Factual error: When Pellew engages the first French warship, he gives the order to his helmsman, "Hard to Larboard". In the 18th century, helm orders were given in relation to the position of the tiller, rather than the rudder. A helmsman would push a tiller in the opposite direction he wanted the vessel to turn. This practice continued even when a ship was steered by a wheel, so the man at the wheel would have turned the wheel to starboard..except that he didn't.
Hornblower: The Even Chance (1998)
Directed by: Andrew Grieve
Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Robert Lindsay, Dorian Healy, Michael Byrne
Factual error: HMS Indefatigable, the cruiser Hornblower is transferred onto, was a razee, a 3rd rate battleship cut down to a heavy frigate. The ship depicted in the movie is no more than a sloop.
Join the mailing list
Separate from membership, this is to get updates about mistakes in recent releases. Addresses are not passed on to any third party, and are used solely for direct communication from this site. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Check out the mistake & trivia books, on Kindle and in paperback.