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A young captain Nathaniel Drinkwater is given command of an old Ship, the Virago, to be sent to the Baltic as a bomb vessel. Drinkwater's ambition is to turn it back into a fighting ship, but his plans are thwarted. At the same time, Drinkwater's brother appeals for help in his desperate attempt to escape the gallows. As Sir Hyde Parker's fleet approaches the Danish coast, the Virago joins the battle. Amid gales and ice, Drinkwater strives to save his ship and his brother. It is 1801 and show more napoleon is reaching supreme power in France and has allied himself with Tsar Paul of Russia. Against this hazardous backdrop, Drinkwater's actions in the complex and bloody battle of Copenhagen are crucial. show lessTags
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While there are several other story lines in this book, at heart it's an account of Nelson's April, 1801, assault on Copenhagen--and of Hyde Parker's shortcomings as a fleet admiral. Our protagonist, Nat Drinkwater, is (fairly literally) at the heart of the action, and has more contact with both admirals than seems plausible. It's a nicely done book.
This is the first of the Drinkwater novels where Woodman's "found his voice," as it were; while the earlier books were interesting and competently told, this one is more generally readable and the characters are more convincingly drawn. Well worth a read.
This review was also published on a dabbler's journal.
This is the first of the Drinkwater novels where Woodman's "found his voice," as it were; while the earlier books were interesting and competently told, this one is more generally readable and the characters are more convincingly drawn. Well worth a read.
This review was also published on a dabbler's journal.
This is the fourth of the chronicles which chart Nathaniel Drinkwater's career in the Royal Navy at the beginning of the 19th century
Apr 4, 2012Dutch
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92+ Works 2,490 Members
Richard Woodman was born in London. England in 1944. He became an indentured midshipman in cargo liners at the age of 16, which resulted in a 37 year nautical career. He became captain in 1980. He spent 11 years in command at sea, 6 years in operational management ashore, and is currently a Board Member of Trinity House, the authority responsible show more for navigational safety round the coast. He is a regular correspondent for the shipping newspaper Lloyd's List. He has written over 50 books, a mixture of fiction and maritime history. His fiction works include the Nathaniel Drinkwater series, A Kit Faulkner Naval Adventure series, and The William Kite Trilogy. He received several awards including the Desmond Wettern Maritime Media Award in 2001 for his journalism, the Society of Nautical Research's Anderson Medal in 2005 for three major studies of convoy operations in the Second World War, and the Marine Society's Thomas Gray Medal in 2010 for his five-volume history of the British Merchant Navy. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Bomb Vessel
- People/Characters
- Nathaniel Drinkwater
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- 104
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- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.19)
- Languages
- English, German
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 4
