by Casey Baker.
Softcover (7.25×9.75 inches). 80 pages. 2026.
Subtitle: The War at Sea Against Napoleon
This overview of British Royal Navy operations across the Mediterranean Sea, and even some use in the Atlantic Ocean, includes descriptions of the various ships available, from ships of the line with over 100 guns to bomb ketches, schooners, fireships, and transports. Commanders, plans, and tactical battles intermix during a period where the Royal Navy was not necessarily victorious in all encounters, but certainly was in major ones like Cape St. Vincent and the Nile. French and Spanish ships were often blockaded in port.
In a notable statistic, 90% of all Royal Navy losses from 1793 to 1815 resulted from accidents that killed 80,000 British seamen, while enemy action accounted for about 6,500 deaths (p20). How do you incorporate that stat in a strategic naval wargame?
One possible typo: “other damaged fleets returned to England” (p52), but given the context after the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, it’s likely “damaged ships.”
Also, two pages (p50 and p63) suffer from double-printed text that make it blurry. I don’t know if it’s just my copy, a couple copies, or all copies.
The booklet contains seven black and white illustrations, 64 color illustrations, one color map, three color two-page action illustrations, and four color one-page diagrams (including battle diagrams for Algeciras 1801, Nile 1798, and Cape St. Vincent.
The strategic aspects and operational movements of the British Royal Navy in the Mediterranean during the early Napoleonic Wars are well covered. While British naval victories were the norm, French and Spanish victories did occur. This booklet offers a nice summation of the naval struggles.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
