This book follows the history of the original six frigates of the US navy through the first few decades of their existence. It's an extremely well-written book (although a few repetitions slip in about halfway through) and a fascinating read for anyone interested in naval history. My only real complaint is that there are many era-of-sail terms used without adequate explanation. Many of these can be puzzled out from context, but it still makes the book a little more confusing than it needs to be.