The Lighthouse at the edge of the World
Lighthouses are often built in remote locations. In some ways this comes with the territory, given their purpose of warning ships that...
Press Gangs
The press gang is deeply imbedded in our perception of the 18th century Royal Navy. The popular view is of warships, ever hungry for...
The Battle of the Texel
In the autumn of 1794, the resurgent French Republic was on the march. The royal family had been executed, various attacks on France had...
The Curious Tale of William Adams, the Samurai Sailor
In the early 1980s a novel by James Clavell called ‘Shogun’ gripped the Western World. The book sold in millions, and awoke considerable...
The Galleys' Last Hurrah - The Battle of Lepanto
In the 16th century the Ottoman Empire was on the march. Having established rule over almost all of North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey...
Naval Surgeons
Age of sail ships were utterly reliant on the health and strength of their crews. Before the introduction of steam winches in the 19th...
The Lighthouse Stevensons
Robert Louis Stevenson, writer, traveller and creator of some of literature’s most enduring tales, was a crashing disappointment to his...
The Royal George
On a cold, blustery February day in 1756, large crowds gathered on both sides of the River Thames at Woolwich to witness the launch of...
The Cutting Out of the L’Utile
Captain James McNamara was known as one of the Royal Navy’s best fighting captains. Born into a naval family from County Clare on the...
Mermaids
Of all the myths and legends of the sea, mermaids are amongst the most persistent. Almost as soon as humans started to sail in ships...
