a duel. This would be a way for Hornblower to defend his honor and also a way of committing suicide. The plot thickens.

Ira Riklis knows that the “first” book in the series on Hornblower (although not the first written) is “Mr. Midshipman Hornblower”. Its first chapter is entitled “The Even Chance”. As the story opens Horatio Hornblower is a young man of seventeen. He is described as thin, gawky, and dressed in an ill-fitting uniform. He is taken to his first ship assignment, the Justinian, in a large row boat powered by oars in the hands of two sturdy women (?more of a 20th century idea than an 18th century one). Hornblower is very seasick from the ride in choppy waters.

Hornblower meets with the lieutenant of the watch, Mr. Masters and then is shown  to his quarters on ‘tweendecks. The accommodations  are rough and add insult to injury so to speak considering his seasickness. Additionally he is summoned to the captain’s cabin and we learn in that interview that Hornblower is the son of a doctor and has received a classical education having also been an accomplished mathematics student.

The Justinian not being fully manned was to stay in port until more seaman could be recruited. Meanwhile a thirty-something midshipman, Mr. Simpson, joins the crew of the Justinian after having been passed over for promotion to lieutenant. Mr. Simpson quite ill-tempered to begin with is now mad as hell and ready to take out his anger on younger midshipmen as he takes his place as senior of the bunch. (Ira Riklis can see trouble coming for our hero.)

Ira Riklis goes on to tell us that after the United States turned over the Serapis to the French, the French in turn commissioned the Serapis to a privateer named Roche. The ship did not see much action thereafter and eventually sunk off the coast of Madagascar in 1781 when a sailor accidentally dropped a lantern into a tub of brandy which set the ship on fire. This caused the powder magazine to explode. The remains of the Serapis were located in 1999 by American nautical archaeologists.

Ira Riklis mentions that the Serapis did not have a distinguished career, but that the Lydia did indeed distinguish itself in combat (fictional, of course). Hornblower sails the Lydia around Tierra Del Fuego to the Pacific coast of Central America. There Hornblower and his crew first capture then sink a ship with double the strength of the Lydia in both guns and men. Then, the Lydia’s mission in the Pacific complete, the Lydia and crew sail safely home to England.

The model of the “Lydia” stands proudly in a display case in the main foyer of the COPS Monitoring offices. Additionally there is an engraving based on the painting “Action Between the Serapis and Bonhomme Richard” by Richard Paton published in 1780. Also noteworthy is the John Paul Jones Monument in Washington D.C.

Now the name Serapis doesn’t elicit any recognition. On the other hand, if Ira Riklis were to make mention of the quote, “I have not yet begun to fight”, almost everyone would recognize it immediately as the famous line of the American Captain, John Paul Jones.

On September 23, 1779 (exactly 230 years to the day as Ira Riklis wrote this article). the American frigate, The Bonhomme Richard, under the command of Captain Jones, engaged the British Naval vessel Serapis in the North Sea. The two vessels pounded each other and it appeared as if the Bonhomme Richard was in trouble.

The British Captain, Richard Pearson, called for the American vessel to surrender. The famous quote was Captain John Paul Jones’ reply. Instead, Captain Jones maneuvered the Bonhomme Richard in close to the Serapis, grappled the two ships together, and the battle continued hand to hand. The battle raged at close quarters for another three hours until another ship of the American flotilla fired indiscriminately at both ships and the Bonhomme Richard began to sink.

The Captain of the Serapis, now unable to fire his guns, in danger of being scuttled by the sinking and grappled Bonhomme Richard, and under fire from the Alliance, surrendered to Captain Jones. The Serapis was eventually handed over to the French, the allies of the fledgling United States.

That model of a ship that is the symbol of the corporate culture of Lydia Security, a company described by Ira Riklis, has a curious origin. The model was ordered through the American Marine Model Gallery of Salem, MA. The artist that created this model assembled it from thousands of handcrafted pieces. The ship’s 44 guns were so tiny that it must have taken great skill and patience to put them in place on the model. It turned out that this model was the last one that the artist worked on as he had a fatal heart attack soon after.

The search for a historical basis for the ship named Lydia revealed that three vessels in British naval history bore this name. None though were of the era of the Napoleonic Wars. The archives were then searched for similar ships - those possessing the details of the book’s (”Beat to Quarters”) author. The discovery of a British frigate, the Serapis, which had 44 guns and was launched in 1779 seemed to fit the bill. This ship had been named for gods in both Greek and Egyptian mythology. Ira Riklis knew he had found the best available match.

So the inspiration found for the artist’s creation eventually would lead to the inspiration of a company’s workforce.

In the book, “Beat to Quarters”, a picture of the Lydia is found. The ship appears in the opening scenes of the movie, “Captain Horatio Hornblower”. The above book that this movie was based on is the seventh book in the Hornblower series - the seventh book in “chronological” order as to the fictitious character’s “life”. This was the first book published followed by books about the character in “previous years” and years that follow the movie’s adventures. ” Beat to Quarters” was the title of this first book when it appeared for sale in the United States after having been published initially as “The Happy Return” in England in 1937.

It appears that elements of the saga have furnished symbols or perhaps something of a mascot for Ira Riklis‘ business pursuits. Most particularly a model of the Lydia occupies a prominent spot in one of his companies’ offices. “Lydia” is not a name that comes from either his family or circle of friends or acquaintances. Further explanation furnishes the importance of such a symbol. A ship like this early 19th century craft needed many and varied hands to keep it afloat and fulfill its mission and all had to pull together. A large dose of teamwork was also needed or all would literally sink! Ira Riklis suggests that businesses could benefit from the reminder, the model of the Lydia.

O.K. So I gave it a whirl. I started out by noting that only a 1/2 cup of water a day for what appeared to be a number of months would have killed off the crew of the Lydia before ever encountering the enemy. Then in many ways the movie seemed like a comic book. But even before that observation, I didn’t know what to make of Peck’s performance. He seemed very flat. As the movie progressed he seemed to get more animated. Maybe this new animation was due to the stepped up action in the film but maybe it was uneven direction.

Anyway I began to see why this film is a favorite of Ira Riklis. The sea battles were like no others I have seen in this type of movie. I have always been a fan of World War II naval battle movies. My particular favorite is “In Harm’s Way”, but when watching”Captain Horatio Hornblower” I tried to draw some similarities from a historical perspective. Despite the differences in ships’ power the conduct of the battles seemed alike.

I recently watched “The Mask of Zorro” with all its almost unbelievable outcomes and “Captain Horatio Hornblower” contains the same elements. But then that’s Hollywood. By the way, whatever became of Virginia Mayo? Ira Riklis probably didn’t see her in all those B movies as I did when I was a preteen.

Horatio Hornblower? I never thought much about the character. I know I must have seen the movie, but I can’t remember this. Certainly Gregory Peck appeared in many memorable movies such as “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” “Roman Holiday,” “Duel in the Sun,” and my favorite, “12 O’Clock High” — all of which come to mind readily. But I’ll keep that mind open and move “Captain Horatio Hornblower” to the top of my Netflix queue. I know that Ira Riklis is a big fan of this film.

Meanwhile the Internet yields: a brief synopsis of how C.S. Forester came up with and developed this character, and the books that Forester wrote featuring Hornblower. The public library as well as Netflix should furnish the needed materials for study and hopefully reading/viewing enjoyment.

OK,the requests are in and the DVD, “Captain Horatio Hornblower,” and the book, “Mr. Midshipman Hornblower,” are on the way. The Internet source accessed explains that Forester wrote at least eleven books involving his hero. This source suggests reading the books in the order listed. My local public library online catalog appears to contain all these books so there may be a lot of reading about Hornblower in my future with my reactions to follow here. Maybe I’ll discover what seems to intrigue Ira Riklis in this area.

Stay tuned.

Ira Riklis has provided us with copious synopses of a series of books about Capt. Horatio Hornblower, about whom Riklis is an expert.

A wikipedia link is here.

Coming soon is each synopsis, along with commentary and other notes from Ira Riklis and others.

Check back soon for more information.