The Audacious Admiral Cochrane: The True Life of a Naval Legend

by Brian Vale

Lord Cochrane was a dominant figure in the maritime history of the early 19th century. While still a child he held commissions in both the army and navy, and he made his name in 1800 when in command of a small sloop he captured a Spanish frigate. His subsequent naval career was at turns brilliant and controversial, the latter aspect inflamed by his political career as a radical and his attempt to have his own admiral court-martialled. This was followed by his involvement in a Stock Exchange fraud in 1814, which led to his expulsion from the navy. No matter - he went to Chile and commanded their fleet in the war of independence against Spain. accepted back into the Royal Navy in 1832 as an admiral. A brilliant tactician and supreme egoist, his own version of his life has been the established version for over a century and a half.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Brian Vale is a naval historian. He was a British Council officer in Brazil, the Middle East and Spain and from 1987-1991 he served as Assistant Director General in London. He was a contributor to the official history of the Brazilian Navy.