Fighting Temeraire

November 15, 2010

On the list of iconic ships, we know the Bismarck, Victory, Titanic, and Constitution, with the Bellerophon and Temeraire slightly lesser known. There were actually two ships named Temeraire, the first a French warship captured by the British in 1759, which served with distinction throughout the Seven Years' War. The second, named in honor of her predecessor, was a magnificent three-decked, 98-gun behemoth that broke through the French and Spanish line of battle directly behind Lord Nelson's flagship Victory at Trafalgar in 1805. This second Temeraire is the subject of J.M.W. Turner's famous painting of 1839, depicting the ship being moved by steam-powered tugboats upriver to be broken up. This book is much more than a biography of these two ships and of Turner's painting. Willis (Fighting Ships), an expert on both maritime painting and tall ships, covers every aspect of life in the sailing navy, comparing two technologically different eras (1759 and 1805). In a readable narrative, he emphasizes disease, blockade duty, mutiny and amphibious warfare, and, of course, the men (and occasionally women) who served in the "wooden walls." VERDICT Readers of naval and Napoleonic history should not pass this one up, and art history buffs should consider as well. Strongly recommended.--David Lee Poremba, Keiser Univ., Orlando, FL

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