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Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men, And Organization, 1793-1815

First published in 1990, this encyclopedic yet highly readable work gives an indepth description of the Royal Navy in Lord Nelson's time. Filled with over four hundred illustrations, the book is divided into fourteen sections that deal with the design and construction of ships, the navy's administration, and life at sea. Other topics include shiphandling and navigation, gunnery techniques and fighting tactics, and a discussion of foreign navies of the day. Nelson's Navy is an important source book for the naval historian, a valuable reference for the enthusiast, and a revelation to the general reader.

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: US Naval Institute Press (February 14, 2000)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0870212583

ISBN-13: 978-0870212581

Product Dimensions: 12 x 10.2 x 1.1 inches

Shipping Weight: 4 pounds

Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #1,049,111 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #258 in Books > History > Military > Napoleonic Wars #2564 in Books > History > Military > Naval

This is the best book I have ever encountered for this topic. It has something about everything. If you don't want a guide to all the parts, skip down to ***. Part I shows the background and is very useful to someone who doesn't know about it already. Part II is about the ships themselves. It's extremely informative and has many illustrations showing profiles of ships, from First Rates to unrated vessels. It talks about the fundamentals of ship design and the individual kinds of ships. Part III is entitled, "Ship Building and Fitting." It is divided into four subtitles: Ship Construction; Fitting of Ships; Masts, Sails and Rigging; and Armament. Each provides extensive details in its respective subject. Part IV is about the officers. It begins with telling about midshipmen (trainee officers) and their progress to the examination for lieutenant. Then the author tells us about the commisioned (or "sea") officers, telling us about the different ranks, "from lieutenant to admiral of the fleet", as he puts it. In this section, he also tells us about shore duties, half-pay, and retirement. He next discusses the warrant officers (who include the master, surgeon, purser, chaplain, boatswain , carpenter, gunner, and schoolmaster) and their duties and pay. The next subtitle is "Officers' Living Conditions," and it talks about uniforms very specificly from 1795-1814, but rather vaguely at other dates; decorations; swords; cabins; and victuals. The final subtitle for this book is about ship administration, and covers: the captain's responsibilities to raise a crew, keep a log, and turn in 25 forms to the admiralty; the purser's position; shipboard communication; and prize money.

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