Honoured after the Adriatic campaign, Kydd is given HMS Thunderer, a seventy-four whose poor gunnery, short-handed crew and long period of inactivity make the promotion less desirable than it appears. He must turn a neglected ship of the line into an effective command without the intimacy of a frigate.
The invasion of Russia sends Thunderer to northern waters, where British supplies and diplomacy support the last major continental opponent of Napoleon. News of Borodino and the advance on Moscow make Kydd’s convoy mission part of a campaign fought far beyond the reach of his guns.