Captain Horatio Hornblower

Gregory Peck said that director Raoul Walsh was not interested in dialogue scenes. During these sequences, he sat down and read the newspaper.

Just before the Lydia sights land, Hornblower orders Lt. Gerard to have the ship cleared for action. Hornblower then settles down to eat lunch in his cabin.

Aboard a frigate, the captain's cabin would not be usable to eat when either 'cleared for action' or being cleared for action. Part of the ship's battery was contained in the captain's cabin, and the gun crews would be in the cabin removing bulkheads and preparing the guns for battle. Also all furniture was "struck below" (moved below deck) to provide room for the gun crews and minimize possible splinter injuries.