The sea has shaped Scotland and Scots have helped to shape maritime history, trade and communications. Scots and the Sea is an account of this continuing interaction. It takes a look at some of the personalities involved; at the courage and endurance of fishermen and their families; the individual brilliance of Admiral Cochrane, who helped establish free nations across the globe; at the self-serving activities of pirates like Captain Kidd; and the bravery of lifeboat volunteers. It visits ports, harbours and shipyards and looks at Scotland's role in ship construction and marine engineering from the galleys and longships of early history to clippers, steamships, ocean liners, hovercraft and oilrigs - and research into wave and tidal power. The book details the origins of Scotland's maritime traditions, the founding of a Scottish navy, the pressures towards Union, development of trade, ports, harbours, shipbuilding and marine engineering and acts of courage at sea. It also recounts the exploits and achievements of Scots in all these fields from Sir Andrew Wood to Sir Andrew Cunningham and takes a look into the future.

James Davidson served as a Naval Officer in the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Mediterranean and the Persian Gulf. Present in Tokyo Harbour at the Japanese surrender in 1945, he was Assistant Naval Attache in Moscow at the time of Stalin's death.