Mr Midshipman Hornblower by CS Forester

We meet young Horatio Hornblower as he begins his career in the Royal Navy as a midshipman. The entire Hornblower series offers a masterful depiction of life at sea during the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars and this is just the start of Hornblower's naval career. These stories are rich with examples of leadership, learning, and growth under pressure—and as a bonus, Stephen closes out the episode boldly with the old sailor's song Heart of Oak.