SCOTS AND THE SEA

IBSN 1 84018 6941 & 84018 977 0

Publisher:  Mainstream

My wish to write the book which became Scots and the Sea  stemmed from my own naval background and a conviction that Scotland’s maritime heritage had been overshadowed by that of England.  The young people I came across did not seem to know, for instance, about the exploits of the amazing Lord Cochrane, or about the dominance of Scots in ship building and design and exploration.  

I had a long-standing interest not only in naval history and maritime trade but also, after serving in a frigate which had a dual role of training young seamen and protecting fisheries, in the fishing industry.  I greatly admired the achievements  of  men such as Cochrane, Duncan, Keith and Cunningham of Hyndhope.  I was intrigued by the lives of men such as John Paul Jones and Captain Kidd, and impressed by women such as those who went to sea in warships or followed the fishing fleet from port to port to gut the herring.  I wanted to show how closely Scotland’s history, industry and national character were bound up with the sea.  

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