Many books have been written about HMS VICTORY but none like this. It tells the story of the ship since her launch in May 1765 and contains surprises - she was almost wrecked on launch, Kaiser Wilhelm set WW1 in motion from a desk made from her timbers. She had many lives - flagship, fighting ship, prison ship, hospital ship, training ship, a floating courtroom, tourist attraction and national icon. From a master historian this is great reading.