From participating in the Battle of Trafalgar as an 11 year old trainee Midshipman to his untimely death as Commander of the very first steamship used in naval warfare, Frank Abney Hastings' life is portrayed vividly throughout this book. Born into a privileged aristocratic family Frank Abney Hastings had a potentially brilliant career mapped out in the British Royal Navy, but partly due to his own sense of honour and political atmosphere at this time, it was cut short. His passionate interest in artillery and early 19th Century naval warfare, combined with his desire to participate in the...

From participating in the Battle of Trafalgar as an 11 year old trainee Midshipman to his untimely death as Commander of the very first steamship used in naval warfare, Frank Abney Hastings' life is portrayed vividly throughout this book. Born into a privileged aristocratic family Frank Abney Hastings had a potentially brilliant career mapped out in the British Royal Navy, but partly due to his own sense of honour and political atmosphere at this time, it was cut short. His passionate interest in artillery and early 19th Century naval warfare, combined with his desire to participate in the...