Synopses & Reviews
"Every library requires a basic source on sailing ship warfare, a need solidly met by Lambert's profusely illustrated survey of the two centuries of naval dominance...Lambert, a naval historian in Britain, efficiently economizes his text, wasting few words to narrate the geopolitical framework for the expensive construction and maintenance of fleets, of strategies...and, ultimately, of their tactics in battle....Twenty maps and perspective schematics of battles support this able introduction..."--
Booklist.
Synopsis
Set sail for the high seas in the age when battle-fighting navies rose to power. At the end of the 17th and throughout the 18th century, ocean-going forces developed into instruments of worldwide control. At first, Spain, France, Holland, and Britain headed the pack, but eventually the struggle for history at sea resolved chiefly into a Franco-British conflict. It culminated in Britain's triumph during the Napoleonic Wars and the elevation of the Royal Navy to global domination. One of the world's leading maritime experts traces the path that led to that supremacy, with detailed accounts of each of the key naval conflicts from the highest strategic level right down to the experience of the ordinary sailor.
About the Author
Dr. Andrew Lambert is Professor of Naval History at King's College, London, and Vice-President for the British Commission for Maritime History. His publications include Warrior: The First Ironclad and The Crimean War: British Grand Strategy Against Russia, 1853-60.