Kirkus Review
Willis (Fighting at Sea in the Eighteenth Century: The Art of Sailing Warfare, 2008, etc.) follows the adventures of theTemeraire, which played an integral role in British military successesand was the subject of J.M.W. Turner's masterpieceThe Fighting Temeraire (1839).A little-known fact about the Temeraire is that two famous ships carried the name; the first was a French warship that the British captured in the Battle of Lagos in 1759. She was so symbolic in stature and design that the British, 15 years later, named their most important new ship after her. Immediately the newTemeraire was in the thick of the Napoleonic Wars, battling not only the enemy, but the more common disturbances found at seaconstant battles with scurvy, lack of fresh supplies and mutiny. So hazardous was the mutiny of 1801 that the ship was forced to return to England, and 12 mutineers were hanged in a highly publicized trial. Not long afterward, Horatio Nelson was named leader of the fleet designated to (once again) wage war with France. Under his command, the Victory and Temeraire fought side-by-side at the famed Battle of Trafalgar. It was in this battle that the mighty Temeraire lived up to its fame as one of the best British warships of all time. Just as the lead ship, theVictory,was compromised and Nelson injured, "theTemeraireappeared out of the smoke...and rammed the [French ship] Redoutable with such force" that the French were ultimately forced to surrender. Upon the great ship's heroic return to Britain, masses thronged the port to catch a glimpse. It's possible that Turner, already a successful artist at the time, was one of the revelers, and drew on this experience later when he created his famous painting. In this compelling narrative, Willis captures the atmosphere of great change that marked the era, writing with infectious enthusiasm about the warship and the art it inspired.Exciting and informativeevery detail contributes to a greater understanding of British maritime history.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.