Battleship Boys grow up. Two young men, one rich and one poor start their careers and manage to be present at most of Great Britain's significant naval events at the end of the 19 th century. Each is true to their caste and successful in the gunner's world of naval warfare for this big gun ship era. Many historical characters, Lord Bereford, Jackie Fisher and lots of Royals, are included in the cast. More of a connect the dots than an original story line but an interesting look at navies that were made of steel and propelled by coal. ( )

The Egyptians get uppity and get Alexandria bombarded for their efforts. The writing is flat, but Richard Hough was trying to build a fiction market. ( )