Admiral Collingwood: Nelson's Own Hero

ngAdmiral lord collingwood, the eldest son of a newcastle merchant, went to sea in 1761 at the age of thirteen. In his nearly fifty years in the navy he rose to become a fine seaman, a master of gunnery, a battle commander the equal of his friend – and rival in love – nelson. He was also an accomplished writer and wit, a doting father, inveterate gossip and consummate diplomat and strategist. Collingwood s service took him to boston, where he lived and fought during the american war of independence; to antigua, where he and nelson both fell in love with mary moutray; to corsica; sicily; and menorca, where he began as a young midshipman and ended his career as the effective viceroy of the mediterranean. Admiral collingwood is an intimate portrait of a forgotten british naval hero and a thrilling portrait of the glory years of the age of sail.