For nearly two hundred years huge wooden warships called "ships of the line" dominated war at sea and were thus instrumental in the European struggle for power and the spread of imperialism.
This book, the first joint history of these great navies, offers a uniquely impartial and comprehensive picture of the two forces -their shipbuilding programs.
Foremost among the great naval powers were Great Britain and France, whose advanced economies could support large numbers of these expensive ships.
For nearly two hundred years huge wooden warships called "ships of the line" dominated war at sea and were thus instrumental in the European struggle for power and the spread of imperialism