beancounter
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\"Cochrane - Britannia\'s Sea Wolf\"
The above book, by Donald Thomas, is the biography of Lord Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dondonald, and one of the most remarkable characters in British Naval History. The man was simply incredible.
His exploits as a young captain in the first half of the Napoleonic wars were the direct inspiration for the works of Forester and O'Brien. The capture of the Spanish frigate Gamo by Cochrane's sloop Speedy was lifted pretty much shot for shot into "Master and Commander", whilst his exploits in the frigate Imperieuse , harrying the French on the coast of Spain, were surely the inspiration for Hornblower's exploits in "A Ship of the Line".
He fought a long struggle against corruption in the Admiralty, making many enemies; he was a Member of Parliament (whilst still serving in the Navy -!); he was jailed (on pretty dubious grounds) for involvement in a stockmarket scam in 1814, then escaped by climbing over the roof and down the outer wall on a rope.
Cochrane then served with the Chilean, Brazilian, and Greek navies during their wars of independence. His remarkable exploits in Chile will be familiar to Bernard Cornwell fans, for they form the background to "Sharpe's Devil".
He then fought a long battle to clear his name, which ultimately saw him reinstated to the Navy in the 1840's, serving as the commander of the Atlantic fleet. By the time he died age 85, he had been pretty well exonerated, and was awarded a hero's burial in Westminster Abbey.
That's just skimmed the surface - the book is a good read, not as dry as some biographies.
Recommended to all fans of naval fiction.
The above book, by Donald Thomas, is the biography of Lord Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dondonald, and one of the most remarkable characters in British Naval History. The man was simply incredible.
His exploits as a young captain in the first half of the Napoleonic wars were the direct inspiration for the works of Forester and O'Brien. The capture of the Spanish frigate Gamo by Cochrane's sloop Speedy was lifted pretty much shot for shot into "Master and Commander", whilst his exploits in the frigate Imperieuse , harrying the French on the coast of Spain, were surely the inspiration for Hornblower's exploits in "A Ship of the Line".
He fought a long struggle against corruption in the Admiralty, making many enemies; he was a Member of Parliament (whilst still serving in the Navy -!); he was jailed (on pretty dubious grounds) for involvement in a stockmarket scam in 1814, then escaped by climbing over the roof and down the outer wall on a rope.
Cochrane then served with the Chilean, Brazilian, and Greek navies during their wars of independence. His remarkable exploits in Chile will be familiar to Bernard Cornwell fans, for they form the background to "Sharpe's Devil".
He then fought a long battle to clear his name, which ultimately saw him reinstated to the Navy in the 1840's, serving as the commander of the Atlantic fleet. By the time he died age 85, he had been pretty well exonerated, and was awarded a hero's burial in Westminster Abbey.
That's just skimmed the surface - the book is a good read, not as dry as some biographies.
Recommended to all fans of naval fiction.
