 FACT: During the Storm when the Surprise is chasing the Acheron  around Cape Horn, Barrett Bonden is shown alone at the wheel. It was  customary on a Royal Navy vessel of the time to always have at least  two men at the wheel both as a security measure in case one man was  injured in battle, and because the rudder itself was extremely heavy  and difficult to turn. During any sort of heavy weather there would  certainly have been four or more men at the wheel as one man would  not be able to control the rudder (which is why the ship has two  connected wheels).