Ernle Bradford was born in Norfolk on 11 January 1922, and was educated at Uppingham School. He joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer at eighteen and served with distinction for the duration of the war, emerging as a first lieutenant. He began writing at sixteen, and is the author of many books. He was a broadcaster for the BBC and a magazine editor, and his hobbies included sailing, fishing, reading classical history and poetry, and collecting antiques.

Works by Ernle Bradford include:
The Story of the Mary Rose
The Mighty Hood
Ulysses Found
The Mediterranean: Portrait of a Sea
The Shield and the Sword: The Knights of St. John
The Sword and the Scimitar: The Saga of the Crusades

Biographies:
Southward the Caravels: The Story of Henry the Navigator
Drake
The Sultan’s Admiral: The Life of Barbarossa
Nelson