Jack Aubrey

Rear Admiral Sir John Aubrey, KB, MP, JP, FRS, is a fictional character in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to Admiral in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The twenty (and almost twenty-one) book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along his course to flying a rear admiral's flag. He starts as a lieutenant, depressed, poor and without a ship until he is given his first command: a fourteen-gun brig-rigged sloop, HMS Sophie.

Most of his naval battles and adventures are drawn from actual Royal Navy history; several of his exploits and reverses are directly based on the chequered career of Thomas Cochrane. O'Brian is said to have pictured his friend, actor Charlton Heston, as Aubrey.[citation needed]

Aubrey is a great lover of music and plays the violin. He is generally accompanied by his friend and shipmate Stephen Maturin on the 'cello. Aubrey is particularly fond of Corelli.…more