The poignant painting of Temeraire by Turner illustrates much of what this book is about. It was however an age of steam, the Navy had steamers, though as yet no iron ones. The commission was top secret, which was apt, as these secret weapons were destined for the great imperial private enterprise that was colonising vast swathes of the East. Though often mistaken for a Royal Navy HMS she was actually was built as one of a batch of iron hulled steam warships privately ordered for the EIC (East India Company). Most usually seen in the marvellous depiction of her trial by fire at Chuenpee by Duncan which adorns the cover. Nemesis is a famous ship, at least if you know anything about the Opium (or China Wars). Not unlike David Cordingly’s treatment of HMS Bellerophon, it charts the illustrious career of the first iron hulled war steamer, a revolution in naval warfare at that date This however is not the story of men and their ships, this is the story of a ship and her men. Nemesis: The First Iron Warship and Her Worldįrom Homer right down to C.S Forester and Patrick O’Brian authors have turned to the isolated world of ships, as vehicles to tell a story, and in Nemesis all the elements are there. And the rest of the world please order via NUS Press Singapore. Readers in Europe can buy the book via the History Press. The secret weapon that changed Naval Warfare, Nemisis is a splendid evocation of the wild East during the crossover from sail to steam.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |