Masters Under God

With the Napoleonic Wars over, Britain’s merchant fleet entered a century of industrial expansion and imperial trade. Masters Under God follows the transition from sail to steam between 1816 and 1884, when shipowners, captains and engineers connected British manufacturing centres to ports across Asia, Africa, Australasia and the Americas.

The volume examines the growth of liner companies, new routes and larger ships while retaining the experience of the seafarers who worked them. Commercial confidence and technological innovation sit beside shipwreck, exploitation and the demands of an empire increasingly dependent upon regular maritime transport.