The Rattlesnake : a voyage of discovery to the Coral Sea

This is the epic, and beautifully-told story of a great voyage of exploration.

HMS Rattlesnake, an aging British warship, was commissioned in 1846 to survey Australia's treacherous Great Barrier Reef and to produce the first detailed chart of the New Guinea coast.

At stake was the pre-eminence of British sea power - and the ambitions of those on board.