FAQ

Horatio Hornblower: Retribution and the preceding movie, Hornblower: Mutiny, are both based on the same book, Lieutenant Hornblower by C. S. Forester. It is second by internal chronology, but seventh by publication order, published in 1952. Both movies are quite faithful to the original story.

Hot shot is heated shot, made by heating a solid cannonball until it is red hot. It is quite devastating to wooden ships, if properly used. It takes 45 minutes to heat a solid ball to temperature, and it takes three times as long to load a cannon with heated shot. In this case the Spanish had been preparing to use hot shot after they were alerted of the Renown's presence at the sound of gunfire when Buckland opened fire on the rebels, so when the fort was captured, the crew were able to use hot shot against the privateers.

Yes, but the Renown was never stationed in the Caribbean, unlike what is portrayed in this story. The ships of the Hornblower series only include one real ship, the HMS Indefatigable, at least as far as those ships Hornblower served on and the campaigns detailed.

A sword is the mark of a gentleman, and giving it up is a sign of surrender. In time, swords fell out of favour and were replaced by pistols. Bush's remark, that Hornblower would hang, means that since the plan was, seemingly, a failure, there would be nothing to sway the judges at the inevitable court martial in Kingston they would face. Hornblower's plan was that they capture the fort so as to have something in their favour at the court martial and Board of Inquiry for Captain Sawyer's falling down the hold and the mutiny. At this point, Bush thought that Hornblower had abandoned him to face the Spanish alone, and knew Horatio would be responsible for the failed attack as well as face a court martial, and only discovered the truth when Hornblower destroyed the wall and took the Spanish by surprise.

It was common for officers to call a crew by their ship's name. It was a quick way of referring to an entire crew as a whole unit.