Book on History of the Royal Navy
To Rule the Waves : How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World
"Herman leads us through the development of the British navy and shows how it promoted trade, nurtured colonies and dealt with such opponents as Spain, Holland, France and Germany in defending England and its globe-girdling empire. Crucial, of course, are accounts of prime movers -- from the navy's founders and early heroes (like John Hawkins and Francis Drake) to Samuel Pepys, George Anson and others who shaped and reorganized the institution and its funding. Herman vividly depicts the legendary Horatio Nelson in battle and in death, but also portrays James, Duke of York (the future James II) as an effective Lord Admiral and courageous tactical commander battling the Dutch in 1665, at one point being "bathed in blood and knocked to the deck by a severed head." Then there's Jack Fisher, who navigated Britain's navy into the modern age with revolutionary Dreadnought-class battleships, centralized fire control, torpedoes and submarines."
By Arthur Herman HARPERCOLLINS; 648 Pages; $26.95
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History of the Royal Navy