Monthly Archives: February 2009
Characters and Cultural References from Sea of Grey
The list of ships, characters, and cultural references from Dewey Lambdin’s Alan Lewrie novel, Sea of Grey is available at scribd.com.
Filed under Age of Sail, Alan Lewrie Novels, Naval Fiction
Introducing the Carronade: The Range Myth
In Nelson’s Navy, Brian Lavery makes an interesting observation. Contra what we read in naval fiction set during the Age of Sail, or even what some contemporaneous writers assert, the range of the carronade was not significantly inferior to the … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons
USS Vixen and HMS Southampton
On the morning of October 22, 1812 the USS Vixen, a brig armed with twelve 18-pound carronades, departed its base at St Mary’s, Georgia, for a 30-day cruise raiding British commerce in the Caribbean. Vixen was commanded by 32 year … Continue reading
“A night with Venus, a lifetime with Mercury”
The sailor during the Age of Sail rather epitomized the concept of “work hard, play hard.” When at sea, he could be called on deck at all hours in all weather to set or reef sail. When in port and … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Fiction, Naval Life, Naval Medicine
Black Strap and Miss Taylor
Novelists are generally just that. Novelists. That’s not a criticism but an observation. With the rare exception of a writer like Dudley Pope who had developed some chops as a writer of nonfiction, most novelists rely on a handful of … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Fiction, naval food, Naval Life
Captain Sir Henry Trollope
Sir Henry Trollope was the son of the Reverend John Trollope of Bucklebury, Berkshire. He was born on Apri 20, 1756. His father was a younger brother of the minor nobility and had the family connections to get Henry posted … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Biography
Making Virtue of Necessity
Let’s face it. When it comes to nautical fiction we are all Anglophiles. The major fictional heroes of the Age of Sail are British. Alexander Kent is probably one of the few authors who have managed to sell books in … Continue reading
HMS Glatton Takes On All Comers
We’ve observed on several occasions that many of the incidents in novels set during the Age of Sail are heavily influenced by actual events. In most cases, the novel’s protagonist expands on the accomplishments of the actual character. In Ramages’s … Continue reading
Introducing the Carronade: All Carronades All the Time
In the aftermath of Nymphe’s being taken by Flora, the Navy Board quickly became enamored of the carronade and the weapon’s effectiveness in combat had silenced naysayers. By January 1781, 604 carronades were mounted on 429 ships. This is probably … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Equipment, Naval Gunnery, Naval Weapons, single ship actions
