First published in 1940, this classic study of naval strategy and fleet tactics in the days of rowing ships continues to be acknowledged as the best book ever written on the subject. With its companion volume, Greek and Roman Naval Warfare, also published by the Naval Institute Press, it offers a thorough examination that have remained valid from ancient times onward despite dramatic changes in weaponry and ship design. Even with today's advanced technologies, the basic rationale for the existence of a naval force-to control what happens at sea-has not changed over the centuries since the Venetians and Spaniards struck out at their enemies on the water. Years of rigorous research enabled Admiral William Rodgers to present here a sweeping historical account of naval warfare reaching from the navies of the early Roman Empire through the Anglo-Spanish War of 1585-1604, a campaign in which rowing craft were still used, although sailing ships determined the final outcome. The political and economic conditiond underlying these naval efforts are also presented, along with the author's usseful attempts to reconstruct the appearance of the early men-of-war for which records have not survived.