A Life Defined by the Sea The year 1813 marks a definitive shift for William Smyth. He enters the Navy in April, beginning a life dictated by the rhythms of the tides and the rigid hierarchy of the British maritime service. He serves as a passed midshipman and mate, a position that places him directly in the path of the elements and the heavy machinery of naval warfare. His perspective is not that of a detached observer but of a man li…