The Billy Ruffian: The Bellerophon and the Downfall of Napoleon

David Cordingly, a leading authority on pirates and maritime history, The Billy Ruffian is the story of a real-life H.M.S. Sophie, named Bellerophon, or Billy Ruffian as her crew called her, barnacles and all. Under fourteen captains, she played a conspicuous part in three of the most famous of all sea battles.But her crowning glory came six weeks after the Battle of Waterloo, when Napoleon, trapped in Rochefort, surrendered to the captain of the ship that had dogged his steps for more than twenty years. Packed with letters, pictures, and first-hand accounts, The Billy Ruffian is an enthralling account of sea adventure.

David Cordingly was, for many years, the curator and head of exhibitions at the famed National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, England. He has written several acclaimed books on the subject of pirates, including, most recently, Under the Black Flag: The Romance and Reality of Life Among the Pirates. He lives by the sea in Brighton, England.