HMS Surprise is a frigate of the Royal Navy, and Jack Aubrey's favorite ship, as well as the one he commands the longest (all together); he served on her as a midshipman and later as a Captain and Admiral. She is a sixth rate frigate with 28 guns. Surprise is an important element of the series, both due to her importance to the running plotline, and because of the emotional attachment she has earned among fans of the series. Surprise is also the main setting of the movie adaptation Master and Commander The Far Side of the World.