Authors: Brian Lavery & Geoff Hunt
Publishers: Conway Maritime and Capricorn Link
From Baird Maritime:
HMS 'Surprise' needs no introduction to the hundreds of thousands of Patrick O'Brian readers around the world.
This beautifully produced book is a tribute to both the real and fictional 'Surprises'. The real one was a 28 gun frigate that served in both the French and British navies from 1794 to 1802.
Launched at Le Havre in January 1794 as 'L'Unite', she was designed by Pierre-Alexandre-Laurent Forfait who later became Napoleon's Minister of Marine. In April 1796 she was captured at Bone in North Africa by Captain Thomas Fremantle RN in HMS 'Inconstant". She was renamed HMS 'Surprise' and joined the British Mediterranean fleet where her real and fictionalised adventures began.
All this and much more is explained very clearly and beautifully illustrated in this exceptionally attractive book.
Ordering information:
Conway Maritime
London, UK
Web: www.conwaymaritime.com
Capricorn Link
Windsor, Australia
Web: www.capricornlink.com.au