The 200 years that separate the navy of Drake's day from that of Nelson
were critical for the development of Britain's sea power, and the decade
of the Commonwealth, of Cromwell's rule, is one of the turning points in
the story.
In the aftermath of a disastrous civil war and the execution of Charles
I, the navy fought to defend the frail republic against the rivalry and
hostility of other European nations and to extend British influence
across the globe. In this fascinating reassessment of a decisive phase
in the growth of British sea power, John Barratt shows how Cromwell's
navy confronted the threats that came against it during a decade of
almost continuous naval warfare, against the Royalists, the Dutch and
the Spanish.
At the same time he describes in detail the naval organization of the
day and the rapid expansion of the service in the early 1650s, as well
as the ships and the seamen who manned them.