Between 1793 and 1815 two decades of unrelenting naval warfare raised the sailing man of war to the zenith of its effectiveness as a weapon of war. Every significant sea power was involved in this conflict, and at some point virtually all of them were arrayed against Great Britain. A large number of enemy warships were captured in battle and the Admiralty ordered accurate drafts to be made of many of these prizes. Consequently, ships from the navies of France, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, as well as from Britain, were illustrated by an unprecedented variety of paintings, drawings, models or plans.

For every naval officer, in fiction or reality, the frigate was the ideal and much sought-after command. As dashing as a modern destroyer, the frigate offered the excitement of independent service, and the prospect of glorious single-ship engagements as well as a possible fortune to be made in prize money. Their actions have been the stuff of history and sea fiction for generations, but the ships themselves are hardly documented at all. This book seeks to redress the balance and describe the design, construction, armament and fitting of individual classes; to look at the factors that influenced their development, and to analyse the way in which frigates were employed in the many roles they were expected to perform.

A naval history of the ships and personalities of the Nelson period. The sources used include accounts of the Napoleonic Wars, ships' logs, Admiralty documents, private and official reports, letters and contemporary descriptions.

Three times during the 17th century, England and Holland went to war as part of an ongoing struggle for economic and naval supremacy. Primarily fought in the cold waters of the North Sea and the English Channel, the wars proved revolutionary in their impact upon warship design, armament, and naval tactics. During this time, the warship evolved into the true ship-of-the-line that would dominate naval warfare until the advent of steam power. This book traces the development of these warships in the context of the three Anglo–Dutch wars.

The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars encompassed a period when rival European fleets vied for naval supremacy, and naval tactics were evolving. The British Royal Navy emerged triumphant as the leading world sea power, and the epitome of Britannic naval strength was the Ship-of-the-Line. These 'wooden walls' were more than merely floating gun batteries: they contained a crew of up to 800 men, and often had to remain at sea for extended periods. This book offers detailed coverage of the complex vessels that were the largest man-made structures produced in the pre-Industrial era.