Frigates and Foremasts
The North American Squadron in Nova Scotia Waters 1745-1815
A meticulously researched and groundbreaking study of the activities
and motivations of the British Navy on North America’s eastern
seaboard.
Description
The first comprehensive study of naval operations involving North
American squadrons in Nova Scotia waters, Frigates and
Foremasts offers a masterful analysis of the motives behind the
deployment of Royal Navy vessels between 1745 and 1815, and the
navy’s role on the Western Atlantic. Interweaving historical
analysis with vivid descriptions of pivotal events from the first siege
of Louisbourg in 1745 to the end of the wars with the United States and
France in 1815, Julian Gwyn illuminates the complex story of competing
interests among the Admiralty, Navy Board, sea officers, and government
officials on both sides of the Atlantic.
Awards
- Winner, John Lyman Book Award, North American Society for Oceanic History 2004
- Commended, Keith Matthews Prize, Canadian Nautical Research Society 2004
- Short-listed, Honourable Mention, Keith Matthews Prize, Canadian Nautical Research Society 2004
Reviews
Professor Gwyn’s admirable treatment of the socio-economic aspects of the squadron’s history include the attention paid to the development of the Royal Navy’s docking, building and careening facilities in Bermuda and Nova Scotia; his account of the squadron’s role in imposing London’s trade policies before the American Revolution; and some interesting comments comparing Nova Scotia and Georgia as colonies before 1775.
- David R. Jones
One of the great benefits of the recent upsurge in maritime and naval history has been the attention paid to topics or areas heretofore considered marginal. Julian Gwyn has provided here a welcome example of just such a neglected issue. Gwyn attempts, successfully, to correct the imbalance by explaining the essential role played by this marginal theatre in numerous phases of the great conflicts from 1745 to 1815. The book is a most welcome addition to naval and maritime history. The focus is Halifax and Nova Scotian water, but British relations with the Americans, and to a lesser degree the French, are paramount. Gwyn has thoroughly researched the primary and secondary material, and presents his findings clearly. This is a fine book that throws light on a neglected theatre of operations in several wars.
- Paul Webb, University of Western Ontario