The Autobiography of a Seaman

This is the exciting true life story of one of Britain’s most controversial admirals: Admiral Lord Cochrane. 

Napoleon called him le loup des mers (“the sea wolf’). One cannot visit a town in Chile (where he is seen as a hero) without crossing at least one street or town square that bears his name. He proposed the use of saturation bombing and chemical warfare over half a century before their use. And his adventures have inspired the likes of Patrick O’Brian and C. S. Forester. 

Known as a dashing, brilliant young sailor for his exploits against the Spanish, Cochrane was also a fearless campaigner against incompetence and corruption in the navy and in politics. 

Charged with a daring assault on the French in the famous Battle of the Aix Roads, he publicly accused his superiors of timidity when the action was called off at the last minute. 

He was elected to the House of Commons, where he fought vigilantly for the pensions of war veterans, only to make enemies with some of the most powerful families in Britain, including future prime minister of England Lord Palmerston. 

Later, he commanded the Chilean Navy in their fight for independence against Spain, helped develop naval warfare under steam, and devoted himself to developing a weapon of mass destruction (poison gas), which was so shocking to his contemporaries that his plans were shelved as classified until World War I. 

Lord Cochrane’s autobiography tells the story of one man whose wit and planning enabled the capture of many enemy ships but whose fearless determination afflicted the rest of his life. 

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