By the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, Britain was the undisputed master of the seas, owing to the power and strength of the Royal Navy. Its fleets, comprising ships of the line, frigates, and gunboats, had doubled in size since the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars in 1793, totalling almost a thousand capital vessels. This book examines the commanders, men, and ships of the Royal Navy during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, and discusses the Navy's command structure (from the Admiralty down to ship level) and its organisation at sea. The tactics employed in action by a fleet, squadron, and individual ship, respectively are also discussed, as are the medical services providing a fascinating insight into the navy that ruled the waves.

Author Biography

Gregory Fremont-Barnes holds a doctorate in Modern History from Oxford University. He is the author of The French Revolutionary Wars, The Peninsular War, The Fall of the French Empire, 1813-1815 and The Boer War, 1899-1902. He is currently editing a four-volume Encyclopedia of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and co-editing a five-volume Encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War. The author lives in Radley, UK.