Persuasion produces constant references to the merit awarded sailors in the British Royal Navy. Anne says in chapter three, “The navy, I think, who have done so much for us, have at least an equal claim with any other set of men, for all the comforts and all the privileges which any home can give.” If Austen’s voice is aligned with Anne, the fact that two of her brothers were in the Navy, may have influenced her take on Navy men, especially since they dealt with the same historical setting as the characters in Persuasion. Charles Austen, Jane’s youngest brother, was promoted to captain on May 10, 1810 after working his way up in position in the Navy. A few years later, in 1814, he was given command of the HMS Phoenix and was sent to the Adriatic to prevent the escapes of Neopolitan warships after Napoleon’s escape from Elba. 

“HMS Phoenix (1783).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Nov. 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Phoenix_(1783).