Invasion: Julian Stockwin's New Kydd Novel Focuses on Robert Fulton and the Invention of the Submarine

The tenth Kydd Sea Adventure has just hit the bookstores and online shops. Author Julian Stockwin has pulled out all the stops as he explores the links between real life American inventor Robert Fulton (he of the steamship) and Napoleonic France, as well as Great Britain. Seems Fulton has invented a couple of newfangled naval weapons which he calls the "submarine" and the "torpedo." Trouble is, he can't get anyone to believe in them--or in him. Eventually Kydd is called upon by the Navy to assist the inventor. Skeptical of the inventions, Kydd must face a whole new type of warfare.

Purchase Invasion, by Julian Stockwin, from McBooks Press.

Julian Stockwin discovers painting of real Thomas Kydd

Recently Julian Stockwin, author of the Kydd Sea Adventures, was sent this image by a fan of his Kydd novels. Apparently this is the real Thomas Kydd, and Julian never even knew he existed!

Julian was gobsmacked when he received this photo from Shipmate Sim Comfort! Browsing among the items in an art auction recently Sim had come across a portrait of one Thomas Kydd, master’s mate of His Britannic Majesty’s Royal Navy. The painting dates from about 1800.

Visit Julian Stockwin's website to learn more interesting information about Thomas Kydd and the Age of Sail .

Fan of Julian Stockwin's Kydd Series builds model of HMS Teazer

Princess Anne in attendance as model of Teazer unveiled at the Ivybridge Library, U.K.

Follow highlights of British modeller John Thompson's progress over the twelve months of his project to build a model of Kydd's first command, the little brig-sloop HMS Teazer. HRH Princess Anne viewed the completed model, on loan to the Ivybridge Library.

John explains how the project came about:

In late March 2007, I contacted Julian to tell him how much I enjoyed his Kydd series of books. There were a number of e-mail exchanges between us, following which, to my huge surprise and joy, I received in the post early one Saturday morning a piece of rope from HMS Invincible (captured from the French in 1747 and sank off Selsey Bill in 1758) beautifully mounted and engraved.

I was so touched by Julian's generosity to a complete stranger that I pondered how best I could return his kindness - and the idea of this build of HMS Teazer germinated.

THE WAY AHEAD So, how would I go about this build? There were no pre-existing wooden model ship kits (Teazer being a composite vessel based on several real ships of the time), but to scratch build her would have taken up to 2 years or more. After research to glean further details of her origins, I deduced (and Julian confirmed) that HMS Teazer was based loosely on the “Cruizer Class” brig rigged sloops in operation from 1797 onwards. The Cruizer class were in fact the most common type of vessel operated by the British Navy and in effect were the real workhorses - and the backbone - of the Navy (read the full model ship-building story).

Purchase the Kydd Sea Adventures, by Julian Stockwin, at McBooks.com