Eyes of the Admiralty: J.T. Serres, An Artist in the Channel Fleet, 1799-1800

The exploits of the British fleet during the close blockade of France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars have generated a rich seam of historical and fictional writing. This book makes available for the first time an astonishingly untapped source of visual material commissioned by the powerful civilian members of the Admiralty Board, to increase their grasp on a critical theatre of naval operations.John Thomas Serres, pupil and son of the marine artist Dominic Serres, embarked on the ships of the inshore frigate squadron off Brest at the very time when the blockade was being tightened by the new Commander-in-Chief, Lord St Vincent. Espionage, shipwreck, mutiny and hydrographic controversy all enter into an account which will interest students of naval history, aficionados of naval fiction, such as Patrick O’Brian, and cruising yachtsmen who know these coasts today.