N.A.M. Rodger’s
The Command of the Ocean, the second part of his naval history trilogy that began with
The Safeguard of the Sea, describes Britain’s rise to naval greatness during the period 1649-1815 when she finally gained sovereignty of the seas around the British Isles. It ably demonstrates the importance of naval history to the life of government and the nation; links naval history with political, social, economic, diplomatic, administrative, medical and religious history and charts the naval histories of Britain's enemies and neighbours including France, Holland, Spain, Denmark and the United States.
Have no doubt, this is a brilliant piece of scholarship, cleverly organized and wonderfully written. Given the promising subject matter of naval warfare to work with it is not surprising that an historian with literary flair can produce a gripping narrative. Perhaps what is surprising is that half the book is devoted to the seemingly mundane background of naval history--how the Navy was managed, financed, directed, and supplied with materials, how the men were fed and so on--rather than the showy foreground, yet it remains a deeply engrossing read throughout. The secret of Rodger’s success is not just down to the cracking narrative and fine scholarship but partly to the way he has organized his material.
The main body of the book is arranged into four parallel streams: policy, strategy and naval operations; finance, administration and logistics; social history; and finally the tools of sea-power, ships and weapons. These four themes are broken up into thirty six relatively small chapters each covering a certain time span. Constructing the book in this way has certain practical advantages for the reader. Most importantly, separating the key themes and alternating between them keeps the narrative fresh and interesting while giving the reader the best chance of taking on board the who, what, where, when, how and why of things without losing either the sense of continuity or one’s bearings. Over 100 pages of information are left outside the main body of the text: the front of the book contains several maps, a useful chart listing dates, battles and the names of the ships involved while the back contains an English glossary, a general chronology and appendixes on ships, fleets, rates of pay, Admirals and officials, manpower and naval finance. Rodger's choice of structure along with his great story-telling abilities means we can assimilate the maximum amount of information with a minimal degree of effort while being thoroughly entertained along the way. On the whole The Command of the Ocean is one those rare specimens that will simultaneously stimulate the specialist and greatly please the general reader.
Contents:
List of Illustrations
Foreword
A Note on Conventions
Maps
Introduction
1. A Mountain of Iron (Operations 1649-1654)
2. Cromwell's Hooves (Operations 1654-1659)
3. A Looking-Glass of Calamity (Administration 1649-1660)
4. The Melody of Experienced Saints (Social History 1649-1660)
5. Terrible, Obstinate and Bloody Battle (Operations 1660-1668)
6. Protestant Liberty (Operations 11668-1687)
7. Amazement and Discontent (Administration 1660-1688)
8. Learning and Doing and Suffering (Social History 1660-1688)
9. Mad Proceedings (Operations 1688-1692)
10. Notorious and Treacherous Mismanagement (Operations 1693-1700)
11. An Additional Empire (Operations 1701-1714)
12. Strife and Envy (Administration 1689-1714)
13. Our Mob (Social History 1689-1714)
14. Great Frigates (Ships 1649-1714)
15. Pride and Prejudice (Operations 1715-1744)
16. A Strong Squadron in Soundings (Operations 1744-1748)
17. A Scandal to the Navy (Operations 1749-1758)
18. Myths Made Real (Operations 1758-1763)
19. The Great Wheels of Commerce and War (Administration 1715-1763)
20. Disagreeable Necessities (Social History 1715-1763)
21. The Battle of the Legislature (Operations 1763-1779)
22. Distant Waters (Operations 1780-1792)
23. The British Lion Has Claws (Operations 1784-1792)
24. Plans of Improvement (Administration 1763-1792)
25. A Golden Chain or a Wooden Leg (Social History 1763-1792: Officers)
26. Dividing and Quartering (Social History 1763-1792: Men and Manning)
27. Science versus Technology (Ships 1714-1815)
28. Order and Anarchy (Operations 1793-1797)
29. Infinite Honour (Social History 1793-1802: Men and Manning)
30. The Second Coalition (Operations 1797-1801)
31. A Great and Virtuous Character (Administration 1793-1815)
32. A Thinking Set of People (Social History 1803-1815: Men and Manning)
33. Honour and Salt Beef (Social History 1793-1815: Officers)
34. Gain and Loss (Operations 1803-1805)
35. A Continental System (Operations 1806-1811)
36. No Greater Obligations (Operations 1812-1815)
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Chronology
Appendix 2: Ships
Appendix 3: Fleets
Appendix 4: Rates of Pay
Appendix 5: Admirals and Officers
Appendix 6: Manpower
Appendix 7: Naval Finance
References
English Glossary
Foreign Glossary
Abbreviations
Bibliography
Index
Review:'I am not an historian but I found this meticulously researched book very readable. It puts the Naval history in its context and is written in a clear and enjoyable style. Despite this there is an enormous amount of detailed research in the appendices. I look forward to the next volume'. - Reviewer, Amazon.co.uk
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