A Brief History of British Sea Power: How Britain Became Sovereign of the Seas (Brief Histories)

The British did not take to water like ducks, for centuries doing little but cling to coastal waters. The Romans and Vikings knocked spots of us as seamen, and the English upper classes saw seafaring as mercantile and beneath them. In the 20th century, the British navy was twice as big as any other. This account contains anecdotes and humor.