Author(s): Nicholas Courtney

Naval | Biography

'Dover, Wight - Northwest 3 or 4, occasionally 5.' While everyone has heard the shipping forecast broadcast on the radio, few realise what the numbers refer to. Known as the Beaufort Scale, it has never been bettered and, as a result, never replaced. This lasting legacy of Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort is only part of his overall contribution to the world of the mariner, scientist and antiquarian.

Nicholas Courtney chronicles the life of this unsung hero whose early years come straight from the pages of Hornblower