HMS Surprise: Then and Now (the ship from "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World")
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- #HMSSurprise #maritimemuseum #masterandcommander
A video I made in 2020, with the exception of the "at sea" portions which I filmed in 2010.
In 2001-2003, the HMS Rose replica was converted into the HMS Surprise, to be used in the movie, "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World," starring Russell Crowe. After the movie production, the ship was sold to Maritime Museum of San Diego. In this video you will see the ship then sailing the open sea off the coast of San Diego, November 2010 .
Finally, in 2020, (when this video was made) Surprise was in need of renovations, to get it back into good shape. Here you'll meet some of the dedicated crew explaining the process of renovating the ship, which as of now is complete - the ship is back on display in San Diego.
sdmaritime.org/
Be sure and visit if you are in the San Diego area.
A more recent RUclips upload about the making of "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" ... • Video
I wouldn’t say she’s old. The Surprise is not old; no one would call her old. She has a bluff bow, lovely lines. She's a fine sea-boat: weatherly, stiff and fast... very fast, if she's well handled. No, she's not old; she's in her prime.
I agree - I remember an even older ship! But have not put video of her on youtube. Many ships on the west coast. I am now exploring a newer ship here in the northwest - may do a documentary on her.
add quotation marks and (c)
My father sailed on ships like this during the 1930s and I’ve heard ships like this referred to as “a sailing ship” or more often “a sailing vessel”, but never “a sea boat”.
they are rebuilding the ship right now to last another 50 years.
😆💰 Remember , always choose the lesser of two weevils ! 😆 Love this movie , the characters are so likeable ! I wish Crowe would stop killing off his best characters , including himself as Maximus !!! ❤️🖖
"...after all, Surprise is on our side."
A magnificent film, and a beautiful star!
Master and Commander is in that rare pantheon of films that I find to be perfect. There is literally nothing wrong about it. More of them would have been great in theory but...maybe it's fitting there is only the one. Without Peter Weir in total control I wouldn't trust the final product.
The only thing I don't like about it is that it ends
The end honestly feels like sequel bait so I'm pretty miffed there never was one
@@Nesformers That was its weakness, yes. But, the books are even better, and with the movie for visuals - excellent!
@@leprechaunbutreallyjustamidget each of the 20 books is written with a hanging ending ,so you fell compelled to start on the next .But the episodes of activity in each are completed
i couldn't believe they didn't add same sappy romance or useless "strong independant" character in there that would ruin the 2nd part of the movie
truly one of last great movies created
Time to rewatch Master and Commander 😊😂
A film about a British ship, made in America with an Australian director, star, composer and half the crew. But they are all from English speaking countries.
@@Dave_Sisson also made in Mexico. What’s stupid is that they were supposed to be chasing an American ship but the director thought American audiences wouldn’t appreciate that (should have made it today when lots of liberal Americans hate America, especially American history )
@@jjcooks7401 In he book the film is based on they are chasing a French frigate.
It's *always* time to rewatch Master and Commander.
@@haydenwilliams1114 Yes! And the to re-read all 20 books. For the 5th time...
A real pity they didn’t make more movies from the source. The movie only scratched the surface of the source material. That’s one beautiful ship.
I'm glad, however, that they robbed bits from all over the canon to make the movie. Lots of great lines and scenes made it in. If there's only to be one movie, then they did it right.
Master and Commander is a series of books. The movie covered 1 book. They need to cover the rest.
@@xlbubblehead2505
Its from at least 3 books. Some scenes are from Master and Commander before Aubrey had the Surprise, the basic story form The Far Side of the World. Only the enemy frigate was American, not French. Bits and pieces from other books.
The Surprise is based on a real British ship that was taken as a prize from the French. Yeah the French built the Brit ship and the French ship was actually an American ship, based on one of the first six Frigates of the US Navy. A bigger ship than the Surprise which was a old 28 gun frigate but not as big as the the two super frigates which included the Constitution. Which Aubrey and Maturin where held prisoner on in one of the books.
@@xlbubblehead2505
"Teak decks and hull? "
Don't know about teak, most of the ships were made of the standard, oak. The Constitution was made of Live Oak, which a SPECIES of oak not living oak, my father told me it was made of green/living oak and that apparently is a popular error. There is a large amount of acreage of live oak set aside specifically for the Constitution.
@@xlbubblehead2505
I can tell you that modern sailboats, larger ones, as opposed to three masted naval vessels, often have teak decks. At they used to when I was a lot younger. The cheaper boats were all fiberglass. The only time I was on an expensive one was to clean it. A down wind sled called Ragtime.
Bloody hell I found photos of it, its from the 70's.
If you want to look up stuff from the Aubry-Maturin series there is a website covering it. Its been a long time since I looked up anything there. I think I finished the series at least 5 years ago.
I have immensely enjoyed this movie. So natural, so evidently true, just great. A shame that there was no second one to follow up!
That magnificent ship is now Immortalized by that magnificent movie !
I have been lucky to be onboard the Surprise many times.
My favorite movie and my favorite ship!! THREE CHEERS FOR LUCKY JACK!! 😄
The HMS Victory and USS Constitution are pretty great too!
I spent many a year visiting this ship. I miss her so.
I certainly hope to get to San Diego in the not too distant future. I've been aboard Star of India when she was the only ship there. I really enjoy "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World." My family doesn't because the battle scenes are too loud. They just can't accept that battle at sea is VERY loud.
Master and Commander is one of my all time favorite movies. I have the DVD and have watched it maybe 2 dozen times over the years.
A beautiful ship with incredible history.....thanks to the ship builders and refurbishes and especially thanks to Patrick O'Brian who brought up wonderful stories on board HMS Surprise.
We agree!
"No, she's not old; she's in her prime" -Captain Jack Aubrey.
She still is.
.. bluff bow and lovely lines, weatherly, stiff, a fine sea-boat, ...
Ships like her are like a good whiskey, they get better with age. These ships, even though they're replicas, capture a snapshot of a time forgotten. A time before fossil fuels, a time before the huge floating iron boxes we call ships today. I wish I won the lottery, I would set up a cruise line with a difference!. I'd set up one where it's like a working holiday, the passengers must play their role in crewing and sailing a sailing ship. Much more interesting than sitting next to a pool for two weeks catching Salmonella from the buffet, no, I would rather do something, be a part of something, and sailing, everyone is a part of the job, everyone must cooperate, or that ship is not going to reach it's destination.
The HMS Surprise is a beautiful ship, she has soul and life, a spark in her eyes, where a lot of modern ships seem 'depressed'. I LOVE that sound of creaking wood whenever you're around a sailing ship. The creaking wood and the sound of the ship's bell chiming slowly with the gentle rolling of the water, the sound of the wind filling the sails, it gives me the image of redcoats clambering over the decks with their spyglasses, shouting 'SAIL!' 'SAIL!' or 'LAND!' etc lol, or pirates waving swords or traders sailing the seven seas, bringing exotic spices, fabrics and animals etc from all over the world.
I’ve gotten on the ship down in San Diego and the biggest impression was how small it was on deck and below deck. Being on a ship like that for months at a time is an experience that’s hard to imagine.
How about being on a ship like that with 150 other men, poor hygiene and a 30% mortality rate on any one voyage? Now you get a picture on what it might really have been like...
In the early 60's I served aboard a coastal minesweeper, 400 tons, about 135 ft long. At least we had headroom below decks and a much smaller crew, about 35 men. The Minesweeper was all wood construction and round bottomed. We used to speculate on what conditions were like on 18th century sailing ships. On one occasion we rode a massive storm on the way down to Okinawa. It gave us an opportunity to see how a well managed small ship could handle a big storm. Our cruising speed was about 11 kt. Oh yes, we had weevils in our bread sometimes...otherwise the chow was good. Cooks are the backbone of the ship.
@@ilikeheavymuzic135 Everything you wrote is true, but at least on the gun decks you might get a good draught wind blowing through the gun ports when the weather picked up. Although that would only be a temporary reprieve, especially when they would have closed the gun ports during stormy weather to prevent the ship taking on water!
Not as spacious or luxurious as an Indiaman.... What a gaff Stephen :)
Thank you for bringing us news of this majestic Lady!
Russell Crowe would appreciate all of you are doing to keep the HMS Surprise in top shape! Hope he does a sequel!
I dont think he gives two fucks.
Who else thinks Swanny is a bloody legend! He'd be a fantastic educator. Maturin would approve.
It will always be one of my most favorite films, masterpiece! The characters, the ambiance, the uniforms, the story. I hope when the world is turning a little normal again this or next year they will make some great historical movies of the napoleonic/regency age!
I remember when I used to visit my family in Connecticut and the Rose was anchored in Bridgeport. Every year they used to turn one of the decks into a haunted house. One of the coolest experiences EVER. So glad to see the ship alive and well
Cool. Thanks for commenting!
@@TallSky Kaye Williams, owner of Captains Cove Marina in Bridgeport, pruchased her and had her berthed where everyone could get right up close. I remember the ROSE vividly.
So glad they are looking after the Surprise. It's a great looking ship. I remember first seeing her docked on Shelter Island as the Rose. No way it looked like a replica ship. Thru and thru she was the real thing. It was going thru hard financial times before it was acquired by the Museum. Then the Museum didn't have the funds to keep her up properly. Then covid brought the Museum to its knees. Now she is on the mend. She never got up to full sail in the movie because of light wind. Maybe someday she will get a bone in her teeth once again. Nothing like a tall ship under full sail.
I HAVE to visit!!!!
I am really happy you guys are still taking good care of this ship, 20 years after the movie. I recently finished the books and it is a special gift to know that the Surprise is still afloat.
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I clicked into this story, but I’ve been a fan of wooden warships since I read my first CS Forester Hornblower novel in 10th grade. It’s fantastic to see the Museum taking such wonderful care of this ship. I especially enjoyed Mr. Swanson’s tour of the work going on in restoring the decks-it’s wonderful to see that modern technology can be applied to keep a vintage artifact like this ship in good, even better-than-original condition. And I’m sure that the Museum staff and volunteers are happy to not have to holystone the deck every day, as Mr. Swanson mentioned!!
I am currently re-reading Patrick O'Brian Aubury-Marturin series. O'Brian packs so much detail in his descriptions of life on board ship, I feel like I am aboard.
This video enhances that feeling and somewhat explains the daily workings of the ship.
But I think Lt Tom Pullings would be upset at seeing the conditions of the deck.
"Quick, jump to it! There is not a moment to lose!"
i was on this ship right after it was built. i worked for Hood Sailmakers back in the 60's when they made all the sails for the ship. at the time the name of the ship was the Rose. the Rose was docked at Newport Rhode Island and was used as a training ship. the last time i was on it they had it up for sale for the price of $100,000, a little while later they took it for the movie and changed the name to Surprise.
Only $100,000? That seems really cheap!
@@TheM750 $1.00 would not be cheap. It would cost an absolute fortune to keep that ship going.
@@TheM750 the reason they were selling at that price is because that is how much was left to pay the bank for the building loan.
Great little tour. Thanks for showing us around! I'll be sure to drop a ten-spot in the jar next time I'm down in SD.
You know the ship is in safe hands when the geezer looking after the refit has a beard like that! Just needs a pipe filled with tobacco laced with a dash of Navy rum :-)
Master and Commander was such a great movie. They left it wide open for a sequel but failed to follow through. What a shame.
Thanks very much for taking care of Rose/Surprise. Patrick O'Brian's novels are classics too, great stories which take the reader around the world.
Loved the movie....this was very interesting.
BRILLIANT, loved it what a great vid
Thank you Ronnie Pickering!
That's the future, what a fascinating modern age we live in.
When our cruise ship docked nearby we visited your ship and enjoyed it. Thanks
Hey Crowe, stop killing off your best characters ! Including Maximus ! When we want a sequel , the leads are all dead ! 😆💰❤️ 👍 LIVE 👍LIVE 👍 LIVE......😆
Master & Commander is the perfect film. Makes me feel so proud to be British 🇬🇧❤
They should have made more of the Master and commander movies. full stop.
Yes, perhaps like the series "Hornblower" I think it would work.
Absolutely right mate.
Absolutely right mate.
@CREEP MATT GAETZ - I agree with you, another few movies would have been nice. Lucky we have the books and our imaginations to enjoy. Can't help but picture Russel Crowe as Jack when I read through the series.
I was lucky to have the chance to sail on ROSE as a trainee in 1992 from Puerto Rico via Philadelphia to Bridgeport and back to New York to take part in the final parade. It was a 4-week journey I will never forget.
Regards to Captain Richard Bailey for this experience.
Heino von Tettenborn, Munich/Germany
Must have been an amazing trip!
Very good all going a shore.
Surprise is on our side.
Possibly the best movie
thank you so much for the restoration work hope to see the ship in person in near future.
Now that’s a nice surprise
If you have read the Jack Aubrey books, research
Thomas Cochrane, he was the real life Jack Aubrey of his day
better than Nelson
I did not know that ship was in SD! I gotta go see her.
when the suprise have nice wood (naval action) i love this ship !
Glad you liked it!
Look forward to a visit!
She is in her prime.
I was SURPRISED by this
so bloody cool...
Very interesting and a very professionally made video!!! You make the best!!!
Wow, thank you! And coming from a dear friend that means a lot!
Tall Sky Walker 💕
Bellizimo. Precioso. Increible
This is exactly why tradesmen are so important
In 2024, the Surprise is severily weathered. Hopefully they will do a complete dry dock restoration.
Indeed!
Just visited last week and it really needs repair on its side. Patches are showing and the paint is severly cracking.
Loved the movie, just trying to comprehend what life must have been like for the crew. This was such a wonderful video and great craftsmanship to rejuvenate her beauty. I would have love to have participated in the restoration of the the deck. Beautiful
the way the deck boards are layed out is the same way i made the deck on the back of my house.
I like this ship since 2003
Glad to see the cannon still on the gun deck.
That's AMAZING!!! So cool!!!
"Yes, I am a pirate two hundred years too late
The cannons don't thunder there's nothin' to plunder
I'm an over forty victim of fate
Arriving too late, arriving too late" Jimmy Buffet
A Pirate Looks At Forty. One of my favorite Buffet tunes.
@@SgtBooker44 And chosen by many to be his best...
I live in San Diego and see it all the time.
Great Video! Love this movie, and have heard the books are great as well
I am looking forward to making a visit to the Surprise soon!
You should! Hope you enjoy it and safe travels to you.
Thankyou have see old ship 👍🙏
Thanks for visiting
" And over here we can see the...SAW ! BANG ! WHIZZ ! SAW ! SAW ! CRASH ! BANG !.. all the time, yes "
LoL They were very busy in the background.
Fantastic work !!!
Thank you! Cheers!
So fascinating! So much skill with everyone!! :) Thank you so much! Wish i could learn from Swanny :)
"Never mind the manoeuvres, just go straight at 'em."
Admiral Nelson's advice to Thomas Cochrane.
I recently found out what a BAMF the sea wolf was as a Captain
@@MrManoynav Kings & Generals fan?
@@tjacree6910 - Indeed he was. If you like him, Francis Drake would be someone to read about.
Nicely done that new deck!
It's now completed!
Excellent mate 👍👍👍
Thanks 👍
So cool. Thx for sharing
Thanks for watching!
The figurehead needs to have more of a surprised look on its face.
If you enjoy wooden boat building you'll love Samson Boat Company on RUclips. Fantastic craftsmanship.
it would be nice after all the refit, they should use it as a training ship again. that was what they used it for when it was the Rose.
Wonderful!
Thank you! Cheers!
Was there an actual ship used as the Acheron, just recently watched the movie again, one of the best ever made.
it was also used in Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (2011)
Yeah, it was used for Barbossa's ship, the HMS Providence
I didn't see Killick. Maybe he was polishing the silver again.
So beautiful
Although there was an HMS Surprise, the film "Master and Commander" is based on HMS Phoebe. The mission shown in the film was the pursuit of USS Essex, a 'privateer' appointed by the US Government in 1812 to take 'prizes' (ie British merchant ships) in the Caribbean - pursuant of the War of 1812. Both ships in the company of sloops, the Phoebe chased the Essex around Cape Horn to Valparaiso Bay in the Pacific. There, in an action Phoebe captured the Essex, and then sailed her home as a prize! My forebear, then Midshipman Gardiner was an officer in the prize crew, having distinguished himself in the action. He then went on to command a similar frigate around the Pacific, landing in Chile. In 1830, Gardiner was "beached" as many warships were 'laid up' after peace had broken out. There is more about Alan Francis Gardiner (1799-1851) on U Tube.
I was a crew member of the Lady Washington, and I now NEED to at LEAST board the hms surprise
I filmed for the Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain too. You had a really cool job. You never know, with your experience, Maritime Museum of San Diego could hire you.
Neat to see. An ancestor of mine was a powder monkey on the USS Constitution. Died from splinters against the Java.
Interesting. Thx
In the book "The Far Side of the World" it was the "Constitution" that the Surprise was chasing, not the Acheron, and it was during the 1812 war that it was set...
But of course, they had to change it, for Hollywood...
@@PsychicIsaacs "Norfolk," but yeah, she would have been built like the Constitution. Heavy 44, built with southern live oak.
It's kinda too bad they had to make one movie covering bits collected from several books. I know it's a lot to ask, but they could have made a HELL of a series out of those books.
@@PsychicIsaacs Actually, in the book the Acheron was called the Norfolk and she was based on the story of the USS Essex, a frigate (not the Whaling ship) built by the city of Essex. I have an interesting book about the Essex, but I can't find it now. The capture of the Essex in real life was even more exciting then the movie. In the book, the Surprise never encounters the Norfolk, only her crew.
Heard their making a prequel!
The real HMS Surprise was a captured French corvette Unite which was famous for recapturing HMS Hermione from the Spanish when Hermione mutinied and the crew slaughtered her officers.
The yanks have taken the surprise
Let’s get her back (I wonder if victory could handle sailing,and I’m sure there is a new HMS bounty in Whitby sooooooo.......) 😂
Thank god this lot aren't in possession H.M.S. Victory and she is not being made to comply with modern regulations. Plastic and butchery of this wooden marvel must not be inflicted on our history. Authentic repairs and restoration has been carried out on her by modern technically skilled workers and long may this continue.
@@richardwest6358 well the Surprise is a replica to begin with so it does not get the benefits of beeing an antique.
The changes they made make sense for a ship that only gets out onto the ocean every now and then and is not of historic significance.
Bring it on! We'll break the USS Constitution and gi' ye a fight! LOL
I have a photo of HMS Surprise under sail in the foreground with USS Ronald Reagan in the background taken one sunny day off San Diego. I use it as a screen saver on my computer both at work and at home. People don't believe me when I tell them it isn't Photoshopped.
Surprise is still a beautiful Lady. It's good to see that she is being well taken care of.
USN retired. No, I've never been aboard the Reagan.
I believe you. I saw that a couple of times.
I was playing a game called naval action and my first 5th rate ever was a french ai Surprise and i took it! Shes been with me since i got her weve takening other 5th rates down abunch of 6th rates elite navy rattlesnaks and elite navy brigs iv helped 3rd rates sink even more ships. Shes been a faithful companion and im glad that her real world counter part is still kicking and i hope she lasts even longer!
Jack Aubrey is Lord Thomas Cochrane in the real life......He (The Lord) is an hero in my country and in my navy, the Chilean Navy!
Or Edward Pellew
The paint work is all ahoo, for shame! No gold leaf, a floating bodello I do declare. Just kidding keep up the good work, a glass of wine with you all!
England is under threat of invasion. And though we be on the far side of the world, this ship is our home... this ship- is England. So it's every hand to his rope or gun, quick is the word and sharp is the action. After all, Surprise is on our side.
GOD, HOW I'D LOVE TO DO THIS STUFF. PITTY IS THAT I KNOW HOW TO.
I have some photos or her before she was HMS Surprise, she was a replica of HMS Rose and i have photos of her in the Careenage in Bridgetown Barbados. Love the movie and yes , think they could have done more with it, maybe even a series.
She's fast. Very fast, if she's well handled.
Nice to see she's being well looked after, I served as a Marine on HMS Victory in 89 and the dockyard shipwrights were using similar techniques on her top deck as well.
On a side note I believe powder monkeys got their name not only due to their small size and gunsmoke blackened faces but also due to them scrambling up nets, by that I mean during battle the biggest threat was from splinters so all unnecessary wooden items were stored below in the hold.
This included the steps/gangways between decks and in their place rope climbing nets were rigged,
subsequently you'd see boys with powder charges from the magazine below scurrying up the nets 'tween decks' like monkeys to get to their guns.
Interesting. Thanks for sharing that.
That they removed the stairs and ladders is.news to me, that would hamper your own crews movement. Do you happen to have a source handy?
Where did all the officers sleep?
In the movie, the doctor/naturalist seems to have a special cabin, where he analyzes the specimens he collected, where would that be?
And the kitchen?
I hope you call the carpenter, "Chips". : )
I have watched Master and Commander 50+ times. I think they rushed in and made a holy mess. The acting and characters are awesome, as is most of the photography. Yet the movie in no way does justice to the stories told in Patrick O’Brian’s legacy. Were I rich I would spare no expence an create an epic over 10 movies.
I'm overjoyed that Surprise is still well and sailing, just sad that they didn't use the soundtrack from the movie 😂
I think they probably worry about copywrite infringement
Maritime Museum staff know me and I film them whenever I go back to visit old friends in SD, but I am not affiliated with them and could make such a video with the soundtrack.
7:00 How many times a day during the tour do you think someone cracks that "lesser of two weevils" pun when they get to that room?
Just saw this beautiful ship had a hell of an accident against the breakwall. Hope the ship is ok.
I can't help but think the traditional deck could flex with he hull whereas the plywood will make the new deck rigid. Good thing or bad?