This is the true story of the great sea captains who spent long, arduous years away from their homes fighting for king and country, to win and hold control of the seas. Extraordinary characters stride across the pages - men whose youth, energy and ability to take chances at wartime made them household names. Some, like Warren, Pellew, Cochrane and Collingwood, are still renowned, while others are almost unknown today. Yet their brave and brilliant exploits deserve recognition and Woodman pulls them out from under the long shadow of the greatest naval hero of all, Horatio Nelson.