Nemesis

Launched in 1839, Nemesis was the first of a generation of iron-clad, steam-powered naval vessels that established British dominance in Asian waters in the nineteenth century. The world’s first iron warship, Nemesis was commissioned by the Secret Committee of the East India Company and covertly built in three months. It was the first vessel with truly watertight compartments, and the first iron vessel to round the Cape of Good Hope. But despite the ship’s impressive history and her important role as a symbol of Western military superiority, there has never a book dedicated to her story—until now.? In this book, Adrian G. Marshall provides an accessible and compelling account of the Nemesis, dispelling much of the mystery that has surrounded its origins and exploits.

Marshall’s lively narrative places the Nemesis in the historical context of the last years of the East India Company, and within the history of steam power and iron ships. He offers extensive detail on the ship, her crew, and life on board, and he vividly tells the story of the ship’s battles in the First Opium War and its dealings with pirate suppression and naval actions across Asia, from Bombay to Burma to the Yangtze River and beyond. Highly illustrated with colorful images from a range of sources, including commissioned maps of the different regions in which the Nemesis sailed, this book will be the definitive biography of this extremely significant warship.
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Adrian G. Marshall is the author of The Singapore Letters of Benjamin Cook 1854–1855.
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