England’s heroic naval swashbuckler . . . made in Aberdeen

History: Author believes Hornblower was based on north-east admiral

He is the quintessentialEnglish hero, whose swashbuckling adventures on the high seas have enthralled generations of readers.

But a maritime historian has uncovered evidence suggesting novelist C. S. Forester’s seafaring Napoleonic adventurerHoratioHornblowerwasactually based on an Aberdonian.

Since the charactermade his debut in the 1937 novel The Happy Return, there’s

“It is Gordon’s life which bears the greatest similarity to Hornblower’s”

been debate among fans as to who he might have been modelled on.

Now, author Bryan Perrett believes he’s finally solved the mystery.

In his book The Real Hornblower, he argues that the dashing English sailor was in fact inspired by the Scottishnaval officer James Gordon, who went from a humble boy seaman to an admiral during a remarkable career and was involved in some of the most famous naval battles of the Napoleonic era.

“It was interesting to speculate as to which of Hornblower’s adventures were based on real events, andwhether these involved the same officer or were simply samples from a selection of distinguished careers,” the author said.

He chanced upon the answer while researching a little-known naval engagement during the War of 1812, fought between Britain and the United States.

Two years into the conflict, a small force of Royal Navy warships sailed up the Potomac river and deep into enemy territory to carry out a raid on the strategically important town of Alexandria near Washington.

Mr Perrett immediately recognised the exploit as being virtually identical to one featured in the Hornblower story The Commodore, published in 1945, although Forester changed the location to the Baltic and the enemy to the French.

He discovered that the Potomac squadron’s commander was Commodore James Gordon, who had seen more than his share of battle and sudden death.

Theauthorsaid:“ThePo- tomac venture apart, there had been fights against odds, hard-fought singleship actions, cutting-out expeditions and landings on enemy coasts.”

ThemoreMr Perrett dug intoGordon’s life, the more he was struck by the similarities between the Scotsman and Forester’s fictional hero.

He said: “‘With a growing sense of deja vu, I realised that I was already fam i l i a r with several episodes inGordon’s career and that such familiarity could only have stemmed from the Hornblower cycle.

“There were some incidents in Hornblower’s story which reflected the achievements of officers other thanGordon, but it is Gordon’s life which bears the greatest similarity to Hornblower’s.

“NordoI believe it issimple coincidence that Hornblower’s command in The Happy Return was named Lydia, which also happened to be the name of Gordon’s wife.”

The grandson of a Jacobite who fought at Culloden, James Alexander Gordon was born in Aberdeen in 1782 and joined the Royal Navy aged just 11.

At 21 he was given command of his first ship HMS Racoon, seeing action in the West Indies, America, theMediterranean and the Adriatic, where he lost a leg to a French cannonball in a battle off the Dalmatian coast in 1808.

Knighted the same year, Gordon was awarded the

“There had been fights against odds, hardfought singleship actions”

Freedom of the City of Aberdeen in 1818 and ended his career as an Admiral of the Fleet, serving as governor of the RoyalNavalHospital at Greenwich, a rest homefor elderlyandinfirm sailors.

After a career spanning an astonishing 76 years, he died aged 87 in 1869, still a serving officer, and was buried in the grounds of the Royal Naval Hospital.

The Hornblower stories were adapted into a hit TV series in the 1990s starring Welsh actor Ioan Gruffud.

Mr Perrett said: “It became part of Gordon’s legacy that, while largely forgotten himself, he should contribute so much to the fictional Hornblower’s life.”

Admiral Gordon was born in Aberdeen in 1782