Service Afloat: Comprising The Personal Narrative Of A British Naval Officer, During The Late War - Softcover

E.C. Mielke

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0461342650 ISBN 13: 9780461342659

Publisher: HardPress, 2019

Synopsis

Service Afloat: Comprising The Personal Narrative Of A British Naval Officer, During The Late War. This memoir offers a vivid, first-person account of a British naval officer’s journeys and duties across oceans during the late Napoleonic wars. Beginning as a young midshipman in the East India Company service, the narrator recounts perilous voyages to Madras and China, crossing the Line, fierce storms off the Cape of Good Hope, and the hardships of long sea passages. The narrative expands to life in the Royal Navy, detailing experiences in the Downs, Boulogne, the West Indies, and Caribbean ports like St. Helena and Jamaica, interweaving episodes of privateer chases, bombardments, blockades, and shipboard discipline with broader reflections on leadership, endurance, and the human costs of empire. Throughout, the author touches on scientific and natural phenomena—volcanoes, earthquakes, and tropical weather—embedding a broader panorama of exploration and danger. A central focus is the lived experience of seafaring, the bonds of crew, and the moral questions surrounding slavery and emancipation in the Caribbean, offering a sweeping, personal portrait of a life at sea during wartime.

Edition details

• Publisher: HardPress
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0461342650
• ISBN 13: 9780461342659
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 294