Excerpt from Sailor Life on Man of War and Merchant Vessel In accordance with this idea, when some two years ago the writer of these pages returned home, after an absence of nine years at sea, he was considered by the young folks a fit subject to levy upon for a story. But, unluckily, yarns are not ever ready on demand, at beck and nod. It requires various peculiarities in the surroundings, certain favoring circumstances as to time and place, to draw out your real old tar. Let the gale blow, and the good ship plough deeply through the rugged seas, as he lies snugly ensconced under his huge pea-jacket, protected by stout bulwarks from the cold blast and drenching spray, with the bright stars look ing kindly down upon him, and you may be sure of a yarn. There is somewhat suggestive in the scene, and the memories of other times come freely to him, as though driven back on the breeze which roars through the rigging overhead. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Originally published in 1857, this book offers a vivid and engaging portrait of life at sea, as experienced by a young sailor on both naval and merchant ships. Nordhoff draws on his own experiences to describe the routines and challenges of seafaring life, as well as the camaraderie, conflict, and adventure that characterized it. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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Beginning with a gripping account of one of the most decisive naval battles in history-the 1905 battle of Tsushima between the Japanese and Russians-and ending with the sophisticated missile engagements of the Falklands and in the Persian Gulf, naval historian Ronald Spector explores every facet of the past one hundred years of naval warfare. Drawing from more than one hundred diaries, memoirs, letters, and interviews, this is, above all, a masterful narrative of the human side of combat at sea-real stories told from the point of view of the sailors who experienced it. Exhaustively researched and fascinating in detail, At War at Sea is a monumental history of the men, the ships, and the battles fought on the high seas. "Superb . . . Spector's account provides evocative and fresh perspectives on cultures, technologies and innovations that influenced sailors' lives and shaped naval warfare." (The San Diego Union-Tribune) "Monumental . . . Many books have recorded the history of the United States Navy, but few have meshed that history with that of all other major navies-an unusual comparative technique that brings into often startling relief the virtues and flaws of our own navy." (The Washington Post)"

British naval engagement in Mediterranean during the World War.