Murder in the Dockyard
In the old naval dockyard at English Harbour, Antigua there used to be an anchor that was known locally as “Peterson’s Anchor”. It was...
Steering
Mankind first took to the sea in ships over five thousand years ago, during the Bronze Age. In Ancient Egypt, sailing vessels of up to...
The mighty Tonnant
Towards the end of the 1780s, the talented French shipwright Jacques-Noël Sané was putting the finishing touches to his latest design. It...
The Aftermath of Trafalgar
It is one of history’s great scenes. Nelson, the heroic leader, struck down at the moment of his greatest triumph. The Battle of...
A man named Sandwich
John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich was one of the most controversial heads that the Royal Navy has had. A career politician with no...
Parrots
Parrots and sailors are inextricably linked in most people’s view of the Age of Sail. This combination has been assisted by many works of...
How ‘Glorious’ was the Glorious First of June?
In 1794, the fledgling French Republic stood on the brink of starvation. Paris was in the grip of the Terror, and her leadership was...
The Foundering of the Ramillies
Rear Admiral Thomas Graves, or “Admiral Tombstone” as his sailors called him, had a reputation in the Royal Navy as an unlucky commander....
James Lind and the cure for scurvy
When George Anson left Britain in 1740 on his expedition to the Pacific, he took 1,854 men with him. He captured the most valuable...
Boatswains
Boatswains have long been part of the crew of sailing ships. The word is old, coming from the Middle English bote-swayn, meaning one who...
