"From one of the great naval leaders of our time, a master class in decision making under pressure through the stories of nine famous acts of leadership in battle drawn from the history of the United States Navy, with outcomes both glorious and notorious At the heart of Admiral James Stavridis's training as a naval officer was the preparation to lead sailors in combat, to face the decisive moment in battle when it arises and make the best decision...

In 1782, when the British frigate Phalarope is ordered to assist in the Caribbean, her new commander Richard Bolitho must deal with greed and ambition among the officers, and cowardice and impending mutiny among the seamen.

This is the little-known story of how a newly independent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America's third president decided to stand up to intimidation. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa's Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors...

After being tasked with taking HMS Themis into battle against the French for the strategically located island of Corsica, Master and Commander Charles Hayden soon must land his ship on Corsica, where his men join forces with native insurgents.