Overview

'Dover, Wight - Northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5.' While everyone has heard the shipping forecast broadcast on the radio, few realise what the numbers refer to. Known as the Beaufort Scale, it has never been bettered and, as a result, never replaced. This lasting legacy of Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort is only part of his overall contribution to the world of the mariner, scientist and antiquarian. Nicholas Courtney chronicles the life of this unsung hero whose early years come straight from the pages of HORNBLOWER - pirates, wars and royalty - and whose later life carries on from LONGITUDE. The story, set at the turn of the nineteenth century, of this courageous officer who was instrumental to the major discoveries and surveys of his day - not least the voyages of the Beagle and the subsequent fame of Charles Darwin - is told here for the first time.

Full Product Details

9780747264859

Table of Contents

Reviews

Anybody who has tuned in to the shipping forecast on the radio will have heard the familiar numbers used to indicate the anticipated force of the wind. Some of those listeners will know that these are known as the Beaufort Wind Scale, but what about the man behind the name? Admiral Francis Beaufort and his scientific endeavours have been immortalised by his scale and yet the rest of his fascinating life and career has been largely passed over. This timely biography from the bestselling author Nicholas Courtney seeks to redress the balance and the result is a vivid account of a remarkable man. From his first voyage with the Navy as a boy in 1789 the young Francis Beaufort was destined to become a real-life Hornblower. He survived shipwrecks, near drowning and, more than once, suffered serious injuries in battle. Even at the best of times he was forced to endure primitive shipboard conditions, not least cramped quarters and foul rations. But repayment came in the form of prize money and rapid promotion through the ranks made it all worthwhile. From a self-taught midshipman, Beaufort rose to the heights of rear-admiral and gained a knighthood along the way. His service as Hydrographer to the Navy brought him recognition from the scientific world and he was rewarded with a seat on the council of the Royal Society. This was after all the heyday of British cartography, when British surveyors were setting out to chart the world's seas. At the end of his life seafarers of all nations owed him a deep debt of gratitude, because his work had made the seas a safer place. Courtney has used Beaufort's original letters and journals together with official naval and hydrographic records to reveal the public and private faces of a seafaring hero. (Kirkus UK)

Author Information

Nicholas Courtney is a writer and broadcaster with 19 previous titles to his credit.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available