August 2023
The Heroic Schooner Betsey 1805
THE EPIC OF THE SCHOONER BETSEY, 1805 Some time ago I came across a book – undated, but clearly late 19th Century – entitled “Thrilling Narratives [...]
HMS Hector 1782
HMS Hector 1782 – an epic of leadership and survival Inman in later years Captain Henry Inman (1762 –1809), a noted frigate commander who was in overall command [...]
July 2023
Routine on a Royal Navy warship, late-19th Century
Routine on a Royal Navy warship, late-19th Century When one is interested in the navies of the late 19th Century, and especially when writing naval fiction [...]
A splendid restoration – China’s Zhongshan Gunboat
China’s Zhongshan Gunboat – a splendid restoration I was in Singapore in 2014 and on my way from the airport to the hotel I saw a large banner-like [...]
June 2023
Captain Death of the Privateer Terrible
Captain Death of the Privateer Terrible, 1756 For the commander of a privateer to be named “Captain Death” seems over-theatrical, especially as his ship was called [...]
The French Navy’s Iéna and Liberté Disasters, 1907 & 1911
The French Navy's Iéna and Liberté Disasters, 1907 & 1911 In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries all major navies, other than the German, lost [...]