The Flag Captain - Geoffrey Huband

The original painting from which the cover of the Alexander Kent book was taken.

Oil on canvas signed lower left, framed.

Canvas size 20 x 28 inches (51cm x 71cm)

Geoffrey writes: "Following the mutiny at the Nore the fictional Richard Bolitho is promoted to Flag Captain in Euryalus (100 guns), a recently captured French prize, and is despatched to the Mediterranean.  Bolitho takes command of a prize, a large Spanish merchant trader - the Navarra out of Malaga bound for Mahon.  Alone and without protection on this severely damaged vessel, Bolitho is obliged to take on a small fleet of Chebecks manned by Barbary Corsairs in a fight for the survival for his crew and passengers.

The Barbery Corsairs were feared for their utter ruthlessness.  They operated out of North Africa and made their trade from the enslavement of captives or in the extraction of ransom from the families of those who could afford to pay.  The favoured vessel of these marauding pirates was the Chebeck, a shallow draft medium sized craft which is lateen rigged.  They were fast under sail and very manoeuvrable: they could move rapidly in light airs and also had advantage of being able to move quickly under the power of large banks of oars. 

Chebecks were lightly armed but they also carried large bore cannons in the bow which gave them a great tactical advantage over more heavily armed vessels when becalmed.

This painting was enjoyably challenging in terms of researching the crafts involved and depicting the animated activity during an engagement where the strategy lay in outmanoeuvring and outnumbering their prey."