Their Lordships of the Admiralty have seen fit to make Lord Nicholas Ramage the youngest captain of a ship of the line since Nelson himself. His new vessel is the most formidable war machine in the British Navy, carrying enough weight of metal to sink a frigate with a single broadside, and arms capable of cutting down enemy seamen like a scythe through grass.
Accompanied by his faithful old crew, Captain Ramage sets out for the West Indies. But before he reaches the Carribean he runs into a storm of trouble. The Dido is a powerful weapon: if he is to survive his first mission as a captain, he must learn to use her destructive capabilities to the full