A Mission of Honour: The Royal Navy in the Pacific 1769-1997

Covering over two centuries of British naval activity in the Pacific, from Caprtain Cook's first voyage to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997, the author deals with such varied subjects as explorartion, marine surveying, charting, carrying convicts to Australia, fighting wars against the Russians, Chinese, Maoris, Germans and Japanese, shipwrecks, mutiny, piracy and the creatioin of new colonies for Britain such as Australia, New Zealand and Fiji