Ruddock F. Mackay

Edward Hawke's naval victories were matched only by Horatio Nelson, but few remember him today. So who was this naval genius and what was his contribution to the history of the Royal Navy? A magnificent biography of a brilliant eighteenth century admiral, perfect for readers of Andrew Lambert, Roy Adkins and Ben Wilson. In the fading light of the 20th November 1759 Hawke led his ships to attack the French fleet in the treacherous waters of Quiberon Bay. After a three-hour struggle the French squadron had been devastated. The battle ended French invasion plans, signalled the rise of the Royal Navy and confirmed Britain's position as the world's foremost naval power. How did Admiral Hawke, the son of barrister, rise to become one of Britain's greatest admirals? And how important were his victories against the French through the course of the mid-eighteenth century? Admiral Hawke by Ruddock F. Mackay charts the story of this remarkable figure, from his long-apprenticeship at sea, learning the art of naval command, to his first major victory in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre, finishing with his final years as First Lord of the Admiralty. 'The accounts of naval operations are well constructed, and the necessary background for understanding strategy and tactics is amply provided. ... Mackay's research carries authority; the reader feels he knows where the ships were and why.' The American Historical Review 'Ruddock Mackay in his Admiral Hawke has given us a more complete biography, based on documents that [previous historians] never saw and on obviously more effective research techniques.' The Journal of Modern History Ruddock F. Mackay uncovers the life of this much-forgotten maritime hero, whose victory at Quiberon Bay can only be compared to Trafalgar or the defeat of the Spanish Armada. This should be essential reading for all interested in the history of the Age of Sail.

Admiral Hawke: Britain's Greatest Forgotten Naval Commander

Admiral Hawke

Edward Hawke (1705-1781) had a long and distinguished career in the Royal Navy, serving for over half a century and finally becoming First Lord of the Admiralty. This book is a selection of his papers chosen from between 1743 and 1771, providing information on every significant stage in Hawke's career combined with a connected sequence of documents for the outstanding campaign of 1759-60 during the Seven Years War. His peacetime command at Portsmouth between 1748 and 1754 is also documented together with his post of First Lord from which he retired in 1771. Hawke has been the greatest naval commander of his generation, of whom Horace Walpole wrote ’Lord Hawke is dead and does not seem to have bequeathed his mantle to anybody’. This volume brings together papers to and from Hawke; the sources are the Public Record Office, the National Maritime Museum and the British Library.

A Selection 1743–1771

The Hawke Papers

Michael Duffy

Unlike other books on eighteenth-century British admirals, which tell and re-tell the history of admirals' successful exploits, this book investigates what exactly were the qualities which made for successful naval leadership in this period. It identifies twelve key qualities, and discusses how far each of the many leading admirals of the period possessed these qualities. It argues that Hawke and Nelson were the outstanding naval leaders of the eighteenth century, outlining their respective careers and showing how both of them possessed, more than the other admirals, the key qualities of leadership. Moreover, it argues that British fleet tactics and blockade strategy reached a new high level in the middle of the eighteenth century; that Hawke played the leading operational role in achieving this; and that Hawke has been undervalued both in the history of the British navy and in public estimation of Britain's great military and naval leaders. Overall, the book provides a refreshing reappraisal of British naval warfare in the eighteenth century, enabling readers to relive key battles and other encounters, and appreciate how crucial, alongside other key factors which are also discussed, the leadership qualities of the admirals were in bringing about success, or, in some cases, failure. Ruddock Mackay has published extensively on maritime history and taught at the Royal Naval College Dartmouth and the University of St Andrews. Michael Duffy, who was Director of the Centre for Maritime Historical Studies at the University of Exeter 1991-2007, has also published extensively on maritime history.

Ruddock F. Mackay

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