Man-of-War Life

In 1844, Charles Nordhoff joined the U.S. Navy at the young age of 14. He describes his around-the-world adventure as a young sailor aboard the American ship USS Columbus, a large 74-gun ship of the line. He crossed the Equator six times while visiting many countries of south-east Asia and South America while on a diplomatic mission to China, and then to Japan, in an attempt to open the latter to American trade. He offers up an entertaining account of life in the last days of the sailing warship