Upon reading *The Happy Return *again, I realize that Hornblower is truly mental.
I cannot help but wonder how he would stack up against Jack Aubrey.
So, let us consider two contests: Lydia vs. Surprise. Horry has Bush and Brown, Goldilocks has Bonden and Pullings.
The other, Jack and Horatio go at each other in their underwear with cricket bats.
My money in on Surprise and Jack.
Well, Nelson was mental too, but, damn, could that man win battles!
(Someone here on SDMB put me on to the Alan Lewrie novels, and I’m enjoying them hugely. Toss him in the mix?)
I might give a slight edge to Aubrey (and Lewrie) over Hornblower, for crew leadership, discipline, and morale. They’re all damn good, but Aubrey and Lewrie can inspire a crew to give all they’ve got, while Hornblower still is kind of daunting to his men. He hasn’t quite got the magic touch.
(I can’t cite chapter and verse; been too damn long since I read 'em.)
I love Hornblower because he is strong and brilliant, but still modest, vulnerable and full of self-doubt. IOW, even though he has every reason to be, he is not full of himself. He is more self-contained than Aubrey, but I like that about him, too. Can’t help it, HH has my heart.
Good point, but Nelson is real. 
Dammit, he was going to be a naval Flashman, but after a couple of novels he turned into a goody two shoes hero.
Ive read both series, JA many times so that probably tells you something. I can see why people like Hornblower’s self reflection and doubt. But to me he was a absolute misery. JA on the other hand is fun, despite being one of the best fighting captainsin the fleet is not arrogant. Likes a whench, a drink and a gamble! I know who would rather be friends with… As to the battle, JA all the way, with Pullings in a blood lust and Bonden on the wheel. Surprise hammers them at disance then boards from stern and bows, Hornblower worries and surrenders.
Also likes making excruciatingly bad puns… I’ve read only a couple of the Hornblower novels – basically, don’t get on well with Forester – but Hornblower certainly struck me, too, as a miserable so-and-so.
Had Hornblower ever debauched a sloth I might think more highly of him. However even when things were going well Hornblower wondered why, and the admiration shown by Bush felt dirty as Hornblower didn’t like the man that much.
That’s called situational awareness. It is why he would have won the ship/ship action. And I note that Hornblower always found someone to sleep with.
I’m not so sure about the man to man action with the cricket bats though. Hornblower is definitely fit, a swordsman, and an excellent shot, but when it comes to hitting people, I think he’d either get in first – or escape after surrender.
I hadn’t considered points for sloth debauching or seduction. 
Did you imagine I didn’t know that? My point was that being completely mental isn’t entirely a disadvantage when it comes to being a successful military commander. On balance, it may actually be an advantage!
Lucky Jack has been afloat since he was a mere squeaker. Hornblower begins his midshipman’s career at 17, and as a mere acting lieutenant spends three years (IIRC) imprisoned by the Spanish. This factor alone give Aubrey a tremendous advantage. With that much more experience at sea, he’s got a keener instinct for assessing his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, cutting maneuvers, and ruses de guerre. Horie may be a talented latecomer, but in terms of experience – as a squeaker, a midshipman, a hand before the mast, and a veteran of many great actions (the Nile, for example), Jack could already boast a decade’s worth of invaluable training at the same age that Mr. Hornblower first stepped aboard ship.
No contest.
But what of the cricket bats and bathing suits?
I neglected to include a boxing match between seaman Brown and Bowden.
Based on the actors who played them (Russell Crowe and Ioan Gruffudd, respectively), Hornblower probably wins the swimsuit competition, but Aubrey probably beats the tar out of him with the cricket bat.
(Finding a picture of a shirtless Russell Crowe proved difficult. )
I’ve read all of Hornblower many times, and I could barely get through which Aubrey book I tried to read. So I’m biased.
However, it does seem to me that it’s all like science fiction. Hornblower is in a tight spot and realizes that he can avast the forward sails and jibe the rudder, and thus cause a manoeuver that flanks the enemy. I’m sure it’s all valid, but it always seems to me (as a non-nautical person) to be like reversing the polarity on the dilithium crystals. Sounds impressive and creates a heroic reversal. Doesn’t detract from my enjoyment, mind you.
Bonden. Been stealing your messmates rum ration again plant?
Well, five minutes with wiki tells me the 5th-rate Lydia had 36 18-pounders. The 6th-rate Surprise, bless her, had 24 guns, I believe only 9-pounders.
So Aubrey’s got an uphill battle here. Not insurmountable, but battering from a distance is probably not his best chance, given that he’s receiving three times the weight of shot he’s giving out.
Oh who knows. I enjoy the Hornblower books. The Patrick O’Brien books are very original and authentic but I became exhausted reading them. The Alexander Kent series about Richard Bolitho are entertaining light reads and worth considering.
One of my patrons at the library claimed that he wrote Forester and asked about a maneuver. Supposedly Forester wrote back and sent him a diagram. I could do with a few of those diagrams myself.
I think Aubrey’s got the dash and the aggression that the Nelson-era Royal Navy prized, but Hornblower’s smarter and more analytical, and ultimately more merciless.
Assuming the ships were both more or less equal… let’s say the Sutherland and the Bellona (both 74 gun third rates), I think Hornblower would outsail and outfight Aubrey.
However, if it came to a boarding action, I think Aubrey would out-lead and out-fight Hornblower.
