This is the extended and annotated edition including an extensive biographical annotation about the author and his life. Based on Melville's experiences as a common seaman aboard the frigate USS United States from 1843 to 1844 and stories that other sailors told him, the novel is severely critical of virtually every aspect of American naval life and thus qualifies as Melville's most politically strident work. (from wikipedia.com)

White-Jacket is a novel that perfectly reflects on the American naval life of the 19th century and is widely based on his own experiences when he sailed on the USS United States as a seaman.

White-Jacket; or The World in a Man-of-War is the fifth book by Herman Melville. The book is based on the author's fourteen months' service in the United States Navy, aboard the frigate USS Neversink.