At the trial, when Hobbs compares captain Sawyer to admiral Nelson, most of the sailors in the audience nod encouragingly, while Commodore Pellew and the other judges seem quite uncomfortable, with Pellew shifting in his seat and Captain Hammond awkwardly muttering "Nelson...Yes". This is actually a very accurate historical reaction, giving the fact that, at the time, Nelson had become a piece of gossip and a source of public embarrassment for the Royal Navy for his open affair with Emma Hamilton, wife of the British ambassador to Naples. Fellow commanders and high society were extremely critical, claiming Nelson put himself before his duty and his conduct was unfit of a gentleman, even considering the option of removing him from command; yet he was loved and revered among the sailors. This makes the scene extremely authentic.
At one point, a delusional captain Sawyer mistakes Archie for an "Admiral Brueys" who "died long ago, cut in two lying on the arms box". The captain is speaking about admiral Francois-Paul Brueys, chief of the Napoleonic naval forces that fought Horatio Nelson at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. Brueys died as result of a cannon shot that nearly cut him in half on board his flagship, L'Orient, which blew up an hour later. 800 crew members died. Giving the fact Sawyer is famous for being at the Nile (before Trafalgar, the most daring British victory), it is a very natural mistake to make and evidence of the captain's poor mental health.
Katia Caballero (Senora Ortega), starred as Josefina in Sharpe's Eagle (1994), also set in the Napoleonic Wars.
Philip Glenister (Gunner Hobbs) and Paul Copley (Matthews) starred together in Life on Mars (2006).