Man-Of-War Life: A Boy's Experience in the United States Navy

By Charles Nordhoff

Book Overview

In 1844, when barely 14, Charles Nordhoff managed to talk his way into the U.S. Navy. He was better educated than most of his fellow seamen, and was well equipped to describe what became a three-year... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1018031707
• ISBN13: 9781018031705
• Release Date: October 2022
• Publisher: Legare Street Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Naval History

Great true U.S. Navy story of a boy enlisting in the Navy and participates in a voyage around the world. Highly recommended.

My road leads me seawards, To the white dipping sails...

I first read this book in 1992 when I was on board a cruiser in "the worlds finest navy". It is an excellent source for a seaman's account of life on board one of the largest Navy warships before the advent of ironclads. Providing more details on the crew and the sailing of the ship than of the lofty political goals of the around the world voyage of USS Colombus, it is a very readable and enjoyable account of the U.S. Navy in the age of sail. Land lubbers beware! There is, of necessity, a great deal of nautical language, especially when the author describes any evolution involving the sails. However, this really lends an excellent "salty" flavor to the book. Anyone interested in the U.S. Navy "when ships were made of wood and men of steel" should "Put his helm over hard a lee and make weigh to the ordering page" for an excellent blue water adventure