Introduction -- Rum, sodomy and the lash -- America's first Naval hero -- The first submarine -- 'Hearts of oak" -- Profile of a warship: the first warships -- The largest naval battles in ancient history -- Landlocked Navies -- The warships that sank without the help of the enemy -- Privateer or pirate? -- US Navy acronyms -- The watch system -- Naval gun salutes -- Piping the Side -- Names of Imperial Japanese Navy warships in the Second World War -- Rating the Fleet -- The Two Ocean Navy -- Profile of a warship: Sovereign of the Seas -- Anchors -- the bottom line -- Preserving Admiral Nelson -- The seven sea battles for Guadalcanal -- HMS Cromwell -- Sea battle: the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 1797 -- Louis XIV's weapons of mass destruction -- Quotes by Naval Commanders -- The nuclear fleet -- USS Nautilus -- the first nuclear submarine -- 'Anchors Aweigh" -- Sea battle: the Battle of the Nile, 1798 -- The evacuation of Dunkirk -- a miracle of planning -- The world's greatest Naval bases -- Naval disaster: the sinking of the Mary Rose -- The smashing carronade -- The first dreadnought -- The ten most useful naval knots -- Profile of a warship: The Constant Warwick -- Roundshot, chainshot and grapeshot -- Passing the Port and other wardroom etiquette -- Fighting Admiral: Michael de Ruyter -- Profile of a warship: HMS Victory -- Sea shanties and shipboard music -- Sea lanes and prevailing wind -- Fighting Admiral: Richard Kempenfelt -- Naval ranks in the US, UK and Canada -- Naval disaster: wrecking of the Spanish Armada -- Keelhauling -- Naval signalling -- Profile of a warship fleet: The Spanish Navy during the Napoleonic Wars -- Sea battle: the Battle of Mobile Bay, 1864 -- The seven sea dogs -- Fighting Admiral: John Byng -- Naval disaster: the sinking of USS Maine -- Profile of a warship: HMS The Fort Diamond -- The rules of the road -- Minesweeping for beginners -- Signalling by Morse -- Fighting Admiral: John Jervis -- Alfred Mahan: the inventor of seapower -- The theory of sailing -- The Lords of the Admiralty -- Profile of a warship fleet: the Pook Turtles -- Painting the sailing man-of-war -- How the press gang worked -- Sea battle: the Battle of Manila Bay, 1898 -- Rum rations in the age of sail -- Figureheads -- The gunboats of Lake Tanganyika -- What is the weather gage? -- Profile of a warship: USS Monitor -- Nelson's 'Band of Brothers' -- Naval power in 1862 -- Pay and prize money in the Age of Fighting Sail -- Profile of a warship: CSS Hunley -- Mutiny! -- Relative bearings -- Fighting Admiral: Andrew Cunningham -- Navel strategy: The Channel Fleet -- The King of the Corsairs -- Naval gun crews in the Age of Sail -- Boarders away -- Pearl Harbor hero: Doris Miller -- Profile of a warship: Huascar -- Injury and disease in the Age of Sail -- Flogging -- The Articles of War -- Naval Arms Treaties -- Profile of a warship: Admiral Popov -- Naval technology: The Corvus -- Naval disaster: the sinking of the Royal Oak -- Portrait of a warship fleet: the first torpedo boats -- Josiah Tattnal -- US Naval hero -- The guns of the Victory -- The most treacherous waters in the Age of Sail -- The world's most powerful battleship -- The Captain -- a man apart -- The U-Boat aces -- Nelson and other limbless Admirals -- Anglo-American frigate duels -- Ships' mascots -- Raising the Vasa -- The most successful Admirals in history -- Naval power in 1914 -- Naval disaster: Arctic Convoy PQ-17 -- Profile of a warship: Q-Ships -- The naval world of Patric O'Brian -- Pearl Harbor -- facts and figures -- The Navy in the movies -- Sea battle: the Battle of Midway, 1942 -- The Navy and the pirates -- Historic ships: our international naval heritage -- Fighting Admiral: Chester Nimitz -- No flowers on a sailor's grave -- Merrimack, Merrimac or Virginia? -- Jack Speak.