What was life really like aboard a Royal Navy warship in the age of Nelson?

Behind the victories of Trafalgar, the Nile and Copenhagen lay a world far stranger, harsher and more fascinating than legend suggests. Thousands of men lived for months or years inside wooden ships crowded with guns, powder, livestock and provisions, fighting not only the enemy but disease, storms, hunger, discipline and the relentless demands of life at sea.

In Life in Nelson’s Navy, acclaimed naval historian and novelist Dudley Pope takes readers below decks to reveal how the Royal Navy actually worked. Drawing on contemporary journals, memoirs, official records and first-hand accounts, he explores everything from shipbuilding, seamanship and gunnery to press gangs, promotion, punishment, food, medicine, pay and the daily routines of officers and ordinary seamen.

Discover how a warship was built and manned, what sailors really ate, why disease killed far more men than battle, how captains wielded extraordinary power, and what it meant to survive life in a service that would ultimately make Britain the dominant naval power in the world.

Rich in vivid detail, remarkable anecdotes and Pope’s deep knowledge of the sailing navy, Life in Nelson’s Navy is an indispensable portrait of the men, ships and traditions behind the Royal Navy’s greatest age.