2. Artemis
Kydd and Renzi join the crack frigate Artemis for a voyage that carries them far beyond home waters. The faster and more independent ship demands different seamanship from the battle fleet and exposes Kydd to shipwreck, mutiny and combat with a powerful French opponent. Success at…
3. Seaflower
After the loss of Artemis, Kydd returns to England to give evidence at the court-martial of the surviving officer. His account could destroy a career, but the consequences also threaten his own position and leave him vulnerable to removal from the service he has chosen. Kydd…
4. Mutiny
Kydd returns from Mediterranean service as the Royal Navy is shaken by organised protest over pay, food and conditions. At the Nore, ships reject normal command and create a fleet-wide movement whose demands combine practical grievances with a direct challenge to naval authority. As a loyal…
5. Quarterdeck
Promoted after the Battle of Camperdown, Kydd must pass the examination that will confirm him as a lieutenant. Technical competence is only part of the test: a former pressed man must also learn the manners and authority expected of a gentleman officer. Service in HMS Tenacious…
6. Tenacious
Aboard HMS Tenacious, Kydd joins Nelson’s Mediterranean squadron as it searches for the French expedition to Egypt. He volunteers for operations ashore at Minorca before the campaign carries him towards the destructive fleet action at the Battle of the Nile. The war then shifts to Acre,…
7. Command
Kydd receives command of the brig-sloop Teazer and must turn an unfamiliar vessel into an effective warship while French forces, privateers and corsairs threaten British positions around Malta. Authority now depends on his ability to train and judge men rather than simply perform his own duty…
8. The Admiral’s Daughter
Kydd and Renzi return to Britain in 1803 as the Peace of Amiens collapses and the country prepares for war again. Restored to Teazer, Kydd is sent against smugglers and privateers along the Channel coast before the ship and crew have fully recovered from their distant…
9. Treachery
Professional disgrace removes Thomas Kydd from his ship after he is framed, leaving him in Guernsey with his naval career apparently broken. Renzi is dealing with covert work of his own, and neither man can rely on the routines or authority that normally structure their service.…
10. Invasion
With Napoleon’s army and invasion craft concentrated around Boulogne, Kydd is withdrawn from normal fleet service to work with the American inventor Robert Fulton. Fulton’s submarine, mines and torpedoes promise to destroy the invasion flotilla without a conventional battle. Kydd doubts weapons that attack unseen, but…
11. Victory
Kydd rejoins active operations as Napoleon’s invasion threat and the movement of the French and Spanish fleets bring Britain towards a decisive naval campaign. Political conflict at the Admiralty forces him to choose between competing patrons while Nelson searches for the enemy. At Trafalgar, Kydd and…
12. Conquest
After Trafalgar removes the immediate invasion threat, Kydd joins the expedition sent to seize the Dutch Cape Colony. Control of Cape Town would secure the sea route to India, but landing an army and defeating the defending forces is only the beginning of occupation. Kydd and…
13. Betrayal
From the Cape, Home Riggs Popham assembles an unauthorised expedition against the Spanish colonies of the Río de la Plata. Rumours of silver and local support encourage the British force to seize Buenos Aires despite uncertain orders and inadequate preparation. Early success collapses when the population…
14. Caribbee
As post-captain of the frigate L’Aurore, Kydd returns to the Caribbean station where he once served before the mast. Convoy protection and the pursuit of enemy cruisers offer prize money and independence far from the larger European fleets. An accusation of murder forces Kydd to confront…
15. Pasha
Britain fears that French influence over the Ottoman Empire will open a route towards India. Kydd enters the Dardanelles to evacuate ambassador Charles Arbuthnot and pressure the Ottoman government before fortifications can make withdrawal impossible. Renzi undertakes covert political work inside Constantinople, where a palace coup…
16. Tyger
After speaking too freely during the court-martial of Home Riggs Popham, Kydd is denied the command he expected and sent instead to HMS Tyger, a ship weakened by mutiny and distrust. Restoring discipline requires more than punishment from a captain the crew initially regards as another…
17. Inferno
Britain sends a major fleet to Copenhagen to prevent Denmark’s navy from falling under Napoleon’s control. Kydd joins the operation while Renzi attempts a parallel diplomatic solution, leaving both men caught between military necessity and the rights of a neutral state. Bombardment, capture and the surrender…
18. Persephone
In November 1807 Kydd sails to Lisbon as French forces advance and the Portuguese royal family prepares to evacuate to Brazil. Amid the disorder he meets Persephone Lockwood again, reviving an attachment that seemed lost when duty separated them. Back in Britain, court society and a…
19. The Baltic Prize
In 1808 Kydd leaves his new wife to join Britain’s expedition supporting Sweden in the Baltic. Russia has invaded Finland, Denmark remains hostile and the Russian fleet at St Petersburg threatens the narrow sea routes on which the campaign depends. Jealous captains and a distrustful commander…
20. The Iberian Flame
In 1808 the French occupation of Spain and Portugal produces rebellion across the peninsula. Renzi works to encourage resistance while Kydd is drawn into naval support for an uprising whose factions do not share one political objective. Napoleon’s intervention forces the outnumbered British army into retreat…
21. A Sea of Gold
After the Corunna evacuation, Kydd enters London society and forms an alliance with the daring frigate captain Thomas Cochrane. When the French fleet shelters in the Basque Roads, Cochrane is chosen to attack with fireships and explosive vessels despite opposition from more senior officers. Kydd must…
22. To the Eastern Seas
Kydd sails under Edward Pellew as Britain attacks Dutch and French possessions in the East Indies. The campaign promises control of spice routes and the removal of enemy bases that threaten British India, but commanders disagree over whether to seize isolated islands or strike directly at…
23. Balkan Glory
In 1811 Kydd commands a frigate squadron in the Adriatic, where French control of the coast threatens British trade and influence. Raids, convoy attacks and island operations earn him a reputation that brings the larger squadron of Bernard Dubourdieu against him. Renzi meanwhile crosses into Austria…
24. Thunderer
Honoured after the Adriatic campaign, Kydd is given HMS Thunderer, a seventy-four whose poor gunnery, short-handed crew and long period of inactivity make the promotion less desirable than it appears. He must turn a neglected ship of the line into an effective command without the intimacy…
25. Yankee Mission
The capture of HMS Java by USS Constitution demonstrates that American heavy frigates can defeat British ships in single combat. With Thunderer under repair, Kydd is given Tyger and ordered to challenge an American opponent on terms that will restore the Navy’s reputation. Reaching the United…
26. Sea of Treason
After recovering from severe wounds suffered in American waters, Kydd resumes command of Thunderer and is sent to Bermuda. The remote station protects Atlantic routes during the War of 1812 but also places the ship within a network of divided loyalties and uncertain intelligence. Evidence of…
27. Admiral
In 1814 Napoleon’s abdication allows Britain to reduce its fleet, but Kydd receives the admiral’s flag that completes his rise from pressed sailor. His intended West African command would place him against the slave trade, with Thunderer serving as his flagship in a dangerous and politically…