Mr. Midshipman Hornblower

1794: As Britain and France eye one another belligerently across the Channel, H.M.S. JUSTINIAN lies at anchor in Spithead, and the King's latest bad bargain, seventeen-year-old Horatio Hornblower, is hauled aboard to join the crew as midshipman. This sheltered, diffident youth must somehow endure not only the harsh privations of naval life, but also the brutal Mr. Simpson, tyrant of the midshipmen's berth, bitter over his long-awaited commission being refused. As Hornblower's vision of a noble nautical career crumbles, and his misery mounts to unbearable heights, there seems only one way of escape - a duel at dawn...
Mr. Midshipman Hornblower by C.S. Forester