Explore the real-world places that appear in H.M.S. Surprise by Patrick O'Brian. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Port Mahon Harbour, Rock of Gibraltar, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Cape Town and Table Bay, Bombay Harbour and 4 more.
Menorca — Royal Navy base and Jack Aubrey's old haunt
Port Mahon is the Royal Navy's traditional Mediterranean anchorage in the Aubrey–Maturin series, and its society and gossip shape the opening of the book. Jack Aubrey, short of money and in difficulty over prize matters, hopes for a command here. Stephen Maturin, the naval surgeon and intelligence agent, also moves through this world.
Mahon has one of the longest natural harbours in the Mediterranean. Britain held Menorca for much of the 18th century, and the Royal Navy used the port heavily. The Georgian influence there is still visible.
Mahón is the capital of Menorca and a busy ferry, yacht and cruise port. Its waterfront has restaurants and the Georgian-influenced old town above the harbour.
Visit: Port of Mahón waterfront (landmark)
Gibraltar — British naval station at the Mediterranean gateway
Gibraltar is the Royal Navy's gateway between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its dockyard, taverns and naval gossip supply a backdrop for Jack Aubrey's search for a ship. Stephen Maturin's secret intelligence business also touches this world.
Britain captured Gibraltar in 1704 and held it through the Great Siege of 1779–83. It became a fortified naval base critical to controlling Mediterranean access during the Napoleonic Wars.
The Upper Rock Nature Reserve is a major tourist attraction with its Barbary macaques, tunnels and viewpoints. The town and harbour below remain busy.
Visit: Upper Rock Nature Reserve (park)
Portsmouth — Royal Navy ships and dockyard life
Portsmouth stands for the English naval world that Aubrey and Surprise belong to. Ships, stores and crews are assembled here for long voyages. It is the model for the dockyards where Jack's fortunes depend on Admiralty favour.
Portsmouth has been a principal Royal Navy base since the 15th century. In Nelson's era its dockyard fitted out and repaired much of the fleet.
The Historic Dockyard holds HMS Victory, HMS Warrior and the National Museum of the Royal Navy. It is among the world's finest naval heritage sites.
Visit: Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (museum)
South Africa — victualling stop on the way east
Cape Town is the great provisioning stop for ships bound for India and the East. Surprise's long voyage depends on such ports for water, fresh food and news of the war. Jack and Stephen, with the diplomat Mr. Fox, pass through the sort of colonial harbour town where naval and political business mixes.
Cape Town was founded by the Dutch East India Company in 1652 and was occupied by Britain in 1806. It served as the main refreshment station on the route to the East.
Cape Town is a major city beneath Table Mountain. The Castle of Good Hope, the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and the Company's Garden recall its maritime history.
Visit: Castle of Good Hope (historic site)
India — East India Company port and naval anchorage
Bombay is the centre of the novel's Indian episode. Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin arrive here with Surprise and Mr. Fox's diplomatic mission. Stephen's tangled relationship with Diana Villiers and the arguments over Jack's prize money and intrigues feature here.
Bombay passed to the British in 1661 and became a major East India Company port and naval yard. By the early 19th century its dockyard built ships for the Royal Navy.
Mumbai is India's largest city. Its harbour front includes the Gateway of India, built in 1924 and a popular landmark.
Visit: Gateway of India (monument)
Bombay Harbour — rock-cut cave temples
The Bombay setting offers Stephen Maturin, naturalist and scholar, the sort of sights that draw him ashore. He is a collector of curiosities, and the island's temples and fauna suit his passions. It serves as a symbol of the exotic landscape he explores while Jack deals with naval affairs.
The Elephanta Caves contain Hindu rock-cut temples dedicated to Shiva, carved around the 5th to 7th centuries. Portuguese and later British visitors recorded them.
The caves are a UNESCO World Heritage Site reached by ferry from Mumbai. Visitors see the large Trimurti sculpture.
Visit: Elephanta Caves (historic site)
Strait of Malacca — site of the climactic confrontation with Linois
Pulo Aura is the scene of the novel's great sea action. Jack Aubrey, commanding Surprise, faces the French squadron under Admiral Linois, which hunts a convoy of East Indiamen. A stirring bluff by the convoy's Indiamen against the French force draws on Jack's tactical daring and the spirit of the crew.
Pulau Aur lies off the east coast of Malaysia. In 1804 a British East Indiaman convoy, under Commodore Nathaniel Dance, bluffed off Linois's squadron nearby in the Battle of Pulo Aura.
Pulau Aur is part of Johor's Marine Park islands and attracts divers and anglers. It is remote with limited facilities.
Visit: Pulau Aur Marine Park (park)
Strait of Malacca — East India Company trading post
Penang stands in for the Strait of Malacca's trading posts where convoys gather and British officials meet. Naval and diplomatic business of Jack Aubrey and Mr. Fox moves through this region. The area is the world of the East India Company convoy that Surprise protects.
Penang was founded as a British outpost by Francis Light in 1786. It became a key East India Company base on the Strait of Malacca and its George Town retains much colonial architecture.
George Town is a UNESCO World Heritage city known for its heritage buildings and food. Fort Cornwallis stands at the old landing point.
Visit: Fort Cornwallis (historic site)
Fictional Malay state — Mr. Fox's diplomatic destination
Mr. Fox's diplomatic mission is the reason Surprise is sent east. Jack carries the envoy to a Malay sultanate to negotiate on Britain's behalf, with Stephen Maturin as Fox's companion and observer. Their dealings reflect the contest with France for influence in the region.
Pulo Prabang is fictional; the Malay peninsula and archipelago were then a patchwork of sultanates courted by British, Dutch and French interests.
As an approximate stand-in, Kuala Lumpur is the Malaysian capital, with museums on Malay history and culture. The fictional sultanate itself does not exist.
Visit: National Museum of Malaysia (museum)
More by Patrick O'Brian: Desolation Island locations map · Master and Commander locations map · Treason's Harbour locations map · All Patrick O'Brian books
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