Quarterdeck - Softcover

Stockwin, Julian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 3548256465 ISBN 13: 9783548256467

Publisher: Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH & Co. KG / Ullstein Tas, 2003

Synopsis

Thomas Kydd was promoted to acting lieutenant at the bloody Battle of Camperdown in October 1797. Now, he must sit an examination to confirm his rank - or face an inglorious return before the mast. But this is only the first of many obstacles for a man who was pressed into the King's Service and discovered a calling for the sea. Kydd is from humble origins, yet he attains the lofty heights of the quarterdeck as an officer in His Majesty's Navy. If he is to avoid spending the rest of his career as a tarpaulin officer, he must also become a gentleman. Kydd and his enigmatic friend Nicholas Renzi set sail in HMS Tenacious for the North American station. Aboard the old 64-gun ship, Kydd comes to doubt he will ever match up to the high-born gentlemen officers. The frontier town of Halifax, which is also home to a British prince of the blood, provides a welcome diversion. Meanwhile, the young United States is in dispute with revolutionary France, the Quasi War, and Kydd finds himself in the USS Constellation in the heady days of the birth of the American Navy. On his return to Halifax, Kydd surmounts more hurdles, both personal and professional - will he ever see himself as truly one of a band of brothers?

About this title

From the Author:

Richard Gore famously overcame modern day hurdles to become an officer and a gentleman, but they were nothing compared to the almost impossible odds two hundred years ago. The Royal Navy, though steeped in custom and tradition, did provide a rare means for someone low born to achieve the hightest status in the land. Right from the start of my series I knew my hero would eventually become an officer and in many ways "Quarterdeck" posed the most writing challenges for me so far. I had to take Tom Kydd from an environment of the lower deck, where he was popular and, as a master’s mate, near the pinnacle of his calling, to an alien realm where the talk was of foxhunting and the Season, and where, at first, he was neither liked nor respected. Having served both on the fo’c’sle and on the quarterdeck myself, to some extent I was able to draw on these experiences when I wrote the book.

About the Author:

Julian Stockwin joined the Royal Navy at 15 and transferred to the Royal Australian Navy when his family emigrated. Stockwin served eight years, and was eventually rated petty officer. He has also worked in the manufacture and design of computers and software development. Returning to the navy and the Royal Navy Reserve, Stockwin was honored with an MBE and retired as Lt Commander. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1990 and started to write in 1996.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ullstein Buchverlage GmbH & Co. KG / Ullstein Tas
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 3548256465
• ISBN 13: 9783548256467
• Binding: Paperback