Man-Of-War Life: A Boy's Experience in the United States Navy, During a Voyage Around the World in a Ship-Of-The-Line

Great true U.S. Navy story of a boy enlisting in the Navy and participates in a voyage around the world. Highly recommended.

I first read this book in 1992 when I was on board a cruiser in "the worlds finest navy". It is an excellent source for a seaman's account of life on board one of the largest Navy warships before the advent of ironclads. Providing more details on the crew and the sailing of the ship than of the lofty political goals of the around the world voyage of USS Colombus, it is a very readable and enjoyable account of the U.S. Navy in the age of sail. Land lubbers beware! There is, of necessity, a great deal of nautical language, especially when the author describes any evolution involving the sails. However, this really lends an excellent "salty" flavor to the book. Anyone interested in the U.S. Navy "when ships were made of wood and men of steel" should "Put his helm over hard a lee and make weigh to the ordering page" for an excellent blue water adventure