Cromwell's Soldier Admirals
During the Commonwealth years England's navy scored a series of notable victories against the Dutch and Spanish, but the heroes of the navy were army men, not sailors. Michael Baumber scrutinises the career of the greatest general-at-sea, Robert Blake, who put new heart into the Senior Service.
Robert Blake has gone down in history as the man who restored English pride at sea and played a major role in re-establishing his country's maritime reputation. Between his appointment as one of the three generals-at-sea in February 1619 and his death in August 1657 he played a crucial part in the defeat of the Royalist fleet and the successful wars against the Dutch and the Spanish. But he was a soldier, not a career seaman, and so were his colleagues Richard Deane and Edward Popham.
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