1) The ocean environment – animals, geography, geology, weather, coasts, islands 2) 2) Ship types and parts – from the first boat to the latest cutting-edge technology 1) 3) People – heroes, heroines, pirates, sailors, captains 2) 4) Disasters, battles, wars 3) 5) Literature – stories, myths, legends, proclamations, acts, orders 4) 6) Nautical sayings and slang is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary. Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the , the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War. Readers will be stimulated to read more about the remarkable men – explorers, admirals and trawlermen – who have shaped our world. The sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the terms ‘steer clear of', ‘hit the deck', ‘don't rock the boat', ‘to harbour a grudge' and the like, and give little thought to them. In the pages of this book, the reader will find the origin of a (in the sense of being drunk), the , and Other colourful terms, which have passed out of common usage, such as (sit down), (food) and (potato) are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.