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The perfect guide to Nelson's Navy for all those with an interest in the workings of the great fleet.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Preface

PART 1: BACKGROUND
1 The Wars with France
2 Early Naval History
3 The Naval Administration
4 Britain and the World

PART 2: TYPES OF SHIPS
1 The Principles of Ship Design
2 Ships-of-the-Line
3 Frigates
4 Unrated Ships and Vessels

PART 3: SHIPBUILDING
1 Ship Construction
2 Fitting of ships
3 Masts, Sails and Rigging
4 Armament

PART 4: OFFICERS
1 Officers’ Entry and Training
2 Commissioned Officers
3 Warrant Officers
4 Officers’ Living Conditions
5 Ship Administration

PART 5: NAVAL RECRUITMENT
1 The Problem of Naval Recruitment
2 The Press Gang
3 Other Methods of Recruiting

PART 6: SEAMEN AND LANDMEN
1 Seamen’s Conditions of Service
2 Seamen and Petty Officers
3 Landmen, Artificers and Servants
4 Mutiny and Desertion

PART 7: MARINES
1 Role and Organisation
2 Marines in Service
3 Marine Equipment and Uniform

PART 8: TECHNIQUES
1 Basic Seamanship
2 Ship Handling
3 Boat and Anchor Work
4 Gunnery and Fighting
5 Navigation
6 Disaster at Sea

PART 9: SHIPBOARD LIFE
1 The Organisation of the Crew
2 The Ship’s Day
3 The Necessities of Life
4 Rewards and Pleasures
5 Medicine and Health
6 Discipline

PART 10: DOCKYARDS AND BASES
1 The Work and Facilities of the Dockyards
2 The Dockyard Workforce
3 Home Anchorages and Naval Bases
4 Overseas Bases
5 The Victualling Organisation

PART 11: FLEETS
1 The Distribution of Fleets
2 Fleet Administration
3 Fleet Tactics
4 Signals

PART 12: THE SEAMAN’S WORLD
1 Winds and Currents
2 The Merchant Marine
3 Other Naval Services

PART 13: FOREIGN NAVIES
1 The French Navy
2 The Spanish Navy
3 The American Navy
4 Other Foreign Naval Forces

PART 14: TACTICS
1 Fighting Tactics
2 Blockade
3 Convoys and Cruisers
4 Amphibious Operations
5 Victory and Defeat

Afterword
Appendices
Sources
Index

About the Author

Brian Lavery is one of Britain's leading naval historians and a prolific author. A Curator Emeritus at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, and a renowned expert on the sailing navy and the Royal Navy, in 2007 he won the prestigious Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award. His naval writing was further honoured in 2008 with the Society of Nautical Research's Anderson Medal. His recent titles include Ship (2006), Royal Tars (2010), Conquest of the Ocean (2013), In Which They Served (2008), Churchill's Navy (2006), and the Sunday Times bestseller Empire of the Seas (2010).