Skipjack: The Story of America’s Last Sailing Oystermen by Christopher White – A Review

A review by Steven Toby, written for the Maritime History Listserv, included here with his kind permission.  Sounds like a fascinating book. Skipjack: The Story of America’s Last Sailing Oystermen by Christopher White is an excellent book on the last commercial fishing craft … Continue reading

Unlocking the bloody history of the ship made famous by Turner, the Fighting Temeraire

Sam Willis has written what appears to be a fascinating book – Fighting Temeraire. J.M.W. Turner’s painting, The Fighting Temeraire Tugged to her Last Berth to be Broken Up,  hangs in the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square and was recently … Continue reading

The Frigate Surprise: The Complete Story of the Ship Made Famous in the Novels of Patrick O’Brian, by Brian Lavery

In his Aubrey/Maturin series, Patrick O’Brian wrote of HMS Surprise, a small British frigate, originally captured from the French. Over several books, the Surprise became almost as beloved a character, in her own way, as Jack Aubrey and Doctor Maturin … Continue reading