Sea Battles in Close-Up: The Age of Nelson

by David Lyon

An account of the nature of naval warfare in the era of the sail and the personalities involved, covering many of the most significant naval actions of the second half of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Looks at organization and tactics of fighting at sea in the period, and then examines in detail major engagements including Quiberon Bay in 1759, the Nile in 1798, and Lissa in 1811. Also examined are single-ship actions and attempts to defeat the Barbary Corsairs. Includes a wealth of b&w photos and illustrations exploring theory and practice of naval combat of the period. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Genres: History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 1996

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, David Lyon addresses Naval Warfare in the Age of Nelson, giving the usual in depth treatment to Warfare under sail at its apex. The Royal Navy's ascent to world supremacy in this period may have started with Drake and the First Lord Cornwallis, but the time covered in these pages is the Glory days of the fleet- the era of broadsides, raking decks at angles, ships of the line described by their number of guns and decks, mortar ketches and still some oar-propelled vessels. Starting with Quiberon Bay in the Seven Years War, and passing through the Anglo-French war that the American Colonies exploited to gain their independence(sorry- the AWI was a side show to that Global conflict) , the book come into its own in describing battles like Aboukir Bay and or course Trafalgar in the Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars. Lyon keeps the focus on what happened and how- deferring the why to a lesser role, so one might feel like keeping another 1789-1815 History close at hand for the political underpinnings of some of these tussles.

This book is literally only tick tocks of each significant battle of the period, with a ton of pictures , maps and diagrams in support. He's very good about subtleties like wind direction and gun weights, so as to give the reader a better understanding of how these battles were fought. Anyone who's ever spent an afternoon ducking and re-arranging sails to maintain a course in a local sailboat will have a stronger appreciation for sailors trying to do that -whilst aiming guns along their sides for close combat. Add the shards of hot metal and large cannonballs flying in all directions, and primitive medical care, and you have a good idea of the carnage and mayhem described in this book. Using narrative, pictures of period items and art , and pictures of models of some of the combatant ships, Lyon takes you to the Captain's cabin and the gun decks in this history, really enlightening the reader about War under Sail.

With clear prose, few adult themes and little graphic casualty description, this is a good book for the motivated junior reader over about 12. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast- this is a great resource. The orders of battle alone will help with Diorama/Scenario development- and the Military enthusiast will have a lot of content to peruse. I think the most important thing to understand that the same style of ship and warfare works from about 1688-1840ish, when the Clippers and faster styles of sail and some steam began to make changes- so the Gamer/Modeller is learning about a real era in warfare. "Crossing the T" and "Breaking the Line of Battle" were once real tactics- not just phrases to be dropped in colourful speech. I think this book is a great addition to any Revolutionary /Napoleonic Wars, Royal Navy, Seven Years War or Early Colonial Period shelf in the library.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the Trafalgar chapter. The pictures were nice to look at.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling.

[Ed Boyno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must reading for any Patrick O'Brian fan.