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(More customer reviews)I gave this book 5 stars because Amazon doesn't have a 6-star rating. "Nelson's Ships: A History of the Vessels In Which He Served, 1771-1805" is a strong contender for the top spot on my list of favorite nautical history reference books, and on my bookshelves stands a goodly number of competitors. Peter Goodwin, the Keep and Curator of HMS Visitor - surely a dream job for any Age of Fighting Sail enthusiast - has written several other naval history reference books. His "The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War, 1650-1850" is a minutely detailed study of just how these marvels of contemporary technology were built. His contributions to the "Anatomy of the Ship" series seemingly make note of every timber, trennal, and bolt used to construct the vessels described. With "Nelson's Ships" I expected something of the same, a close study of Nelson's various vessels as physical artifacts, complex objects built of wood and iron and copper, rigged out with rope and sailcloth. But Peter Goodwin's new book is far, far more than that. In examining the vessels in which Nelson served, Goodwin has produced a remarkably comprehensive look at the Royal Navy itself during Nelson's era.
Twenty-five vessels ranging in size from the little armed brig Badger, Nelson's first command, to the huge first-rates HMS Victory and the captured Spanish ship-of-the-line San Josef are each awarded a lengthy chapter in Goodwin's book. Deck and hull plans are usually presented, along with enough illustrations so that the vessel described becomes real in the reader's eye. But, Goodwin's scope extends far beyond the physical fabric of these vessels. A history of each is presented from launch to ultimate fate, not only confined to the period when Nelson was aboard as midshipman, junior officer, captain, or admiral. Every commanding officer throughout a vessel's service is listed, usually together with the refit history of the ship, showing the frequent repairs and rebuilds which were an integral part of any wooden vessel's existence. Goodwin has drawn from the ships' logbooks a wealth of detail about life aboard each ship, experiences during battles and during peacetime. Punishment lists show, for example, that aboard Victory on August 4, 1804, John Brown, John Hind, Simon Moon, William Cobourne, and Edward Flynn received between 13 and 36 lashes for drunkenness, while John Wells got 48 for disobedience of orders and neglect of duty. We learn that on September 14, 1778, HMS Janus expended one puncheon and one hogshead of beer (or 126 gallons). We find that, among other things, HMS Vanguard received aboard on Thursday, August 4, 1808, 51 feet of 3-inch oak plank, 4000 ball cartridges for muskets, 339 fathoms of rope for signal halyards, and 46 thimbles for sewing. On January 1, 1779, Nelson wrote in the log of HMS Badger: "Moderate and clear Weather, received my Commission and superseded Captain Michael John Everitt in Command of Badger, went on board and read Ditto to the Ships Company. People employed occasionally." Through this kaleidoscopic recounting of ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary) experience, the ships and the officers and men aboard them are breathed into life.
Through this rich detail, Goodwin constructs a portrait of the Royal Navy, its ships, its duties, and its officers and men during the era when it rose to dominate the world's oceans. By concentrating upon a representative sample of warships, a true picture of the greater whole is drawn. Goodwin rejects the popular and out-dated view of life in the Royal Navy of the time as being one of horror, misery, and oppression. Instead, he demonstrates that the seamen were well fed (within limits of what could be preserved aboard ship) with between 4000 and 5000 calories a day to support their heavy labors and that they were in general proud professionals.
I consider Peter Goodwin's "Nelson's Ships" to be an ideal complement to Brian Lavery's "Nelson's Navy". While Lavery provides a thorough structural description of the Royal Navy circa 1800, its institutions, missions, and practices, Goodwin's book presents vivid, specific detail to flesh out that structure. And I would add one more book to make an ideal trilogy: James McGuane's "Heart of Oak" with its marvelous photographs of the implements and objects of everyday life at sea. Those three books together form an incomparable portrait of the Royal Navy in the Age of Fighting Sail.
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This exciting new volume presents every ship in which Nelson served, in full detail, for the first time. Following a comprehensive background of each vessel, including the actions in which it participated, each ship's construction details and costs will be explored alongside any modifications that were made. The incidents that occurred while Nelson was on board each ship reveal an abridged version of his career and offer both the enthusiast and general reader an insight into the man himself. Fully researched and developed by one of the most well-known and respected Nelson historians, and heavily illustrated in part by Geoff Hunt, jacket artist for the popular Patrick O'Brien series, this will be an invaluable work for both the academic and enthusiast alike.
