Amazon.com: Commander: The Life and Exploits of Britain's Greatest Frigate Captain: The Life and...

https://www.amazon.com/Commander-Exploits-Britains-Greatest-Frigate-ebook/dp/B007Q6XK4E/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid= [login to see] &sr=1-3&keywords=cochrane
If you grew up thrilled by the stories of Hornblower or enjoyed the movie "Master and Commander" based on the Jack Aubrey series, you really need to read this book. The exploits and heroism of fictional characters are always tainted by the fact that they simply aren't real. Imagine when you discover both series were based on a real man, a real British frigate captain, a iron man commanding a wooden ship during the Napoleonic Wars. That is Lord Cochrane. While the British fleet rode at anchor blockading the French in their harbors, Lord Cochrane sailed his tiny frigate into those harbors under the guns of their forts and ships of the line and attacked them successfully. He invented the exploding ship to break their chain barriers and wreck their shore batteries. When he came calling, the French slipped their anchors in fear and ran aground. Cochrane then sailed back to the British fleet and invited them to join him in ravaging the French who were now defenseless and scattered in confusion. If only they had the good sense and guts to follow him.