A compelling history of the greatest ships ever launched.

In this riveting account, leading historian Richard Hough examines fifteen of history’s most significant battleships. They include:

• Lord Howard Effingham’s Ark Royal, which held the Spanish Armada at bay.

• Admiral Nelson’s legendary HMS Victory, still a flagship after more than 200 years.

• The American New Jersey, which took part in three wars, and whose guns still remain ready for action.

• The mighty German Bismarck of 1941, destroyed on her first operational voyage.

Hough weaves these examples into a pattern of progress ranging from the galleon to the immense super-dreadnought. But above all this story is a human one, a record of men and ships, of courage and endurance – a true taste of the sea.