An academy squadron of young students makes a homeward Atlantic voyage that calls at the Madeira Islands, the Canaries, the Azores, the Bermudas and the Cape Verdes, blending practical instruction with travel narrative. Onboard lessons in geography, history and shipboard health accompany episodes of seamanship, storms, a vessel in distress and a hazardous boarding, mechanical trouble and a fire-room mutiny, and the wreck of a ship. The account emphasizes youthful ambition, discipline, and camaraderie as the students undertake shore excursions, contend with the challenges of long sea passages, and complete their return voyage.