Fletcher Pratt, who was known as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, posed this theory:
Whenever a novelist, from Tobias Smollett down to Robert Louis Stevenson, has wanted an eccentric character, he has drawn either a painter or a sea captain, and usually the latter.
Do you think it’s true?
I’d have guessed you’d have found more eccentrics among English vicars and college professors. My own experience with eccentrics leans heavily toward people who write for and edit newspapers.
Pratt has plenty of examples of eccentric captains. He includes pirates, which hardly seems fair.
My favorite is Tordenskjold, also known as Peter Wessel, born in Trondheim when Norway was part of Denmark. He became an officer in the Danish Navy.
In 1714, Tordenskjold led his 18-gun frigate Løvendals Gallej against the 28-gun De Olbing Galley, which had been built in Britain and was under the command of a British captain named Bactmann. The ship had been placed in service of Sweden and was headed for Gothenburg.
The fight went on for 14 hours.
Tordenskjold couldn’t board the bigger ship with its bigger crew. The bigger ship was too damaged to catch its more agile tormenter.
Tordenskjold, under a flag of truce, complimented Bactmann on the interesting fight and said he’d gladly continue it, but he’d run out of powder. He asked if he could borrow some.
Bactmann declined. After toasts, the two ships limped away.
It's a good example of eccentricity. But I still doubt that sea captains are the foremost eccentrics.
• Source: Fletcher Pratt, “Some Naval Eccentricities”; U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings, Vol. 57/9/343, September, 1931. You can find it here:
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1931/september/some-naval-eccentricities
No comments:
Post a Comment