Warfare on the Mediterranean in the Age of Sail: A History, 1571-1866

by David S.T. Blackmore

Overview

Between the last battle fought entirely under oars in 1571 and the first fought entirely under steam in 1866, naval warfare in the Middle Seas and adjacent Atlantic waters was dominated by the sailing warship. This exploration of that distinct period in military history begins with an overview of the galley warfare that dominated the Mediterranean for millennia and a discussion of the technological developments, including the sail and the cannon, which led to the galley's demise. Subsequent chapters discuss the role of sailing ships in every major conflict on the Mediterranean from the 16th century Eighty Years War to the late 19th century Austro-Prussian-Italian War. In addition to the major battles, the book also highlights smaller encounters between single ships or light squadrons, important conflicts often overlooked in naval histories.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786447992
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	04/08/2011
Pages:	402
Product dimensions:	6.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

David S.T. Blackmore is a veteran of the Merchant and Royal Navies. He lives in Toronto, and is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and Canada.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Foreword Vice Admiral J. A. Baldwin 1

Preface 3

Introduction 5

Part 1 Muscle Power Slowly Yields to Sail

1 Naval Developments in the 13th to 15th Centuries 33

2 The Advent of Sail and Cannon (1258-1538) 41

3 Naval Developments in the 15th to 17th Centuties 50

4 Swan Song of the Galley (1571-72) 55

Part 2 The Early Days of Sailing Warfare

5 Naval Developments in the Age of Sail 63

6 From Lepanto to 1645 77

7 Wars and Rumors of War (1646-1674) 86

8 European Power Struggles (1675-1699) 97

9 The War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714) 106

10 Struggles for Maritime Supremacy (1716-1744) 118

11 The Seven Years' War (1755-1783) 125

12 Gibraltar Under Siege (1779-1783) 135

13 Russians and Neapolitans (1783-1791) 142

Part 3 The Golden Age of Fighting Sail Begins

14 Upheaval in France (1793-1794) 151

15 French Revolutionary War (1795-1796) 161

16 Nelson and Napoléon (1796-1798) 172

17 Nelson and Brueys Play Hide-and-Seek (1798) 182

18 After the Nile (1798-1799) 191

19 Nelson's Fallibility (1799) 200

20 Sequel to the Nile (1800) 209

Part 4 Sailing Battles Great and Small

21 1801 to the Peace of Amiens in 1802 217

22 The Corsairs of North Africa (1800-1803) 228

23 The Trafalgar Campaign (1805) 238

24 Russians and Ottomans (1806-1809) 252

25 Small Ship and Littoral Operations (1807-1810) 262

26 Small Ship and Littoral Operations (1810-1813) 271

27 The Demise of Napoleon's Empire (1812-1815) 281

28 The Corsairs of North Africa (1812-1827) 289

Part 5 Transition from Sail to Power

29 Naval Developments in the Early 19th Century 295

30 The Greek War of Independence (1821-1850) 299

31 Crimean and Late 19th Century Wars (1853-1878) 315

32 Technology Ends the Age of Sail 330

Appendix A Masts, Sails and Rigging 337

Appendix B Levels of a Ship of the Line 338

Appendix C Royal Navy Victualing Regulations 339

Appendix D Letter: Queen Caroline to Lady Hamilton 340

Appendix E Letter: Nelson to Tsar Paul I 341

Appendix F Preble's Orders to Decatur 342

Appendix G Nelson's Last Letters and Wishes 343

Appendix H Collingwood's Report on the Gale 345

Appendix I French Report on Trafalgar 346

Appendix J Excerpts from 1827 Treaty of London 348

Chapter Notes 351

Bibliography 369

Index 373

Editorial Reviews

lively study...an enjoyable and readable account”—The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord; “a useful reference guide for students of naval warfare and the Mediterranean region”—The NYMAS Review; “a comprehensive yet authoritative study...The narrative is extremely well laid out - the first section is itself worth its weight in gold..Anyone reading will surely gain new insights...highly recommended”—International Journal of Maritime History.

From the Publisher

"a comprehensive yet authoritative study...The narrative is extremely well laid out - the first section is itself worth its weight in gold..Anyone reading will surely gain new insights...highly recommended"

International Journal of Maritime History

a useful reference guide for students of naval warfare and the Mediterranean region

The NYMAS Review

lively study...an enjoyable and readable account

The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord