British Frigate vs French Frigate
1793–1814
Author: Mark Lardas
Illustrator: Peter Dennis
This 80 page paperback book is the 52nd book in the Duel series that is available from Osprey Publishing.
In the Age of Fighting Sail (1650–1820), ambitious officers of the navies of many nations sought command of a frigate. Speedy, nimble and formidably armed, frigates often operated independently, unlike the larger ships of the line. Legendary sailors such as Edward Pellew and Charles-Alexandre Léon Durand, Comte de Linoise, found that commanding such a ship offered numerous opportunities for wealth. In this book, four representative frigate duels are examined: first, a battle fought between two closely matched ships (HMS Nymphe (36) vs La Cléopâtre (32); second, a victory won by an inferior British frigate over a superior French frigate (HMS Pallas (32) vs Minerve (40); third, a victory – the only one – by an inferior French frigate over a superior British frigate (HMS Ambuscade (32) vs Baïonnaise (24), and fourth, victory of a superior British frigate over an inferior French frigate (HMS Indefatigable (44) of Hornblower fame vs La Virginie (40). Featuring specially commissioned artwork and offering expert analysis, this study provides a vivid account of the bloody combats fought by the most romantic warship of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic era – the frigate.
The contents of this book are;
- Introduction
- Chronology
- Design and Development
- Technical Specifications
- The Combatants
- The Strategic Situation
- Combat
- Statistics and Analysis
- Further Reading
- Index
The Duel series of books provides readers with views showing opposing weapons and illustrates how they fared against one another. Duel 52 is for the Wooden Ships and Iron Men era where shot and cannon balls flailed against the sides of wooden planks and tore down sails. Here you see how the British were superior against the French and won most of the battles. For the historian of this era, the diorama builder or the budding wargamer will all enjoy this book immensely.
This Duel Series book is available from Osprey Publications
MSRP Paperback $22.00
eBook ePub $17.60
eBook PDF $17.60
