The new Hanoverian dynasty that came to power with the accession of George I in 1714 inherited the largest navy in the world. In the course of the century; this force would see a vast amount of action against nearly every major navy; reaching a pinnacle of success in the Seven Years War only to taste defeat in the American Revolutionary struggle; when it faced the combined navies of France; Spain; the Netherlands; and the rebellious colonies themselves. Considering the contribution to history of these ships; there is surprisingly little readily available on their careers. Now this gap is comprehensively filled by this superb reference book; outlining the service history of every ship; built; purchased or captured; that fought for the Royal Navy in the great wars of the eighteenth century - well over 2000 vessels.The book is organized by Rate; classification and class; with outline technical and building data; but followed by a concise summary of the careers of each ship in every class. This includes commissioning dates; refit periods; changes of captain; the stations where they served (and when); as well as details of any noteworthy actions in which they took part.It will enable anyone to follow up a casual reference to any warship; and will provide the researcher with a solid core of information on which to base further study. With nothing remotely like it in print; this is a work of the utmost importance to every naval historian and general reader interested in the navy of the sailing era.
#794004 in Books Morrissey; Brendan/ Hook; Adam (ILT) 2004-05-25 2004-05-25Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 250.95 x .23 x 7.24l; .69 #File Name: 184176772796 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very confusingBy James M. StoneThis book was pretty straight forward until the Battle started. After that it just totally lost me. I read the battle account very slowly and tried to piece together what happened at Monmouth; but I can't do it reading this. Maybe Monmouth is just a really confusing battle. Lee's attack seems to amount to troops running around Helter Skelter with no one having a clue what is going on. Good luck reading this and trying to put the troops on today's landscape. I guess I can understand why the soundbite for Monmouth becomes the story of Molly Pitcher or the Lee/Washington confrontation. The casual reader simply wouldn't be able to understand the battle. I was at the visitors center at Monmouth Battlefield and people would push the button for the narrative on the diorama and then walk away before the program was even half done. People don't get it. Neither do I.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great BookBy Train027Excellent. Comprehensive; enjoyable read. A comprehensive history of the battle and profiles of the leaders and men who fought it.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy billamericans should recognixe the victory here and the genius of washington
