What is the setting of The Surgeon's Mate by Patrick O'Brian?

The novel features two primary types of settings. The first and most enjoyable is shipboard in a British warship. Examples of these include Shannon, Diligence, Ariel, and Oedipus. Ariel is captained by Aubrey while he is merely a passenger on the remaining vessels. The novel presents Aubrey's leadership style in contrast to other men such as Broke, Dalgliesh, and Babbington; in a parallel development Maturin's intelligence work is contrasted to that of Beck, Duhamel, and even Blaine. One of the novel's achievements it the presentation of shipboard life as something intriguing and even desirable while simultaneously presenting a realistic view of the often horrible hardships endured.