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 military operations. The marine artist J. T. Serres, son of well-known maritime artist Dominic Serres, embarked in the ships of the inshore frigate squadron blockading Brest at the very time when it 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 as well as cruising yachtsmen.