Victarion at the battle off Fair Isle

[Myles Sarwyck]

I'm curious if this has been discussed, but it is ever mentioned how Victarion survived the battle? I can't recall his chapters ever explaining it.

And given the views he's expressed about retreat or yielding:

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Once a man had turned his tail and run from battle he ceased to be a man.

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These few are men, at least. They would sooner die than yield.

 

... I'm just curious how he didn't die.

[Craving Peaches]

Maybe he had some weird justification for retreating like Stannis using a 'craven' sneak attack or something, so it was acceptable that once time. He could also just be a hypocrite and not practice what he preaches.

Or he didn't want to retreat but was ordered by Balon to do so. He could have also not viewed the retreat as a retreat, but going back to defend the Islands or another task rather than a retreat.

[direpupy]

There is a difference between a tactical retreat and turning tail, he is against turning tail and running away (army's that do this rarely reform to fight again) and he is also against surrendering to they enemy. But an orderly tactical retreat in order to preserve your fighting strength and fight an other day would be a different matter, this would be a legitimate battle/war tactic.

[Terrorthatflapsinthenight9]

We don't know what happened to Victarion and his admiral ship during this battle, though if he wasn't captured or shipwrecked by Stannis' fleet, he most likely had to flee rather than to die in a crushing defeat.