From the Battle of Salamis, as told by Thucydides, to carrier operations during the 1991 Gulf War, the changing nature of recorded naval warfare is explored here in its entirety. Here in the words of those who fought them are all of history's greatest naval engagements. Some of these first-hand accounts give an overview of the whole arena of the engagement from those in command; others come from the non-commissioned officers and men on the spot, whose immediate concerns are directly alongside them in the field. More than 50 maps give an objective reality to these personal narratives by showing the location and strategic development of these sea battles. Divided into six main sections, the book is arranged chronologically, starting with the classical world, where galleys ruled the seas. It progresses to the age of sail and battles like the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, including the Battle of Copenhagen and the battle of Trafalgar. From here to ironclads and dreadnoughts, taking in the American Civil War as well as both World Wars. The modern era encompasses torpedoes, including submarines and the flat tops that brought air power to the world's oceans.