This is the story of Admiral Sir John Balchen, his life and career, and HMS Victory, the largest, finest ship-of-the-line in the Royal Navy at the time, which he commanded when both were lost, along with more than 1,000 crew, in an October storm in the English Channel in 1744. Admiral John Balchen was a courageous, if not heroic, naval officer who saw major engagements and his legacy in naval development deserves greater recognition. Indeed, the story...