The wars against Napoleonic France and Spain in the early years of the nineteenth century have long fascinated historians and casual readers who are enchanted by the colour and romance of those incredible times. No aspect of the period has generated more interest and enthusiasm than the war at sea-fought between great naval commanders whose names from reverberated through time and who stood upon the decks of equally famous ships of the line in heroic battles. Here are the true life events that so inspired C. S. Forrester-and those who later followed his tradition of naval adventures to appeal to a new and enthusiastic audience. However, nothing in fiction is more remarkable than the actual events related in this book. Here are the true stories of the Victory, the Temeraire, the Orient and many other iconic vessels, and their famous and inspiring feats of naval warfare at Copenhagen, the Nile, Cadiz, Trafalgar and many other battles that helped shape the modern world.