See also Recurring characters in the Aubrey–Maturin series
- Jack Aubrey: Captain of HMS Surprise .
- Stephen Maturin: ship's surgeon, friend to Jack, natural philosopher and an intelligence officer.
- Sophia Aubrey (née Williams): wife of Jack and mother of their three children.
- Admiral Sir Francis Ives KB: Commander-in-Chief of the Mediterranean Fleet, who receives a peerage in part on the successes of missions by HMS Surprise .
- Mr Yarrow: Secretary to Admiral Ives.
- Andrew Wray: Acting Second Secretary of the Admiralty, husband of Fanny Harte, come to Malta to investigate dockyard corruption. He is in deep debt for losing at cards to Maturin, but has now inherited, via his wife, from the death of his father-in-law when all hands perished on HMS Pollux at Zambra. Left Malta after dealing with French spies identified by Maturin.
- William Sutton: captain on his way to England to sit in Parliament and a lively guest at Aubrey’s dinner with the Fieldings.
- Laura Fielding: Wife of Lt Charles Fielding, used by the French to gather intelligence, then rescued by Maturin before they could dispose of her, no longer useful to them once her husband escaped as prisoner of war, safe on a British ship.
- Mr Rowan: former First lieutenant on HMS Surprise , sent to Malta with message when Surprise was slow in reaching Gibraltar, did not return before next mission.
- Barret Bonden: Jack Aubrey's coxswain since Aubrey's first command.
- Preserved Killick: Jack Aubrey's shrewish steward on HMS Surprise .
- Mr Mowett: First lieutenant on HMS Surprise .
- Captain Pullings: a Commander with no ship, so he volunteers on HMS Surprise , sharing duties with Mowett until they retake the packet ship Danae , when Pullings parts from Surprise to return her to England.
- Mr Honey: Acting third lieutenant on HMS Surprise , mentioned for promotion from master's mate.
- Mr Peter Calamy: Young midshipman taken on by Aubrey in Worcester and carried to Surprise , now 12 years old. He likes Maturin, and watches out for him. He lost his hair to scurvy rounding Cape Horn.
- Mr Williamson: Young midshipman taken by Aubrey in Worcester and carried to Surprise , where he lost half an arm in the battle with the Turkish ship Torgud . He loses some toes and tips of his ears to frostbite in the southern 60s (south latitude) rounding Cape Horn.
- John Nesbitt: One of the first-voyagers in midshipmen’s berth who joined at Gibraltar. He broke his collar bone in storm in southern Atlantic
- Mr Blakeney: Signal midshipman on Juan Fernandez when sail is seen; he joined at Gibraltar.
- Mr Hollom: midshipman nearly 40 years old, rated master’s mate but never a lieutenant, once on the Lively with Aubrey, now taken on HMS Surprise . Left to die with Mrs Horner, at Mr Horner's hand.
- Mr Borrell: master gunner promoted out of HMS Surprise to HMS Burford .
- Mr Horner: new master gunner on HMS Surprise , who later kills himself.
- Mrs Horner: young and attractive wife of the gunner, 19 years old. She helps with the young gentlemen.
- Mr Gill: master promoted out of HMS Surprise to the Burford .
- Mr Michael Allen: new master on HMS Surprise , a man with whaling experience and knowledge of the southern whaling waters. He sailed previously with James Colnett on a semi exploration-whaling expedition to the South Atlantic.
- Heneage Dundas: Captain of HMS Edinburgh based in Malta and a close friend to Aubrey. He connects Aubrey with Allen.
- Mr Martin: a Royal Navy chaplain, friend of Maturin and natural philosopher, now assigned to Surprise . He is schoolmaster to the many young midshipmen.
- Higgins: taken as assistant to Maturin for his skills in pulling teeth.
- Joe Plaice: elderly forecastle hand, cousin to Barret Bonden, who hits his head, and has the trepanning operation done by Maturin, with the flattened silver coin left to replace the bone removed.
- Padeen Colman: Huge, gentle Irish-speaking manservant chosen by Maturin in Gibraltar to serve on HMS Surprise .
- Lt Lawrence: prize captain from USS Norfolk , in his turn taken when HMS Surprise retook Danae in the Atlantic. He is a close relative of Captain James Lawrence, who visited Aubrey in Boston in Surgeon's Mate .
- Caleb Gill: Captain on captured whaler Acapulco , prisoner on Surprise . He is nephew to Captain Palmer of USS Norfolk . He is disappointed to be taking the prize home, as his real desire was to reach the Marquesa Islands, the paradise mentioned in the intercepted letter.
- Mr Hogg: Specksioneer from the whaler Intrepid Fox , who has sailed many times to the Marquesas and the Sandwich Islands, picked up at the Galapagos with five mates. He is useful in spotting the island where Aubrey and Maturin were left by the Polynesian women, and other situations.
- Captain Palmer: Captain of the USS Norfolk .
- Mr Butcher: surgeon of the American USS Norfolk , ready to operate on Maturin. Earlier he was on USS Constitution , one of several medical men deciding if Aubrey's injured arm could be saved (and it was saved), in Surgeon's Mate .
- Haines: Former British Navy sailor, part of 1797 mutiny, since moved to the US, on the USS Norfolk and an informer. His shipmates kill him.
