What was life really like on a wooden warship? Brian Vale takes a look at life on board the 42-gun frigate HMS Doris, from Bombay in 1807 to Valparaiso in 1829. This intriguing account of life on board concentrates on the ship's service under Sir Thomas Hardy as she protected British interests during the stormy years of South American Independence. Vale vividly examines recruitment, desertions, food, drink, disease, sex, flogging, and death. He enthusiastically details the operations in Brazil, Chile, and Peru from a military and a political angle, as well as from the perspective of sailors.