A senior lieutenant could command a ship as an acting captain without immediately receiving the rank and seniority of a post captain. The Admiralty made the status permanent only when the appointment appeared in the Gazette and was formally posted. Remaining acting for as long as three years suggested that someone influential opposed promotion despite many opportunities to confirm it. By contrast, a well-connected or exceptionally distinguished lieutenant could be gazetted on the day of appointment. The example of a 23-year-old veteran promoted after saving an admiral during a boarding action shows how long sea experience, combat reputation, and patronage could combine in a rapid rise.
Notable Point · 1:57:12-1:59:55
What an acting captaincy revealed about promotion and patronage
An acting appointment could fill an urgent command, but a long delay before gazetting showed that the Admiralty was unwilling to make the officer a permanent post captain.