This fourth novel in the classic, acclaimed Nathaniel Drinkwater naval adventure series is perfect for fans of Patrick O'Brian and C.S. Forester
It is 1801. Napoleon is reaching supreme power in France and has allied himself with Tsar Paul of Russia.
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.
But personal aims meet international war as, against the hazardous backdrop of Napoleon's onward march, Drinkwater's actions in the complex and bloody battle of Copenhagen become crucial.
Packed with exciting incident, worthy of wide appeal to those who love thrilling nautical encounters and the sea - Nautical magazine
This author has quietly stolen the weather-gauge from most of his rivals in the Hornblower stakes - Observer
Richard Woodman is well-known for his Nathaniel Drinkwater series of historical naval novels, a dozen other sea-stories, histories of the development of ships and works on sea-power during the Napoleonic Wars. He has also produced two widely acclaimed studies of convoys operations during the Second World War, Malta Convoys and Arctic Convoys.