Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century

The Art of Sailing Warfare
Erscheinungsjahr 2008
ISBN: 978-1-84383-367-3
Verlag: Boydell & Brewer

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Print PDF, Format (B × H): 167 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 762 g

Naval warfare is vividly brought to life, from first contact through how battles were won and lost to damage repair.

Our understanding of warfare at sea in the eighteenth century has always been divorced from the practical realities of fighting at sea under sail; our knowledge of tactics is largely based upon the ideas of contemporary theorists[rather than practitioners] who knew little of the realities of sailing warfare, and our knowledge of command is similarly flawed. In this book the author presents new evidence from contemporary sources that overturns many old assumptions and introduces a host of new ideas. In a series of thematic chapters, following the rough chronology of a sea fight from initial contact to damage repair, the author offers a dramatic interpretation of fighting at sea inthe eighteenth century, and explains in greater depth than ever before how and why sea battles (including Trafalgar) were won and lost in the great Age of Sail. He explains in detail how two ships or fleets identified each other to be enemies; how and why they manoeuvred for battle; how a commander communicated his ideas, and how and why his subordinates acted in the way that they did.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Willis, Sam

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Geschichtliche Themen Militärgeschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Sozialwissenschaften Politikwissenschaft Militärwesen Verwaltung, Streitkräfte (Militärwesen)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction
Contact
Chase and Escape I: Speed and Performance
Chase and Escape II: The Tactics of Chasing
Station Keeping
Communication
Unwritten Rules
Command
The Weather Gage
Fleet Tactics
Fighting Tactics
Damage
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Willis, Sam
DR SAM WILLIS is one of the UK's best-known historians. He has written more than twenty books, many on maritime and naval history, and presented more than ten multi-part history documentaries for the BBC and National Geographic including the BBC's The Silk Road which has been viewed by tens of millions worldwide.