As another aside, anybody read about the "black ship"? This was an English frigate that mutinied during the days of Napoleon and sailed into a Spanish port.
Many enterprising sea captains looked to try to cut her out but gave up as she was against a harbor wall and under the guns of a fortress. One English frigate captain had a go at night with 80% of his crew in boats. They were spotted and engaged by grapeshot and musket fire. They boarded at the bow and were beaten off, boarded at the stern and were beaten off but eventually gained a foothold and fought the Spanish below decks in hand to hand fighting and succeeded in taking the ship out of the port under fire from the fort.
The shock was next day as what they didn't know was the day before the ship had embarked 300 Spanish troops. As the fight was protracted over several hours they estimated that no more than 50 English seamen and marines were on board at any one time. There were 200 Spanish dead and only wounded English sailors!!
If I remember rightly the English captain in his report said he had only been lightly knocked about (Hit with a cudgel, a cutlass wound to his leg and arm) and other minor contusions!
This was all actually true as well
Makes Hornblower pain in comparison!
Geoff