J. D. (David) Davies (born 1 April 1957) is a British historian, specialising primarily in naval history, and the author of both fiction and non-fiction books.

After teaching for some years in Newquay, Cornwall, he returned to Oxford to undertake doctoral research on the naval history of the Restoration period.

Davies's first book, Gentlemen and Tarpaulins: The Officers and Men of the Restoration Navy (1991) was a revised version of his doctoral thesis.

[1][better source needed] The American Historical Review stated the second half of the book was a "pioneering study" that was "expertly presented".

[5][6] The subsequent books in the series include The Mountain of Gold,[7] The Blast that Tears the Skies, The Lion of Midnight, The Battle Of All The Ages, Death's Bright Angel,[8] The Rage of Fortune and The Devil Upon the Wave.