''The Examination for Lieutenant'' is an episode of the British television series '' Hornblower''. It is loosely based on part of the 1950 novel ''

Mr. Midshipman Hornblower ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower'' is a 1950 Horatio Hornblower novel written by C. S. Forester. Although it may be considered as the first episode in the Hornblower saga, it was written as a prequel; the first Hornblower novel, ''The Happy Return' ...

'' by

C. S. Forester Cecil Louis Troughton Smith (27 August 1899 – 2 April 1966), known by his pen name Cecil Scott "C. S." Forester, was an English novelist known for writing tales of naval warfare, such as the 12-book Horatio Hornblower series depicting a Royal ...

. It was released on DVD in the United States as ''The Fire Ship'' and ''The Fire Ships''.

Plot

Sir Edward Pellew Admiral Edward Pellew, 1st Viscount Exmouth, GCB (19 April 1757 – 23 January 1833) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He fought during the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary Wars, and the Napoleonic Wars. His younge ...

, captain of decides to put his

protégé Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

Horatio Hornblower Horatio Hornblower is a fictional officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars, the protagonist of a series of novels and stories by C. S. Forester. He later became the subject of films and radio and television programmes, and ...

, forward to be examined for promotion to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. Pellew cautions Hornblower to study diligently, because failure will mean an end to his acting lieutenant's grade and return to the midshipmen's ranks. Hornblower attempts to study, but constant challenges interrupt his reading and note taking.

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

has made peace with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and is no longer an ally of

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

– Spanish ships, though technically neutral, begin to attack British ships. Wreckage from one supply ship is found by ''Indefatigable''. ''Indefatigable'' recovers three survivors, among them Captain "Dreadnought" Foster, a famously heroic officer. Spain's actions have deprived the

Gibraltar Gibraltar ( , ) is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory and British overseas cities, city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the A ...

fleet of resupply, leaving Pellew no alternative but to order crews to half-rations. This action causes discontent among several sailors, especially Bunting, who begins to question whether the officers are facing the same deprivation. Hornblower reminds him that such talk can be considered mutinous and cautions him to stop. A weakened Finch falls while climbing the ratlines, a victim of illness and the food shortage. With the crew attempting to keep the delirious Finch awake until he regains his senses, Hornblower asks Finch to quiz him from Hornblower's copy of the seamanship guide. Finch proves unable to concentrate, and succumbs to his illness and injuries. Despite being cautioned that his words could be considered mutinous, Bunting continues to rebel. Hornblower catches him stealing food, leading Pellew to order that Bunting be punished by being made to

run the gauntlet "Running the gauntlet" refers to taking part in a form of corporal punishment in which one or more individuals is forced to run between two rows of people who attack them with weapons. Metaphorically, the term is also used to convey a public tr ...

. Because Hornblower admits he was not as firm as he should have been with Bunting earlier, Pellew orders Hornblower to lead Bunting as Bunting advances through the gauntlet; because Hornblower has to walk backwards and hold Bunting at sword point to prevent him from fleeing, Pellew's order means Hornblower is forced to watch every time Bunting is struck. Mr. Tapling from the

diplomatic service Diplomatic service is the body of diplomats and foreign policy officers maintained by the government of a country to communicate with the governments of other countries. Diplomatic personnel obtain diplomatic immunity when they are accredited to o ...

arrives, and he and Hornblower head ashore in

Oran Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

(part of

Ottoman Algeria The Regency of Algiers was an early modern semi-independent Ottoman province and nominal vassal state on the Barbary Coast of North Africa from 1516 to 1830. Founded by the privateer brothers Aruj and Hayreddin Reis (also known as the Barb ...

) to buy grain and cattle for the fleet. They soon discover that a plague has broken out. Anyone who went ashore must be

quarantine A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals, and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have bee ...

d for three weeks before being allowed to rejoin the fleet, so Hornblower is appointed captain of ''Caroline,'' a transport schooner carrying food and cattle, which is crewed by sailors who are also under quarantine. Hornblower catches Bunting trying to escape in the ship's longboat, and briefly imprisons him. Since he is short of crew, Hornblower offers Bunting an opportunity to prove his worth by rejoining the crew and capably performing his duties. Bunting accepts, and Hornblower releases him. Hornblower orders the crew to slaughter a bullock for dinner, reasoning that each meal might be their last, so they should enjoy it. Bunting attempts to work with his crewmates, but the death of his friend Finch is too upsetting and he continues to grieve. When the crew goes ashore to procure water, they are attacked by Spanish soldiers. Bunting again attempts to escape and Hornblower catches him, but the distraught Bunting forces Hornblower to shoot and kill him. When ''Caroline'' encounters HMS ''Dreadnought'', Captain Foster sends a boarding party to take a few sides of beef, despite Hornblower warning him the quarantine has not expired. At the end of the quarantine, no one appears ill, so they rejoin the fleet, where Hornblower receives a tongue in cheek rebuke from Pellew for the "wanton extravagance" of allowing his men to eat fresh beef. At Gibraltar, Hornblower attempts his exam, a ''

viva voce ''Viva voce'' is a Latin phrase literally meaning "with living voice" but most often translated as "by word of mouth." It may refer to: *Word of mouth *A voice vote in a deliberative assembly *An oral exam ** Thesis defence, in academia *Spoken ev ...

'' conducted by a group of senior officers including Foster. The examination begins badly but is interrupted when a Spanish

fire ship A fire ship or fireship is a large wooden vessel set on fire to be used against enemy ships during a ramming attack or similar maneuver. Fireships were used to great effect against wooden ships throughout naval military history up until the ad ...

sails into the anchorage. Hornblower and Foster volunteer to board it, and they succeed at steering it clear of the fleet. Because of his heroism, Hornblower is not demoted to midshipman but keeps his acting lieutenant's rank and receives permission to take the exam again at a future date.

Cast

Ioan Gruffudd Ioan Gruffudd (; ; born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor. He is known for his roles in film and television series in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. Gruffudd became known for his portrayal of Harold Lowe in ''Titanic'' ( ...

as Acting Lieutenant Horatio Hornblower * Robert Lindsay as Captain Sir Edward Pellew *

Ian McNeice Ian McNeice (born 2 October 1950) is an English film and television actor. On television, he has played government agent Harcourt in the 1985 television series ''Edge of Darkness'', Bert Large in the comedy-drama '' Doc Martin'', the Newsreade ...

as Mr. Tapling *

Denis Lawson Denis Stamper Lawson (born 27 September 1947) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Wedge Antilles in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy (1977–1983) and as John Jarndyce in the television miniseries ''Bleak House'' (2005), the l ...

as Captain "Dreadnought" Foster *

Paul Copley Paul Mackriell Copley (born 25 November 1944) is an English actor and voice over artist. From 2011 to 2015 he appeared as Mr. Mason, father of William Mason, in 16 episodes of ''Downton Abbey'', and from 2020 to 2021, he appeared in the ITV s ...

as Matthews *

Sean Gilder Sean Brian Gilder (born 1 March 1964) is an English stage, film and screen actor and playwright. Gilder was born in Brampton, Cumberland, England. He is best known for his portrayal of Styles on '' Hornblower'' and Paddy Maguire on '' Shamele ...

as Styles *

Andrew Tiernan Andrew James Tiernan (born 30 November 1965) is a British actor and director. Biography Theatre Tiernan began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre and moved to London in 1984 to study a three-year diploma in acting at the Drama Centre Lo ...

as Bunting *

Jonathan Coy Jonathan Coy (born 24 April 1953) is a British actor. He has worked since 1975 largely in television, notably as Henry in the long-running legal series ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' and as Bracegirdle in the television series '' Hornblower'', adap ...

as Lieutenant Bracegirdle *

Ian McElhinney Ian McElhinney (born 30 June 1948) is a Northern Irish actor and director. He has appeared in many television series in a career spanning more than forty years; notable appearances include ''Taggart'', '' Hornblower'', ''Cold Feet'', and ''The ...

as Captain Hammond

Related works

The events of this episode are drawn, with some alterations, from two chapters of ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower''. The section involving the cattle and the quarantine is from the chapter "Noah's Ark", and that of the exam and the fire ship is from the chapter "The Examination for Lieutenant". (The book also has a chapter in which Spain goes over to the French and Hornblower earns the rank of acting-lieutenant, but it is not used in this episode.) The subplot involving Bunting does not appear anywhere in the book.Forester, C.S., ''Mr. Midshipman Hornblower'' (Chivers Press, 1994).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Examination for Lieutenant, The 1998 television films 1998 films 1990s historical films 1990s war films Films based on British novels Films based on historical novels Films based on military novels Films set in Algeria Films set in the 1790s French Revolutionary Wars films Hornblower (TV series) War television films Films directed by Andrew Grieve