Category Archives: The Rest of the Story
The Packet Service Scandal
I’ve noted at several places on this blog that a great many of the adventures of our favorite fictional naval officers are actually real incidents with some characters, sometimes not that many characters changed. Such is the case with Dudley … Continue reading
Filed under Lord Ramage Novels, The Rest of the Story
Captain Codrington vs The French Army
“Port a point. Steady!” The ship crept through the water; not a sound from the crew, standing tense at their guns — only the faint sweet music of the breeze in the rigging, and the lapping of the water overside. … Continue reading
HMS Speedy vs El Gamo
A quick perusal of this blog will show that I’ve shied away from writing much on major figures of the Age of Sail. While I have biographical entries on lesser known figures, like Sir Henry Duncan and Midshipman Flinders, there … Continue reading
French frigates: “confessedly weaker, are oftener in port…”
We often encounter references to the high esteem the British navy had for French men o’ war. In novels they are reputed to be faster and handier than their British counterparts and highly valued by the British navy and coveted … Continue reading
Filed under Age of Sail, Naval Architecture, The Rest of the Story
The Boats of HMS Galatea
On the morning of 21 January 1807 HMS Galatea (38), Captain George Sayer, was off the coast of Venezuela when she sighted a sail steering for Guaira near Caracas. Galatea put on more sail and as they closed, identified her … Continue reading
The Flight of Captain Essington
I’ve stated before that often the only task that writers of historical novels set during the Age of Sail have to undertake is to make minor modifications of actual incidents to generate great plots. We’ve shown how Dudley Pope benefited … Continue reading
Filed under Alan Lewrie Novels, Naval Fiction, Naval Life, The Rest of the Story
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
The Wreck of the HMS Swift
http://www.theargentimes.com/culture/history/hms-swift-gives-up-her-ghostly-treasure-/ Continue reading
…I have named her, Sir, after yourself,—the Undaunted
We’ve mentioned a few times that the writers of naval fiction set during the Age of Sail have an immense amount of material available to them that only needs minor adjustments to read as fiction. For instance, the HMS Cockerel, … Continue reading
