This new collection of short biographies tells of the heroic deeds of two hundred prominent officers who fought at sea through the wars against the French Republic and Empire. The circumstances of a war for national survival and social order put an end to the political divisions which had characterized the officer class of the Royal Navy in the preceding two centuries and produced a remarkable body of men whose competence, commitment and ability where to lead to Britain's complete command of the oceans; the most outstanding of these form the core of this book. Each biography, of around one thousand words, describes the events in these men's careers and sets their achievements within the context of the wars. Their early lives and promotions are detailed as well as their marriages and family lives. Indeed, the extraordinary web of personal and service relationships that emerges is one of the fascinating themes of the book; connections made a vast difference between languishing as a lieutenant and being remembered when a ship needed a commander. Drawing on contemporary and nineteenth-century sources the author has put together a fascinating collection of lives which make for rousing reading; but the details of promotions and other events will also make the book an important reference work for scholars and enthusiasts of the period.

Out of print for many years, this is a brand new edition of the definitive companion to the acclaimed Aubrey-Maturin series of novels, written by the author himself.

This A-Z guide covers the life and careers of over 600 key figures in naval history, from the sixteenth century to the present day. Featuring influential figures from the UK, US and around the world, from the great admirals such as Nelson, to minesweepers, designers and administrators, it is an invaluable guide to those who have shaped naval history.

Before America entered World War II, twenty-two U.S. citizens went to England and volunteered with the Royal Navy. Commissioned between September 1939 and November 1941, they fought in the Battle of the Atlantic and on a variety of fronts. While the history of Americans serving in the Royal Air Force is well known, the story of these naval volunteers has not been previously told. Most trained at the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, but since foreign military service was against U.S. law, their names were never made public. Now, after years of research, their identities and the details of their contributions can be made known.

The Royal Navy of Nelson’s time was not short of heroes, nor of outstanding achievements, but even in this crowded field the career of Captain John Quilliam stands out – so often the right man in the right place at the right time, he was justly described by a contemporary as ‘the favourite of fortune’. Born on the Isle of Man 250 years ago, Quilliam has until now evaded detailed study of his extraordinary life. Indeed, while celebrated as a Manx hero, in the wider world beyond the Island one of the most important men on the quarter deck of HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar remains largely unrecognised. Trafalgar, however, was not even the high point of Quilliam’s professional journey. From the lowest rung of the ladder in the dockyard at Portsmouth he climbed to become Victory’s First Lieutenant, having already survived two of the bloodiest sea-battles of the era at Camperdown and Copenhagen. In the process he won a share in undreamed of wealth through the seizure of one of the largest hauls of Spanish gold ever taken by the Georgian navy. Promoted Post-Captain, Quilliam reached the apogee of his profession, commanding frigates in the Baltic and on the Newfoundland station in the War of 1812. There, in a bizarre twist worthy of a novel by O’Brian or Forester, he defeated an accusation of shirking an engagement with the American super-frigate President in a Court Martial brought by his own First Lieutenant. This first full biography of a far-from-ordinary naval officer is itself an unusual collaboration between three writers, each interested in different aspects of Quilliam’s career, but united by a belief that it deserves a wider audience.