A Frigate of King George: Life and Duty on a British Man-of-War [Hardcover]

Brian Vale (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2001 | ISBN-10: 1860646549 | ISBN-13: 978-1860646546

What was life really like on a wooden warship? Brian Vale takes a look at life on board the 42-gun frigate HMS Doris, from Bombay in 1807 to Valparaiso in 1829. This intriguing account of life on board concentrates on the ship's service under Sir Thomas Hardy as she protected British interests during the stormy years of South American Independence. Vale vividly examines recruitment, desertions, food, drink, disease, sex, flogging, and death. He enthusiastically details the operations in Brazil, Chile, and Peru from a military and a political angle, as well as from the perspective of sailors.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

This feast for nautomaniacs chronicles HMS Doris, a British frigate built in Bombay in 1807 and scrapped in Valparaiso, Chile, in 1829. Doris traveled far and wide on many lawful occasions, but Vale focuses on a four-year commission, from 1821 to 1825, on the South American station. All the health lessons of the Napoleonic Wars had been reasonably well learned, and diseases claimed few of the crew; but accidents, desertion, and disgruntlement with the naval service did their work. Doris survived captains who used the lash freely and others who used it sparingly, minor scandals and major blunders in handling money and promotions (two commodities that usually went to men who combined "interest" and serious practical experience), difficulties obtaining supplies, and all the headaches of what would now be called "peacekeeping" in a Latin America in revolt against Spain and actively assisted by many British officers and seamen. A serious, seriously irresistible addition to the literature of the classic era of sailing warfare. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"...an interesting picture of one ship in the post-war navy..."--Paul Webb, Albion
"...An excellent book, which combines naval authority with literary elegance."--Lawrence Phillips, The Ships Telegraph
". . . It is on the whole easy to read; unlike some books.. . . "--Anne Gwynn, Marie Stuart Society Journal
"A serious, seriously irresistible addition to the literature of the classic era of sailing warfare." -- Booklist
"valuable and very readable book"
-Sea History

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (August 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1860646549
• ISBN-13: 978-1860646546
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,773,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent insight into the British Navy, post Nelson, April 7, 2011

By 

A. J. Bond "A J Bond" (East Sussex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Frigate of King George: Life and Duty on a British Man-of-War (Hardcover)

Well written and researched, this book gives a tantalising glimpse into the life of one ship, her officers and men, during the late Georgian period. I read it just after "HMS Brilliant", a similar book, about a similar ship, although nearly two hundred years later. The contrast in the R.N of old and a more modern force was very apparent.