1/6 One of Scotland's forgotten heroes -(Sir) Andrew Wood.

image - In one famous battle in the Forth, Wood defeated an English fleet of five ships

2/6 Nigel Tranter, the prolific Scottish historical novelist, made Admiral Wood the subject of his final novel The Admiral, but then Wood had all the man-of-action qualities that draw writers like bees to honey. Wood honed his pirate slaying skills protecting his precious

3/6 cargo from the English, French and Portuguese privateers lurking behind the islands in the Forth.

When these pirates got too close to fire canons, Wood would personally lead his men in hand-to-hand combat, swinging heavy chains around his head as he engaged the enemy.

4/6 From the proceeds of his trade, he built his own ship, based on the cutting edge design of a Portuguese caravel, and named it The Yellow Caravel.

Wood was also a masterful politician, inviting James III to launch The Yellow Caravel from the Port of Leith. The King

5/6 appreciated the need for Scotland to be strong on the seas and saw Wood as the man for the job. His two 300-ton merchant ships were put into the service of the nation and were to the fore in the Anglo-Scottish war of 1480-82. As a result, in 1482, James III knighted him the

6/6 Baron of Largo and made him Admiral of the Scottish navy.