The Royal Navy of the 19th & early 20th centuries was a legendary force: it claimed supremacy in every ocean, policed the empire & provided the force behind Britain's power in the world. During this period the Service was commletely transformed, from the wooden walls of Nelson's time to the steel dreadnoughts, destroyers & submarines which fought at Jutl&. Padfield describes the struggle to adapt to the radical changes which affected every aspect of weapons, tactics, education, propulsion, training & social attitudes. Rule Britannia looks, in human terms, at the background to the legends that accumulate about any service as splendid & uniquely powerful as the Royal Navy, setting down the reality in the words of those who served. Topics covered include: how an expedition was mounted to punish an African tribe; what a sailor was paid & how he was disciplined; what he ate & the diseases he suffered; his pride; his moments of frolic & his exhilaration in the chase. This work penetrates beneath the legend, describing each of the navy's tasks & illustrating the lives & attitudes of both the officers & the men of this superbly arrogant force.