CHECK IT OUT

On the shores of a sea-hugging city, there’s testimony to locals’

abiding interest in maritime themes in the Balboa Branch library’s

Nautical Collection.

New additions to one of California’s most comprehensive compilations

of books, videos and periodicals about boating and sailing include

Richard Woodman’s “Baltic Mission.” Set in 1807, this seventh tale in the

Nathaniel Drinkwater series finds the HMS Antigone pitted against

Napoleon in the Baltic Sea. As country after country falls to French

domination, the able captain faces challenges born of military disaster

and diplomatic intrigue.

Also sure to appeal to naval action fans is Patrick O’Brian’s “The

Commodore,” newly available as a book on compact disc. The 17th title in

the Aubrey-Maturin sequence finds the intrepid skipper and

surgeon-cum-secret agent on a decoy mission to New Guinea. After pushing

on to Ireland to thwart Napoleon, Maturin returns home to domestic chaos:

the daughter born after he left England is unable to speak, and his

beloved wife has run away.

The adventures of the daring captain that O’Brian used as the model

for Jack Aubry are covered in “Cochran,” Robert Harvey’s page-turner

about seaman Thomas Cochran. Called “the sea wolf” by Napoleon, Cochran’s

exploits read like fiction in this compelling biography.

There are 16 hours of high-tech thrills on compact disc in “Kilo

Class,” in which Patrick Robinson portrays major powers vying for control

of the seas. The action involves the sale of deadly Russian submarines to

China and the U.S. Navy’s attempt to stop delivery without starting World

War III.

For readers who prefer real-life drama, naval historian Andrew Lambert

surveys two centuries of conflict in “War at Sea in the Age of Sail.” Set

in the 17th through mid-18th century, the illustrated volume vividly

depicts how oceangoing forces developed into instruments of world

control.

Reaching farther back is Nigel Pickford’s “The Atlas of Ship Wrecks

and Treasure.” From Roman ships laden with bronze statues to World War II

blockade runners, this is a comprehensive guide to lost ships and their

treasures.

Moving into modern age, John Hayward and C.W. Borklund detail Vice

Adm. Chick Hayward’s career in “Bluejacket Admiral.” A high school

dropout who became a nuclear physicist, Hayward was both eminently

successful and humanly colorful. The story of his role in developing the

atom bomb is justification enough for this biography, but Hayward’s

contributions to the U.S. Navy go significantly beyond that period.

After all this reading, anyone interested in the sea may be ready to

relax on board a great vessel. For virtual passage, check out “The

Superliners: Twilight of an Era,” a National Geographic video offering a

nostalgic glimpse at the era of magnificent ocean liners -- one of 60 new

videos recently added to the Nautical Collection.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Colleen Willis. All titles may be reserved from home or office computers

by accessing the catalog at https://www.newportbeachlibrary.org.