Edward Pellew was willing to seek another frigate squadron because successful cruising could generate extraordinary prize money. Squadron command offered a captain repeated chances to share in captures, so the financial incentive remained powerful even after promotion. Pellew described himself as pockmarked, ugly, uninteresting, and uneducated, while Nicholas Rodger called him tough, brave, skillful, lucky, and unscrupulous. Together the assessments help explain why Indefatigable's conversion mattered operationally: the Royal Navy placed a powerful razee under a commander strongly motivated to find and take enemy shipping.
Notable Point · 1:07:52-1:08:49
Edward Pellew and the incentives of prize warfare
Pellew's appetite for frigate command introduces the personal and financial incentives behind Indefatigable's aggressive commerce-raiding career.