Stephenson:Neal:The Confusion:132:Bart's promotion to Captain (Neal Stephenson)

From the Quicksilver Metaweb.

Bart really did escape from captivity in England and row 52 hours to freedom, and he really was promoted as a result, but his promotion did not actually take place as described here, i.e. at a Christmas party at La Dunette (which only stands to reason as La Dunette is a fictional place). The kernel of truth at the heart of this episode is that Bart's conspicuous gallantry gave the Navy more cachet than it might have had otherwise.