Which Best Historical Pirate Books Have Accurate Naval Battles?

Patrick O'Brian's 'Aubrey-Maturin' series is an obvious starting point, but I've always felt C.S. Forester's 'Hornblower' books capture the sheer, grinding tension of command a bit better for the 18th-century purist. The battles in something like 'Hornblower and the Hotspur' are these meticulous, almost procedural dissections of wind, shot, and protocol that make you feel the weight of every decision. They're less about the mythic pirate and more about the naval officer's war, which provides the necessary counterpoint to understand what the pirates were rebelling against. For a grittier, lower-deck perspective that edges closer to pirate life, I'd recommend 'The Adventures of Roderick Random' by Tobias Smollett. It's an 18th-century picaresque novel written by a man who actually served as a surgeon's mate in the Royal Navy. The naval battle sequences are chaotic, brutal, and soaked in the kind of visceral detail you only get from firsthand experience. It lacks the polish of the later historical novels, but that's precisely what makes it so valuable for understanding the period's harsh realities. If the question specifically seeks pirate-centric stories with accurate naval combat, I think the pickings get slimmer. Many pirate novels lean heavily into the romance and rebellion. A notable exception is Michael Crichton's 'Pirate Latitudes', which, despite its pulpy adventure premise, is underpinned by Crichton's typical deep-dive research into period ship technology and tactics. The final battle is a fantastic set-piece that feels both thrilling and plausibly executed within the limits of 18th-century naval warfare.