Reviews Xxiii

BOOK REVIEWS Hugh Bicheno. Elizabeth’s Sea Dogs – formative and turbulent because as the How the English became the Scourge of the economy developed, the shipping interest Seas. London: Conway, www.anova grew and the demand for sailors increased. books.com, 2012. 384 pp, illustrations, Bicheno meticulously explains how maps, tables, appendices, bibliography, profits made by explorers like Drake and index. UK £25, hardback; ISBN 978-1- Hawkins, or Sir Walter Raleigh and even 84486-174-3. Martin Frobisher, represented only a small proportion of England’s maritime Certain things heighten British awareness of expansion. One important consequence, nationhood: if it’s not the historical plays of however, was that privateering in the New Shakespeare or the war-time speeches of World became an essential part of Spanish Winston Churchill, it will almost certainly colonization. Bicheno understands how sea- be the legends surrounding the Elizabethan battles were fought, especially within global Sea Dogs of Devon, Francis Drake and his events, and his clear analysis of their roles cousin, John Hawkins. slices through contemporary myth and Author Hugh Bicheno has an prejudice. interest in historical conflict and politics. Born in Cuba in 1948, he was educated in Francis Drake was renowned as a Chile and Scotland as well as in Cambridge, skillful seaman, naval tactician and where he gained a first class honours degree inspirational leader. From his first ocean in history. For five years he worked for the voyage in 1566, his patriotism remained as U.K.’s intelligence service and, before the intense as his Protestantism. In 1590, he Falkland Islands invasion, he spied for co-founded the Chatham Chest to distribute Britain in the Argentine. He claims that the small pensions to disabled naval seamen. government chose to ignore the (Cheryl Fury, The Social History of English corroborated intelligence he gathered, Seamen 1485-1649 (2002) and ——— , ed., which he later turned into an unofficial and Seamen’s Wives and Widows (2012)) Yet, controversial revisionist history of the the author shows how Drake was capable of Falklands War. His other books have disloyalty, often displayed poor judgment as covered Gettysburg, Midway, the Battle of a naval strategist and had a blatant lust for Lepanto, and the American Revolution. prize money stemming from his origins England’s push for a European from poor yeoman stock. Drake’s ambition “out-thrust” in the sixteenth century was also encouraged by a predatory affected most forms of exploration and aristocracy eager to sanction piracy against maritime commerce, and the consequent France, Portugal and, above all, Spain. rapid growth in Elizabethan colonization Despite Elizabeth’s favouritism to “her during the cycles of war and peace was pirates,” who gave her a lion’s share of their predicted by the propagandist Richard booty, Raleigh prospered but Drake did not. Hakluyt. Bicheno argues that for English Drake’s attack on the Spanish at seamen, the Tudor-Stuart era was both Panama in 1571, for instance, misfired The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord, XXIII No. 3, (July 2013), 297-337 298 The Northern Mariner/Le marin du nord because the cargo of silver he was seeking member of Elizabeth’s Sea-Dogs, a unique had already been shipped. Uncertainty group of corsairs who defined an era. He surrounded his true intention for skillfully illuminates the voyages and circumnavigating the globe because he victories that justified the Sea Dogs’ carried three “dainty pinnaces” for reputation as the scourge of the sea, and not exploration, yet fitted them out for combat. only adds significantly to our understanding (N.A.M. Rodger, Safeguard of the Sea of how sixteenth-century sea battles were (1997)) When Drake returned to England in planned and fought but explains why September 1580, he found that the honour Drake’s exploits became legendary. of the first circumnavigation had gone The author has identified many posthumously to Magellan, yet he himself new sources of material surrounding the had sailed through the eponymous Strait Armada, in particular how Drake’s rivals, and seen the west coast of North America. jealous of his Royal patronage, claimed he Bicheno sympathetically describes “dined off silver plate” during the voyage of the September morning in 1580 when the 1577 while his seamen had to fish or else Golden Hind returned to Plymouth and buy their own provisions. He also lists excited citizens learned of the sources on sixteenth-century inflation, circumnavigation and the diminished threat currency and exchange rates, the details of of invasion. Most importantly, the Spanish over 3,000 Spanish “little” ships and still considered El Draque to be the devil warships and contemporary English vessels incarnate. (Neville Williams, Great Lives – and naval artillery. This is accompanied by Francis Drake (1973)) In the long run, a comprehensive bibliography, which Queen Elizabeth’s sea wars, especially includes Spanish sources. against Spain, became a symbol of English Elizabeth’s Sea Dogs is an national pride and identity. (Rodger 1997) intelligent, informative and beautifully Almost every English generation illustrated history book, which is not only grows up believing that Francis Drake was well worth the cover price but will grace the an ideal national hero, who sadly died in shelves of anyone interested in maritime 1596 after failing to capture Panama City. matters. This vividly written story will entertain Michael Clark those who enjoy reading about the rise and London, England fall of a unique group of seamen- adventurers who were regarded as heroes in England but as pirates in Spain. They Maurio Brescia. Mussolini’s Navy. A established a lasting English presence in the Reference Guide to the Regia Marina 1930- Americas, defeated the Spanish Armada, 1945. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute enriched the Queen and were instrumental Press. www.nip.org or www.seaforthpub in establishing a true navy under Henry lishing.com, 2012. 240 pp., illustrations, VIII. (Marcus Pitcaithly, “Piracy and maps, tables, notes, bibliography, index. Anglo-Hansiatic Relations 1385-1420” in US $ 72.95, cloth; ISBN 978-1-59114-544- Richard Gorski, ed., Roles of the Sea in 8. Medieval England (2012), pp.125-46 ) Some may think it unlikely that Despite its rather odd title (would the RCN anything new can be written about Francis be referred to as “Harper’s Navy”?), it is a Drake but Hugh Bicheno shows us that nice change for a volume’s sub-title to be an Drake was not only attuned to the age as a accurate description. “A Reference circumnavigator, but was also an important Guide ...” is what this large-sized volume Book Reviews 299 assuredly is. While the back cover refers to most cases, every photo has a useful it as “a complete guide,” something few caption. The Allies tended to agree that the books ever achieve, this one comes pretty RM ships were well built, usually fast, close. The chapter headings give an although their large ones tended to be “short accurate idea of the contents. “The Regia legged,” i.e. not of great endurance. But as Marina from 1861 to 1939” is a reasonable Italy did not have a large overseas empire or 18-page introduction to the state of the other commitments, this was not seen as a Italian navy at the start of the Second World significant drawback. In reading how the War, with the usual focus on its purpose RN used their battle fleet of major warships, being comparable to that of the French there is an impression that the RM shore navy. “Dockyards, Naval Bases, Ports, staff controlling events, if not the Shipyards and Coast Defences” offers commanding rear admirals at sea, tended to several maps and drawings giving locations caution rather than aggressiveness. The and layouts. “Fleet Organization and brief chronologies of all naval actions are Operations” lists various commanders along useful and interesting, ranging from June with a quick summary of all fleet and major 1940 (submarines leaving their operations by date, location and result. Mediterranean bases to participate in the “Ships in Service, 1940-45” provides a Atlantic war under German control) to 17 complete listing, from battleships to the April 1945 when Italian-manned explosive one-man explosive MAS boats. These motorboats attacked and damaged a French Motoscafo Armato Silurante (Torpedo Vichy destroyer on the northwest coast of Armed Motorboat) proved very worrisome Italy and then destroyed the uncompleted to their opponents. Another chapter deals aircraft carrier Aquila at Genoa two days specifically with those assault craft together later. Both sides of the struggle are given – with submarines and auxiliaries. Further successes and losses. In the chapter on chapters addressing naval aviation, particular ships, there is almost always camouflage, flags, uniforms, ranks, badges comment on specific actions in which the and decorations” and finally a “Who’s Who ships participated, including lessons learned of the Italian Navy in the Second World ... or not. War” make this a reference volume indeed. For model-makers, there are For some, the mass of photos, coloured pages of camouflage and aircraft many of double-page spreads, often four or markings, apart from numerous broadside five to a page, will prove the most and overhead drawings of various classes, entertaining and informative. They range and of course the many photographs of through all the ships, from building to details. The text explains the Regia identity views, shots of various ships in Marina’s reasoning for adopting various action, damaged and even abandoned at the designs, from the battleships to their large time of Italy’s surrender in 1943. There are submarines and the explosive motorboats, Royal Air Force reconnaissance photos often based, as was the case with their before and after Taranto, including opponents, on experience from the First grounded battleships after that raid, hospital World War, only twenty years before.

Load more