Complex sentence: The Shetlanders nautical skills were sought by the Royal Navy: some 3,000 served during the Napoleonic wars from 1800 to 1815 and press gangs were rife.
Split into simpler sentences: The Shetlanders nautical skills were sought by the Royal Navy. Some 3,000 served during the Napoleonic wars from 1800 to 1815 and press gangs were rife.