A Brief History of Fighting Ships: Ships of the Line and Napoleonic sea battles, 1793–1815 (Brief Histories) - Softcover

An excellent book . . . action packed with many of the great sea battles that form such an important part of the nation's history . . . clearly and simply written. [Davies'] descriptions of the work of those on the gun decks is admirable and leaves no room for regarding life in a battle as anything other than imensely frightening, dangerous and difficult.

(The Nautical Magazine)

David Davies' treatment of the Napoleonic Wars considers aspects often given scant attention by many orthodox academic accounts.

(Lloyds List)

Intelligently written and informative enough to warrant a place on even the most landlocked bookcase.

(First Empire)

From 1793 to 1815 were the years of the Napoleonic wars - a period of change and upheaval comparable to the world wars of the twentieth century. This is the story of one of the keys to that great conflict, the Ship of the Line - the beautiful but deadly battleships that waged the war at sea. There are accounts of the ships, their construction and armaments, the daily life of the men, and the problems faced by commanders, in battles that include the Glorious First of June, Camperdown, the Battle of the Nile, and of course Trafalgar.