QUARTERDECK MARITIME LITERATURE & ART REVIEW
SUMMER 2021 The Matthew Loftus Novels by Marcus Palliser
THE DESTINATION FOR NAUTICAL FICTION
www.mcbooks.com / www.rowman.com QUARTERDECK 11 MARITIME LITERATURE & ART REVIEW
T S C
Quarterdeck is published quarterly by Tall Ships Communications Contents 6952 Cypress Bay Drive Kalamazoo, MI 49009 SUMMER 2021 269-372-4673
EDITOR & PUBLISHER George D. Jepson [email protected] INTERVIEWS ASSOCIATE EDITOR Amelia A. Yeoman 11 WILLIAM C. HAMMOND The American novelist shares the story behind the Cutler Family Chronicles.
MARINE ART Quarterdeck is distributed by McBooks Press, an imprint of Globe Pequot 246 Goose Lane, Suite 200 21 ABRAHAM HULK Guilford, CT 06437 Matthew Honan profiles the Anglo-Dutch painter EDITORIAL DIRECTOR George D. Jepson Phone: 269-372-4673 DEPARTMENTS [email protected] www.mcbooks.com 4 SCUTTLEBUTT Visit Quarterdeck and McBooks Press on Facebook 30 BOOK REVIEWS 5 33 MARITIME FICTION
36 MARITIME HISTORY
COLUMNS 5 By George ON THE COVER: A Journey Back in Time On the cover: “HMS Griffin at Bombay,” a watercolor by English 22 AUTHOR’S NOTES marine artist Colin Baxter © Colin Baxter Splice the Mainbrace by Kathy Stockwin PD - US © Tall Ships Communications
3 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 SCUTTLEBUTT BOOK LAUNCHES 2021
US (United States) UK (United Kingdom) HB (Hardback) PB (Paperback) TPB (Trade Paperback) EB (Ebook)
JULY
Trial By Fire (USHB) by P. T. Deutermann
AUGUST
Harbor of Spies (USTPB) by Robin Lloyd
A Matter of Honor (USTPB) by William C. Hammond
SEPTEMBER James L. Nelson The Bomb Vessel (USTPB) by Richard Woodman AMES ELSON The Corvette (USTPB) J L. N by Richard Woodman Captain Isaac Biddlecomb Returns 1805 (USTPB) by Richard Woodman he last of the Isaac Bid- “With McBooks Press as the undis- dlecomb books was puted leader in maritime fiction pub- In Distant Waters (USTPB) “T published twenty years lishing in this country, this is a by Richard Woodman ago, the characters stuck halfway partnership that is long overdue, and through the Revolution,” said James one that I’m sure will prove a great OCTOBER L. Nelson. success.” “To this day, I regularly receive cor- Watch this space for more details A River in Borneo (USHB) by Richard Woodman respondence from readers asking if about Isaac Biddlecomb’s return and future. more volumes are on the way. They No Sacrifice Too Great (USHB) were not, of course, with the series William c. Hammond locked up and pretty much ignored by the publisher. SIGNALS . . . Thunderer (UKHB) “But that is about to change, and I James L. Nelson will soon publish The by Julian Stockwin cannot be more delighted. With the Buccaneer Coast, the first title in a NOVEMBER series poised for re-launch by Mc- new maritime adventure series – Books Press, a new generation of Blood, Steel, and Empire. The Bucca- The Isaac Biddlecomb Novels USTPB) readers will discover the books. neer Coast is the story of Jean-Bap- by James L. Nelson “For those tens of thousands of tiste LeBoeuf set in 1629 as Spain's readers who have been waiting for iron grip on the West Indies is start- DECEMBER more books in the series, they will ing to loosen, and England, France, finally discover what becomes of and Holland are making their pres- HMS Hazard (USHB/UKHB) Isaac Biddlecomb. ence known. by David Donachie
4 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 By George!
A Family’sReal lives that rival History fiction
“. . . my ancestors led a far more interesting life that I ever have done.” – Lance Whitehead
RIGHT Lance Whitehead, few months back, my thoughts naval fiction enthusiast, turned to our last visit to Eng- with a family story to to tell. land, and, in particular, to a day out in Dartmouth, the pictur- esque town on the South Devon coast. Wandering along the quay beside the River Dart as the sun appeared after a showery morn- Aing, we happened upon a small, welcoming spir- its shop and stepped inside to browse. The shopkeeper, making companionable conversa- tion, inquired whether we had tried award-win- ning Dartmouth English Gin, relatively new on the market. Admitting that we hadn’t, he offered us a sample taste. The flavors – botanicals and floral notes – were delightful, so we purchased a bottle and carried it back home. Friends with whom we shared the gin were also impressed. At the
time, it wasn’t available in America. Photo courtesy of Lance Whitehead. A year later, while reminiscing about that day in Dartmouth, I googled the distiller’s website tury in the book trade, I’ve communicated with and queried whether there was consideration of scores of readers from all walks of life, but exporting to the United States. Lance’s revelation was singular when he shared Surprisingly, I received an immediate reply his family history with me in the days ahead. from Lance Whitehead, the firm’s managing As a boy in England, he embarked on a life- director, saying that the expense to export to the long “nautical reading orientation” with HMS US was prohibitive. Twenty-four hours later, I Marlborough Will Enter Harbour by Nicholas received another email from Whitehead thank- Monsarrat. “I have re-read this book several ing me – with tongue-in-cheek – for removing times since,” he said. “It is such an inspiring the tariff on the product, and that shipment was story.” now possible. Enjoying “quite a wide range of authors,” Along with that news, Whitehead mentioned Whitehead’s naval fiction favorites include that he was an avid naval fiction reader. This “Monsarrat, C S Forrester, Douglas Reeman, prompted more questions. Over a quarter-cen- Alexander Fullerton, Julian Stockwin, Rich- †
5 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 ern Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, the Falkland Islands, and Kuwait “Throughout, I spent as much time as I could on the water, rac- ing and cruising all over Europe and exploring the Belize coast in a locally built wooden fishing sailing boat. I also explored the Falk- land Islands in an open boat in the winter, which was an experi- ence – had to throw lines overboard to Photo courtesy of Lance Whitehead. thaw them enough to use. The Falklands were littered by sailing ships – wooden and iron that “I own a traditionally-built wooden replica of a Bris- managed to reach safety tol Pilot Cutter, a 48-foot gaff-rigged vessel that would having suffered cata- strophic damage trying not have looked out of place in Nelson’s time.” to round Cape Horn, or similar misfortune. “In Port Stanley, there was an Indiaman ard Woodman, Patrick O’Brian, Philip Mc- ABOVE Lance Whitehead called Jhelum and another an iron schooner Cutchan, to name a few. at the helm of Merlin of called Lady Elizabeth. Anywhere else in the Falmouth, a 48-foot replica “I also love some of our classic novelists, of a British Pilot Cutter world, they would have been scrapped and bro- such as Thomas Hardy, Dickens, Jane Austen, named for the Rolls Royce ken up, but they were just left to fade away etc.,” he added. “Contemporary novels and sci- Merlin engine, which pow- gracefully and remained amazing time capsules ered RAF fighters and ence fiction are not really for me.” bombers his father flew, as to explore.” Family stories passed down through genera- well as the American P-51 The sea is a common thread entwined tions have inspired Whitehead’s love for naval Mustang fighter. Crafts- through generations in Whitehead’s family and fiction. men built the boat in Fal- continues today. “I have been a keen sailor mouth, Cornwall. “I have to admit that my ancestors led a far since childhood, taught by my father with more interesting life that I ever have done,” whom I sailed until he was 85,” he said. said Lance, who on leaving school served 21 “These days, I own a traditionally-built years in the Royal Air Force Regiment. The wooden replica of a Bristol Pilot Cutter, a 48- RAF’s elite private army, not dissimilar to the foot gaff-rigged vessel that would not have Royal Marines, led him to a Boys Own adven- looked out of place in Nelson’s time. Merlin of ture all over the world. Falmouth is fast, a joy to sail and very comfort- “During my service, much of the time was able to live on, too.” dominated by the Cold War, and the Regi- Listening to tales of his forebears, Whitehead ment’s role was to counter Soviet air attack and has seen “many parallels with their lives in a special forces’ attack against RAF bases and as- wide range of naval fiction from Napoleonic sets in the UK and Germany,” he explained. times until the Second World War, that really “While in the RAF, I lived in England, North- bring their experiences to life for me. In ad- †
6 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Cape Finisterre in 1780 during the Anglo- Spanish War. Promoted to captain in 1795, Sav- age joined HMS Orion, the third-rate 74-gun ship-of-the-line under Captain (later Admiral) James Saumarez, “who became a lifelong friend.” Orion was present with Nelson’s fleet at the Battle of the Nile, also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay, in 1798. During the fierce fight-
PD - US ing, Savage narrowly es- caped serious injury or death, said Whitehead, when “a French cannon dition to the storyline and setting, I find the ball passed between his arm and his side, leav- glimpse into life and society over this period ing him badly bruised but relatively un- to be fascinating.” scathed. “Before the battle, Saumarez, having John Boscawen Savage addressed the officers and ship’s compa- Whitehead’s fifth great-grandfather on ny, turned to Savage with, ‘Will you his father’s side, John Boscawen Sav- say a few words to your men?’ On age, lived through adventures rivaling which Savage spoke: ‘My lads, do you those written by Forester, Alexander see that land there? Well, that's the Kent, O’Brian, Seth Hunter, and land of Egypt, and if you don't fight Stockwin. like devils, you’ll damned soon be in Born in 1760 to an ancient Norman the house of bondage.’” family, Savage started his military career Whitehead recalled “as a boy reading as a boy in the British army, inheriting a a copy of a letter he wrote to his wife, So- commission in the 91st Regiment of Foot, phia, on arrival of the Niger at the Nore on when his elder brother died. At eleven, he 13 March 1793, in which he described how transferred to the 48th Regiment of Foot, serv- they narrowly escaped shipwreck on the Dutch ing as an Ensign in Tobago in 1772–1773. coast during a hurricane. A change of wind “In 1775,” said Whitehead, “he survived a direction at the last minute saved them.” duel with his colonel but sold his commission, In 1801, Savage served aboard HMS Gan- ABOVE TOP HMS Orion as as a result, to transfer to the Royal Marines.” depicted in a watercolor by ges, a 74-gun third-rate ship-of-the-line, at the As a Lieutenant of Marines in Nelson’s Na- English marine artist Derek First Battle of Copenhagen before blockade vy, Savage served on several ships-of-the-line, Gardner. John Boscawen duty off Brest and a year in the Caribbean. Af- Savage joined the ship un- ter a long and distinguished career at sea, he including the 80-gun Princess Amelia, the 74- der Captain (later Admiral) gun Bedford, the 74-gun Niger, as well as Ori- John Saumarez. spent the rest of his long life in England, serv- on. He also served aboard the 24-gun frigate ing King and Country close to London while Dolphin. ABOVE John Boscawen living in Woolwich, Kent. Savage from a miniature in Savage first saw action at the Relief of Gi- Whitehead’s family collec- “As a major,” said Whitehead, “Savage † braltar in 1779 and aboard the Bedford off tion. fought another duel with a brother officer
7 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 the plug on the project.” English also developed an armor-piercing shell in the 1860s, while responsible for installing guns and protective armor in forts along Eng- land’s South Coast in the 1860s. “The War Office showed no interest in the idea,” said Whitehead. “A Frenchman eventually sold the design to Germany, and their naval shells were used to who objected to him bringing his dog, Bingo, deadly effect during the Battle into the Officers’ Mess. Both were dismissed of Jutland in 1916.” the Service but Savage was quickly reinstated. During the First World He eventually became a Major General and War, Tom English’s son Deputy Adjutant-General (Commandant Gen- Douglas, who was a well- eral) of the Royal Marines.” known wild-life photogra- Savage retired to Woolwich and enjoyed the pher, served in the Royal Fly- friendship of the Duke of Clarence, who as- ing Corps. Initially enlisting cended to the throne in 1830 as King William Photo courtesy of Lance Whitehead. in the infantry, he was gassed IV, and his daughter, Princess Sophia. He died in the Battle of the Somme in there on 8 March 1843 and was buried in the ABOVE TOP The British 1916. After recovering, he transferred to the Parish Churchyard. T-Class submarine HMS Royal flying Corps to organize aerial photo- “Subsequent generations never quite lived up Tally-Ho underway during graphic reconnaissance of German trenches and the Second World War. to the adventures of John Boscawen Savage,” artillery positions. said Whitehead. “but I did hear interesting ABOVE David Whitehead, “Douglas was still serving during the amalga- snippets of his offspring. His eldest son, Henry Lance’s uncle, served mation of the RFC with the Royal Naval Air John Savage, became a Royal Engineer (finally a aboard HMS Tally-Ho dur- Service to become the Royal Air Force in Lieutenant General). During the Peninsular ing the Second World War. 1918,” said Whitehead. “Since then, every gen- War, in Spain, he was riding alone on a recon- eration of my family has served in the RAF, naissance, to decide where to build a bridge for including my father, mother, brother and son. the push east in pursuit of the French Army. “My father joined the RAF in 1942, massive- He was surprised by a group of French lancers ly underage, and went to Canada on the Queen who chased him. Approaching a fork in the Mary, where he learnt to fly at Assiniboia, in road, he was unsure which one led to safety, so Saskatchewan. On return to England, his age he let his horse make the decision. Fortunately, was discovered, but rather than being dis- his horse was an excellent navigator and he sur- missed, he became a sergeant staff pilot, train- vived to tell the tale.” ing night fighter radar operators, and this is probably what saved his life, as almost all of his Successive Generations [mates] were killed in Bomber Command. Whitehead’s later paternal forebears served as “At the same time, his older brother, David, Royal Engineers and Royal Marines, participat- served on HMS Tally Ho, a T-Class submarine ing in most of the major nineteenth-century attacking Japanese shipping in the Malacca campaigns around the world. Straits. An incident where they were caught on His third great-grandfather, Colonel Tom the surface by a Japanese warship in bad visibili- English, invented a machine that successfully ty, when the ships propeller sliced along one tunneled three miles under the English Channel ballast tank, seems to be the inspiration for an towards France “before the politicians pulled incident in one of Alexander Fullerton’s †
8 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 vessels in the summer of 1914. By the late 1920s, he captained the Bibby Line’s Dorsetshire and, in the 1930s, the Devonshire, (based in Dartmouth). These ships transported soldiers, civil servants, and diplomats to the far-flung shores of the British Em- pire. During the Second World War, he captained the Empire Pride, another troop ship which took Britain’s No 5 Commando unit from the UK to novels.” Madagascar in 1942, to seize the island from the pro-German Vichy French, as part of Operation Cyril Fountain Ironclad. Whitehead’s maternal grand- “This was probably Britain’s last hostile ac- father, Cyril Fountain, the tion against the French – if you exclude annual son of a Boston (Lincolnshire, rugby fixtures,” said Whitehead. “The objective UK) doctor, was born in was to prevent the island being used as a subma- 1890 and experienced his rine base by the Japanese. I have two souvenirs own sometimes hair-raising of his life at sea, his binoculars and an inscribed adventures at sea. commando dagger presented to him by No 5 “As a boy,” said White- Commando during their return trip to UK.” head,” he spent as much time as he could hanging around Peaceful Pursuits the docks watching the After serving the Crown, Lance and his wife, schooners loading and un- Caroline, settled in South Devon, near the sea, loading cargo. His ambitions where they purchased a small farm and planted to go to sea were vigorously vineyards and orchards. discouraged by his family. “The craft gin movement in the UK was However, he was so persistent gathering pace,” said Whitehead. “We began to
that his father arranged a voy- Photos courtesy of Lance Whitehead. visit distilleries to learn something about the age on a sailing collier, in the craft; I was impressed by the beautiful copper belief that the experience stills and the expertise required to run them, would knock some sense into him. ABOVE TOP The Calan- and began to taste gin in an entirely new way, “Whilst ashore in the Far East, he was shang- combe Estate vineyard in picking out individual flavors and how they haied and was forced to sail as a slave on a pirate South Devon. INSET Pi- worked together. not Grigio grapes in the ship, preying on local commerce. After many vineyard. “Inspired by Caroline’s enthusiasm for her months, he managed to escape and eventually vineyards, I bought a small alembic still and worked his ticket back to England on a British ABOVE Caroline White- started experimenting, and this convinced me to head among the grape- steamer. vines at Calancombe buy a full-sized column still to make gin on a “By the time he reached home, (still in his Estate. commercial basis.” early teens), his family had given him up for “By June 2018, we produced our first com- dead but, because he remained so full of enthu- mercial batch of gin and were encouraged to siasm for the sea, his father relented and sent enter a bottle in the Craft Distillers Gin of the him to a merchant naval college.” Year competition. I felt that it was much too Fountain earned his master’s ticket for steam early to aspire to such a venture but was †
9 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 RIGHT The Dartmouth convinced by the promise of written feedback English Gin distiller about our gin from a panel of industry experts. and the signature spir- its. Accepting that this advice would be invaluable at our early stage, we entered the competition alongside over 100 other distilleries across Eu- rope. “To my total astonishment, we won Classic Gin of the Year 2018, and this gave us the confi- dence to begin the sales process. Since then, we have won several gold medals for Dartmouth English Gin and for our Navy Strength Gin.” “Our families’ past has been woven into the fabric and history of Dartmouth and the sur- rounding area for centuries,” said Whitehead. “Caroline’s family have a much longer tradition of shipbuilding in Brixham and in Dartmouth. They built several sailing Brixham Trawlers, which they operated, and they built brig schoo- ners to trade from Dartmouth to as far away as the Caribbean. “Caroline’s grandfather, the last in the line, joined the Royal Navy in 1939 and served on will choose three authors that are still writing, HMS Penelope, an Arethusa-class light cruiser, whose work I am enjoying immensely, and which was finally torpedoed by U-401 in Febru- whose personal background I find interesting: ary 1944 off Naples. He was one of many not to survive. “Julian Stockwin – From the outset, I was sure “With this family background, and having that Julian was a Navy man, and this background spent some of my childhood in Dartmouth, brings a special perspective to his work. Kydd, when we were thinking about branding the gin, a his principal character, is pressed into the Royal maritime theme was an obvious choice. We were Navy, so we are introduced to a new theme in pleasantly surprised that Dartmouth had not the narrative, as he strives to rise from such an been chosen by anyone. inauspicious beginning. Unable to find a suitable location in Dart- mouth, the Whitehead’s established their distill- “Philip K. Allan – Again, I like the fact that Phil- ery at their Calancombe Estate winery building, ip balances the storyline between the officers and not far from the ancient seaport. the men upon whom their success depends. Me- “We have dedicated our Navy Strength Gin to ticulous research of social norms and language the Royal Navy officers whose career started at add to authenticity. Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, which was founded in 1863 aboard two former “Richard Woodman – Great stories and very in- first-rate sailing ships, Britannia and Hindustan. teresting background to life in the Royal Navy from bullying midshipmen, to the main charac- Gin ter’s personal challenges as he progresses. He This all started with gin, on a showery day in touches on subjects that many would avoid. Dartmouth, Devon. When I connected with Lance Whitehead, I wondered, given the oppor- “Ideally, I would suggest having the Dart- tunity, which three authors would he like to sit mouth Gin and tonics whilst under sail on our down over a gin and tonic. Bristol Pilot Cutter, Merlin of Falmouth.” n “This is a difficult one to answer because I love so many authors, he said. “To narrow the field, I – George Jepson
10 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 © Geoffrey Huband, RSMA
INTERVIEW WILLIAM C. HAMMOND The Seafaring Cutlers Defend America in the Age of Sail
n 2007, William C. Hammond, New England-born and bred author, introduced Richard Cutler, patriarch of the Hingham, Massachusetts seafaring family, in A Matter of Honor, present- ing the American perspective during the Age of Sail, launch- Iing the Cutler Family Chronicles. A Matter of Honor Richard Cutler’s stirring story, as And then “life got in the way,” Hammond said, while he he comes of age during the American Revolution, sailing put the Cutler Family Chronicles on hold for a time. with John Paul Jones to avenge his brother This autumn, McBooks Press will publish the series in Will’s death after being pressed into the new trade paperback editions, starting with A Matter of British Royal Navy. Honor in August. Over the next seven years, Hammond And in December, McBooks will launch a new title produced four additional titles in the se- in the series, No Sacrifice Too Great, in hardback, as ries: For Love of Country, The Power and the Richard Cutler and his sons sail under Old Glory Glory, A Call to Arms, and How Dark against the British during the War of 1812. the Night. Hammond, who resides in New Zea- Each succeeding title follows the land with his wife, Sheree, has a follow- Cutlers from the Revolutionary War ing breeze at his back as the Cutler to the Quasi-War with France to the Family Chronicles move forward into First Barbary War to the years lead- the early nineteenth century. † ing up to the War of 1812. William C. Hammond Hammond recently shared the
11 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 background behind his writing career Cutler family’s maritime adventures and the Cuter Family Chronicles with during the American Revolution. What Quarterdeck. was the driving force behind featuring a – George Jepson New England family, rather than a sin- gle primary character? As a boy in Massachusetts, were you a reader? What sorts of stories excited Featuring a family offers the author you during this early period in your more opportunities for character and life? plot development as well as historic perspective. Whereas Richard Cutler’s In large part, due to my grandmother, parents settle in Hingham, Massachu- the ultimate bibliophile; my uncle, a setts, his uncle and his uncle’s family professor of English Literature at Yale; remain in residence at the family seat in and my mother, a voracious reader, I Fareham, England. received an early and supportive start The family owns sugar plantations in my reading / writing career. The on the islands of Tobago and Barbados sorts of books that excited me were ad- in the West Indies, and the family as a venture and mystery stories, and espe- whole is heavily involved in the carry- cially sea stories and stories set in early ing trade along the Great Triangular and medieval England. Route in the Atlantic. With family in both America and Great Britain, and in What authors especially appealed to British overseas possessions, the Cutler you? family offers multiple perspectives on the war, as well as numerous conflicts Jack London, Edward L. Stratemeyer and historical events leading up to the (the Hardy Boys series), and Thomas War of 1812. Costain were early favorites. And, of One Cutler cousin, Seth, joins the course, Ian Fleming. But my favorite officer corps of the Royal Navy and author during those formative years fights on the British side. was Edward R. Snow. His accounts of the mysteries of the Boston Harbor Are the Cutlers historical figures? Islands are classics and they utterly cap- tivated me. They still do. While many well-known historical fig- ures have speaking roles in the Chroni- Were there works that you have re- cles, the Cutler family is fictitious. turned to again and again? Did you anticipate a series in the be- Aside from the Snow titles, I have read ginning? all Patrick O’Brian and C. S. Forester novels at least twice. In later years I I did. Initially, I envisioned a series of have returned frequently to the classic three novels featuring midshipman, novels of William Faulkner and the lieutenant, and captain Richard Cutler. more modern novels of Pat Conroy, as But not long into writing A Matter of well as individual titles such as The Honor, I realized that to truly represent Catcher in the Rye, A Separate Peace, the American perspective in the Age of The Red Badge of Courage, and The Fighting Sail, more books would be Cruel Sea. required. It was a wonderful revelation.
It’s been 14 years since A Matter of No Sacrifice Too Great, the sixth title in Honor was published, introducing the the Chronicles, will be published in †
12 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Bill and Sheree at Island Bay, Wellington, New Zealand. Photo courtesy of William c. Hammond.
“Under no circumstances would I permit historical accuracy to be compromised in any of my novels.”
October by McBooks Press after a sev- family – and to finish volume six. Sher- en-year hiatus. What brought you back ee and I were married two years ago to the Cutlers? and now live in the town of Puhoi in the North Island. I never left the Cutlers and I fully in- tended to keep on writing the Chroni- Has your move to New Zealand affect- cles. But as sometimes happens, life got ed the way you have been able to re- in the way. My beloved wife Victoria search your stories? passed away in 2011, and in her honor, I wrote two books that profile our life Not to any great extent. Much research together and also my spiritual journey these days is done on line. If primary since her passing. Then events in the source materials are required, I can publishing necessitated finding a new usually get hold of them. Of course, it publisher for my books, which my doesn’t hurt that my next novel is set agent did to my complete satisfaction. here in New Zealand. Under no cir- In 2016, after returning to volume six, cumstances would I permit historical I received an email from a lovely lady accuracy to be compromised in any of in New Zealand who, having read The my novels. Ultimate Gift, was moved to write to me and then to fly to North Carolina Please describe where you write. to meet me. One thing led happily to another, and I, in turn, flew to New Nothing “flash” here, as we say in New Zealand to be with her and meet her Zealand. I use a laptop on a simple †
13 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Bill on the beach in Bill and Sheree at the Bay New Zealand. of Islands, New Zealand.
Bill and Sheree at the Bay of Islands, New Zealand.
“. . . my writing career gives me the opportunity to combine three great passions of my life – sailing, history, and the sea . . .” Photos courtesy of William c. Hammond. this question. My answer is always the same: the book I am currently working desk in the room I have used for writ- War. on. ing since my arrival in New Zealand. It’s a comfortable and quiet space ex- What has been the most rewarding as- Name a half-dozen historical figures, cept when the cat demands my at- pect of your writing career? including literary characters, you tention or when Sheree’s three grand- would like to host over a fine meal. children entice me downstairs or out- There have been and continue to be an side. The view outside my window is of abundance of rewarding aspects, not Winston Churchill, Dorothy Parker, a sweeping lawn, stately oak trees, and least of which is the opportunity to John Kennedy, Bill Buckley (these four the Puhoi River, and it is spectacular. step back in time and experience life in would get any party rolling), Horatio an earlier age. Furthermore, I would Hornblower, and Abigail Adams. And Where are the Cutlers headed after No say that my writing career gives me the Richard and Katherine Cutler, of Sacrifice Too Great? opportunity to combine three great course! passions of my life – sailing, history, If the Good Lord is willing and the and the sea – in stories that have given Is there anything else you would like to creek don’t rise, I will end up writing me a great satisfaction to write and, I share with our readers? ten volumes in the Chronicles. Volume hope, give others a great satisfaction to 7 is set in New Zealand at the start of read. As a teenager, I could not imag- To those readers who have experienced the Maori Wars in the mid 1840s. Vol- ine a more rewarding career. I still the Cutler Family Chronicles, I would ume 8 will take Richard Cutler (the can’t. like to express my gratitude for your grandson of the original Richard Cut- support of my writing. To those read- ler) and the surviving crew of his Do you have a favorite book in the ers who have not experienced them, I wrecked frigate to Australia and from Chronicles? hope you will, and I hope you find there back to the States. Volumes 9 them to be as interesting and entertain- and 10 will be set during the Civil In recent years I have often been asked ing as they were written to be. n
14 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Alamy ©
AUTHOR’S NOTES “Splice the Mainbrace!”
BY KATHY STOCKWIN
Kathy and Julian Stockwin work closely as a Kydd looked creative team producing the much-loved Thomas around, but the Kydd Series. A former magazine editor-in-chief, others did not Kathy brings an impressive range of skills to the seem to notice; they team. In this special article for “Quarterdeck” she were all comfort- raises a glass to the drink most associated with Jack ably in conversa- Tar, rum, and along the way invites us to tion. “Are you vicariously imbibe some of the other alcoholic offering?” he said. beverages popular in the Georgian Navy. “Wait there,” ABOVE TOP Sailors drink- said Phelps, and n Kydd, the debut novel in the series, a ing rum punch and danc- lurched heavily to naïve young wig-maker from Guildford, ing with prostitutes his feet. He went who has been press-ganged against his below decks on a ship after the end of the Na- forward out of will, is introduced to rum by the sailor poleonic Wars. A Jollifica- sight, returning with his jacket clutched tight IDan Phelps. tion on board HMS around him as though against the cold. He re- Peranga. The hand col- sumed his seat. ored copperplate was “I thought sailors only had rum!” Kydd said, with- drawn and engraved by “Give us yer pot, mate,” he instructed. Kydd did out thinking. Robert Cruik- shank, pub- as he was told and caught the flash of a black bot- Phelps grinned. “We does, but only when the lished in The English Spy, tle under the table. Then his tankard was re- swipes runs out.” He pursed his lips. “You sayin” London, 1825, written by turned. Bernard Blackmantle, a as you want to try some?” he said, in mock inno- pseudonym for Charles He waited casually then lifted it. It caught him † cence. Molloy Westmacott. by surprise. In the dull pewter of his tankard
15 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 was a deep, almost opaque mahogany brown liquor. Its pungent fumes wafted up with a lazy potency, which dared him to go further. The buzz of conversation swirled around. He took a swallow. This was not issue three-water grog, but neat spirit, and its burning progress to his stomach took his breath away. He sur- faced with a grin. “A right true drop!” Phelps’ eyebrows lifted. “You’ll not get that sorta stingo usually, cully, but if yer play your cards right with Dan PD - Art PD - Art Phelps. . .” tapping the side of his nose, “. . .yer mebbe could see more of it.” Kydd raised his pot again. This time he was prepared for the spreading fire, Since the early days of sailing ships, and gloried in the flood of satisfaction it © Alamy released. His whirling anxieties subsided the most readily available liquids to take and his naturally cheerful temperament began to reassert itself. He finished the on voyages were water and beer . . . last of the rum with real regret. ABOVE LEFT Vice-Admi- each man was entitled, daily, to a pint of wine Rumbustion ral William Penn by Sir or a half-pint of rum or other spirits. Peter Lely, a painter of Since the early days of sailing ships, the most Dutch origin who pri- In 1740 Admiral Edward Vernon, nicknamed readily available liquids to take on voyages were marily spent his career “Old Grogram“ because of the boat cloak he water and beer, both of which could only be in England as a portrait wore made of that material, ordered that the painter to the court. stored for a short time before they became un- rum issue be diluted 1:4, and thereafter the palatable. Sometimes brandy was available, as ABOVE RIGHT Admiral drink was called grog. He talked of “the swinish was arrack, a drink made from rice, issued in the Edward Vernon by vice of drunkenness.“ East Indies. Thomas Gainsborough, By 1793 the dilution was usually 1:3. From English portrait and Vice-Admiral William Penn’s fleet conquered landscape painter, Vernon’s day until the end of the Napoleonic Jamaica in 1655, and it was here that rum, or draughtsman, and print- Wars, two issues of grog per day remained the rumbustion, was first issued on board ships of maker. custom whenever beer was unavailable. His Majesty’s Royal Navy. Rum was also called Strict protocol governed the issue of rum at rumbullion, kill devil, Barbados waters, and sea. The boatswain’s mate piped “Up Spirits,” red-eye. the signal for a petty officer to collect the keys Rum has the advantage of keeping well, even to the spirit room from an officer. The ship’s improving with age. When abroad, captains of cooper and a detachment of Royal Marines ships were allowed to replace beer with fortified joined him, and they unlocked the spirit room wine, sometimes brandy, but neither was avail- door. The group witnessed the pumping into a able in the West Indies. Rum was, however, and keg the rum allowance for every rating and petty it became a popular drink ration in this part of officer on the ship. Two marines then carried the world, even though the Victualling Board the keg onto the deck where the rum was mea- back in England had not officially sanctioned its sured out, neat for the petty officers, mixed with use. water for the ratings (from 1748 onwards.) From 1655 well into the eighteenth century, Rum was a currency aboard a ship, with spe- the issue of rum very much depended on indi- cial terms for various amounts of the spirit. vidual captains. In 1731, the Royal Navy offi- Gulpers meant one swallow, but as much as you cially decreed that if beer was not available, then could drain in one go; sippers, a more genteel †
16 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Nelson’s Blood The myth persists that after he died on board HMS Victory of his wounds sustained at the Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson’s body was preserved in a cask of rum before being returned to Eng- land for burial. On the way home, according to some versions of the story, the sailors on board Victory drilled a small hole in the cask and drank the rum, hoping to imbibe some of his strength and courage. To this day in the Royal Navy rum is known as “Nelson’s blood.” Most sailors were committed to the deep if they died at sea, but Nelson had made it plain that he did not wish such a fate. This presented Victory’s surgeon Sir William Beatty with the © Alamy task of preserving the body. There was not sufficient lead on board to make an airtight coffin, and he had neither the equipment nor the knowledge for embalming. Beatty placed the shirt-clad body in a water leaguer, the largest barrel aboard. He filled this with brandy, probably taken from a French prize, and lashed the barrel to the mainmast on the middle deck. There, it was guarded day and
Alamy night by an armed marine. © En route to Gibraltar, the sentry got the fright of his life when the lid of the barrel began to rise up, no doubt as a result of the body’s re- lease of internal gases. At Gibraltar it was found amount suggested by the name; and sandy bot- ABOVE Dockyard Riggers toms, the entire tot. “Splice The Mainbrace” that Nelson’s body had absorbed a quantity of as re-rigging of HMS Vic- the brandy, which was replaced with spirits of tory in Portsmouth, wine, a better preservative. A Sad Day for the Royal Navy Hampshire, nears com- The American Navy ended the grog ration on 1 pletion on July 7, 1964. Owing to bad weather the long voyage back September 1862, but the practice continued in to England took over four weeks and during the the Royal Navy for over a century. course of it the cask was renewed twice with two Friday 31 July 1970 saw the last issue and parts of brandy to one part spirits of wine. became known as Black Tot Day. The First Sea Lord Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Beer Le Fanu issued this message to the Royal Navy There were several kinds of beer on general issue around the world: – small beer and strong beer. Small beer was weaker and cheaper but would go sour within a Most farewell messages try few weeks. It was mainly used for short voyages. To jerk a tear from the eye Strong beer lasted better and was issued on lon- But I say to you lot ger voyages. The standard daily beer ration was a Very sad about tot gallon per seaman. But thank you, good luck and good-bye. Kydd is introduced to spruce beer in Quarter- deck at the home of the commissioner for lands, Thereafter, the admiral, a redhead, became a Mr Lawrence Greaves. known as “Dry Ginger.” They settled inside by the large fire. “Cali- †
17 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 © Alamy
“. . . Kydd passed into a cobbled courtyard; before him was a portico and the main door, massive and oaken. The Admiralty!”
Bogus?” Greaves offered. At the puzzled looks he around the table – always to the left! ABOVE The grog station smiled, “A Nova Scotian cure for the wind’s chill – Barrels of Madeira were often taken aboard aboard HMS Warrior, the 40-gun steam-powered spruce beer stiffened with rum. I believe we will Naval ships to be exposed to heat and air on armored frigate launch- have King’s calibogus, which is taken hot, and is a long sea voyages. The process caramelized the ed by the British Royal sovereign remedy!” sugars and oxidized the wine, enhancing Navy in 1860. She is now moored at the Ports- the flavor. mouth Historic Dockyard Admiral Vandeput con- Tradition has it that water was in England. sidered spruce beer essen- used in the first two attempts to tial to the health of christen the iconic USS Constitu- LEFT The Right Honour- able Edward Russell by seamen (erroneously tion – “Old Ironsides” – but she English painter and copy- thought to be an anti- would not budge. It took a bottle ist Thomas Gibson. scorbutic) and ensured of fine Madeira from the cellar of there was always a good a leading Boston merchant to supply for his squadron. entice her to enter Neptune’s He was not alone in Realm. his admiration for the qualities of the beverage. A Glass of Punch? Captain Fremantle brewed Punch was a popular beverage aboard, spruce beer during the long especially on social occasions but this was months of blockade duty against the once taken to a new level. The Right Honour- French. able Edward Russell was captain-general and commander-in-chief of His Majesty’s forces in Madeira the Mediterranean. Towards the end of dinner, Royal Navy officers On 25 October 1694, Russell served a punch traditionally pass decanters of Port and Madeira from a marble fountain in his garden at Ali- †
18 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 cante, Spain. The ingredients of the beverage were 4 hogs- heads of brandy, 8 hogsheads of water, † 25,000 lemons, 75 liters (20 gallons) of lime juice, 560 kg (1,300 pounds) of fine white Lisbon sugar, 3 kg (5 pounds) of grated nutmeg, 300 toasted biscuits and a pipe of dry mountain Malaga. Rus- sell had a large canopy con- structed to keep off the rain, and a ship’s boy rowed around the fountain in a mahogany boat, filling the cups of the Alamy
6,000 assembled guests. When © the poor lad became overcome with the fumes, another took his place.
warship told the officers to remain ABOVE “Europe’s Hope Brandy seated when they were about to and Britain’s Glory” de- picts Johnny Newcome Brandy (usually a fine Cognac) drink his health, saying “Your loy- was favored by the officers , often bringing rum to his fel- alty is above suspicion.” This was low officers in the mid- taken from a French prize. possibly a reference to a belief that shipman’s mess. The hand-colored copper- by standing a person carrying side plate engraving was Wardroom Toasts arms would be exposed. done from an illustration In Tenacious, Bryant, first lieuten- Of course it was almost impos- by Charles Williams from ant and president of the mess, sible to stand upright between John Mitford’s Adven- tures of Johnny New- turns to Kydd as the most junior decks in many men o’war, only come in the Navy, lieutenant present. “Mr Vice – the those officers seated between the published in London in King.” In response, Kydd lifts his beams could do so, with some 1819. The name .Johnny glass and pauses for quiet. “Gen- semblance of dignity. And in Newcome was British slang for a raw recruit in tlemen – the King.” those ships with a pronounced tumblehome the army or navy. To this day in the Royal Navy the Loyal (steeply sloping side), this would be even more Toast is drunk seated, as it was in Kydd’s day. of a challenge. It may just have been that the Why this became so is not clear but some possi- custom of remaining seated evolved over many ble explanations have been suggested: years for practical reasons with no directives from royal personages. « King Charles II was aboard one of his As well as the Loyal Toast, a number of oth- ships and bumped his head on a low beam ers were popular in the wardroom: when responding to a toast. He vowed that henceforth his naval officers would be allowed Sunday: “Absent friends” to remain seated when drinking to his health. Monday: “Our ships at sea” « William IV, “the sailor king,” served in Tuesday: “Our men” the Royal Navy and reputedly bumped his head Wednesday: “Ourselves, as no-one else is so many times toasting his father that he vowed likely to concern themselves with our wel- when he became king no other officer would fare” suffer a similar fate. Thursday: “A bloody war or a sickly season” « The Prince Regent (who would later be- Friday: “A willing foe and sea room” come George IV) while dining aboard a British Saturday: “Sweethearts and wives – may †
19 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 they never meet”
The Thursday toast is a refer- ence to the opportunity for pro- motion via a dead man’s shoes, in peacetime often the only way to get ahead.
Gin I fondly remember enjoying the splendid view of Hong Kong harbor from the officers’ bar in the Prince of Wales Building, the Royal Navy headquarters in Hong Kong, and sipping a Pink Gin, a much favored tipple of gin and a dash of angostura bit- PD - Art © Alamy ters. In Mutiny, the ringleader Richard Park- ABOVE An illustration Wine er asks for a “Dog’s Nose” – one ounce of gin from the book Songs, Na- mixed with 12 ounces of ale. val and National by Wine was sometimes issued to the sailors, espe- While gin might not might not have been Thomas Dibdin, pub- cially in the Mediterranean. Sailors were fond of imbibed as frequently as rum or brandy, it has a lished in London, Eng- Mistela wine, which they called Miss Taylor. land in 1841. The caption long association with the Royal Navy. There’s a is “Saturday Night At But they did not like the red wine known as reference to a quantity of “Hollands” being sent Sea,” showing a group of Black Strap; being sent to serve in the Mediter- to the Cape of Good Hope as far back as 1793. sailors sharing a whet ranean was called “being black-strapped.“ This is an antiquated term for Dutch gin. It was and singing while off du- Naval officers in Kydd’s day were members of ty. The illustration itself also referred to by the old Dutch name “genev- is by George Cruikshank, the wardroom mess, and each subscribed a cer- er” in old naval documents. British caricaturist and tain amount of money towards a communal Another document referring to “coarse and book illustrator. store of wine to enjoy with meals. water,” a slang term for Plymouth gin, dates Officers often recorded their wine consump- back to 1799 – one of the its earliest mentions. tion in terms of bottles, rather than glasses. One The Navy were certainly fans of the Plymouth of the Royal Navy’s most colorful characters, style. At one time, each Navy ship departing Thomas Cochrane, recalled trying to avoid get- from Plymouth Harbour was said to take on ting too drunk during his youthful years in the board 200 cases of gin. It often didn’t even last Navy by pouring some of his wine down his as far as Gibraltar. sleeve. He was discovered and narrowly escaped In the eighteenth century, it was believed to the standard punishment of having to drink a be the cure for various illnesses, and a legislation whole bottle himself. French wine was popular, was passed requiring every vessel to take on often from captures, and claret was said to “as- board a certain quantity of this spirit. For al- sist the memory, give fluency to speech and ani- most 200 years, all newly commissioned ships mate the mind with real gaiety to enliven received a “Gin Commissioning Kit,” a wooden conversation.“ box containing two bottles of “Navy Strength” A fine sentiment, I say . . . n gin and glassware. “Navy Strength” is a higher proof gin than standard gin. It averages at around 57 percent. Visit the Stockwins online at This is apparently the strength at which gun- www.julianstockwin.com and powder can still be fired if it gets soaked with on Facebook. gin!
20 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 MARINE ART Detail from “Sunrise on the Zuiderzee” by Abraham Hulk the Elder (1813-1897). PD - Art © Bonhams Ltd. 1793 ABRAHAM HULK Celebrated Anglo-Dutch Nineteenth-Century Marine Artist
BY MATTHEW HONAN
braham Hulk (1813-1897) was a celebrated nineteenth-century Anglo-Dutch artist whose journey to the United States in 1833 spurred his transition from portrait painter to sea painter. This article about his life and work includes ex- A cerpts from his American travel journal published here for the first time. Hulk’s Dutch father, Hendrick, settled in fabrics. London during the Napoleonic era, where For business and personal reasons, the he became a textile merchant. There he family moved to Amsterdam in 1814, married Mary Burroughs in 1803. The traveling on a boat loaded with Eng- couple had thirteen children, six of lish fabrics. The family moved into an whom were born in London. old merchant’s house on the Nieuwez- Abraham was born in 1813 in ijds Voorburgwal. Hendrick became a Shoreditch, East London, which, along trader on the Bloemenmarkt in Am- with nearby Spitalfields, was a working- sterdam and later in Haarlem. class area with a large community of Hu- Abraham spent his childhood in Am- guenots. These districts were mainly known sterdam, where every day he observed for producing and trading silk and other Abraham Hulk Self Portrait moored and passing ships. The canal †
21 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Boston Harbor, from the ship house, west end of the Navy Yard in 1833, as Abraham Hulk the Elder would have seen it upon his arrival. The lithograph is by William James Bennett, an American artist, born in England, c. 1787. © Alamy
A raging storm near the Azores threw Hulk’s bags and cases from one side of the ship to the other. upon which he lived opened to a view pean artists practiced the relatively new made during his two-year stay. of Amsterdam harbor teeming with a art medium. Stories about America by foreigners forest of masts. The Dutch landscape painter B. C. from that period are pretty rare. Hulk’s Hulk didn’t want to join his father's Koekkoek (1803-1862) and Daiwaille diary, fifty-five written pages in Dutch, or any other business. The economy in worked together on a series of land- often without punctuation, documents the Netherlands from 1815-1850 was scape lithos between 1828-1830, form- his journey by sea. The personal, in- weak, largely non-industrialized, and ing landscape studies for future spiring experiences made an impression there was a significant public debt. In- students in the Netherlands. The Acad- and helped influence his decision to stead, he and his younger brother Jo- emy first introduced a course in land- become a marine artist. hannes (1829-1911) chose to become scape drawing and painting in 1842. Hulk left Amsterdam on April 16, artists. 1833, and sailed from the Dutch island In 1828, Hulk enrolled at the Na- Abraham Hulk’s Texel to Boston on the brig Florida. tional Academy of Arts in Amsterdam, On the front page of his travel journal, working under the portrait painter Jean Journey to America he sketched a brig. Augustin Daiwaille. At the school, he Hulk was just twenty years old when In the English Channel, a British studied drawing, painting and learned he graduated from the Academy in warship briefly inspected the brig’s by copying old masters and contempo- 1833. That same year, he decided to go shipping documents. There was an em- rary paintings. to America to look for work as a por- bargo on all Dutch ships, even though The Academy encouraged students trait painter and visit Boston and New Florida was an American brig, flying to master traditional historical scenes York. Abraham Hulk’s travel diary to the Stars and Stripes. and to draw figures. Daiwaille also in- America (1833-1835) does not contain A raging storm near the Azores troduced a new course in lithography, a daily account of his activities. Still, it threw Hulk’s bags and cases from one which Hulk followed. In the 1820s, an side of the ship to the other. He feared provides an overview of his most im- † increasing number of influential Euro- portant experiences and observations that the vessel might lose a mast
22 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 “Sorting the Catch” by Abraham Hulk the Elder. while securely tied down with the crew and other passengers. After- ward, he wrote in his journal:
These were not pleasant days. it (sic) was a terri- ble confused place on the deck. With not a man at the helm, it had to be tied to the leeward side. There was a terrible high sea that made the ship rock from side to side and now and then the deck would be
awash with water. Oh © Bonhams Ltd. 1793 how much man then felt his nothingness, he who a while before mocks at Sailing the Atlantic Ocean, he experienced stormy seas, everything that floats, and howling winds, heavy rainfall, and dense fog. yet power of prayer changes man in such moments com- pletely, and but a crashing wave is sweated terribly in the first days of my ington Street, State Street, Broad Street, enough to sweep and bury him away into stay in Boston. With regards to the build- Hanover Street, Cambridge Street, Milk the depths of the sea and then bring him ings in the city, the construction is com- Street, and several others. These mainly before God’s final judgment. pletely the opposite to those located on the shopping streets are usually very clean. periphery of the city. One sees beautiful The city is completely surrounded on the Romantic movement artists dwelled stone houses many around Boston entirely sea front with protruding quays where upon the sense of human helplessness made of granite. The streets are much ships of all sizes are moored, which makes in the face of unleashed and dominant wider than in Amsterdam. Boston also loading and unloading very easy. Now I forces of nature. Hulk’s work reflects has very beautiful important buildings will not report any more about Boston, this theme through his expressively and including the State House which is locat- otherwise it would seem as if I would like sensitively painted seas, skies, and fish- ed on a hill. In front of this building lies to make a full description of it which is ing boats. a very extensive piece of hilly land which absolutely out of my reach. Two days af- Sailing the Atlantic Ocean, he expe- is called the Common, which is complete- ter I arrived, I found a suitable boarding rienced stormy seas, howling winds, ly planted with trees and is surrounded house (or lodging) for a fee of three and a heavy rainfall, and dense fog. Near by beautiful walking trails. It is very quarter dollars a week for which I had a Georges Bank past Cape Sable Island, pleasant to walk here, especially during separate room and good food and drink, summer evenings because of the fresher but the way of life here is completely dif- he saw large whales for the first time. air coming from the Back Bay district of ferent than in Holland. After nearly two months at sea, he ar- Boston. Also, from there one has a very rived in Boston Harbor on June 13, clear view of the Back Bay. Boston also Hulk arrived in America at a time of 1833. has a fine post office and several fine peace and increasing prosperity. In churches, including the Park Street 1835, there was no national debt dur- I saw nothing but warehouses and a mul- Church of Saint Paul, the Presbyterian ing Andrew Jackson’s presidency, the titude of old wooden buildings. In some Church and several others. All religious only time the country achieved this. places the unpaved roads brought up an faiths seem to prevail here except the Jew- awful lot of dust in the slightest wind, So, the prospects for finding work in ish. There is also a Masonic temple here. which is very unpleasant, it also seemed a New England were initially good for The names of the major streets are Wash- † bit warmer than in Holland because I the young artist. 23 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 A lithograph of New York City by French artist J. Bachmann, who was active from the 1830s to the 1860s. Bachman depicted the city as Hulk would have seen it. Sometime later, he re- turned to New York, stay- ing for a few days despite suffering headaches from the summer heat.
New York is a sprawling city with a population esti- mated at 250,000 souls. There is always a terrible hustle and bustle here. One’s senses are lost by the many carts and people that are constantly seen along the road. This city is not very clean, and just like in Albany, pigs walk by the street to find their food.
The© Alamy streets are also very wide here, including the “New York is a sprawling city with a population Broadway (about 70 feet wide), which starts at the estimated at 250,000 souls.” Battery and runs through the whole city. From the I was lucky to get an orderly good room York the next day, boarding a steam- Battery one has a very nice view of the on payment of one American dollar a boat on the Hudson River on its way river and the coast of New Jersey. It is week which is two Dutch guilders and to Albany. He was particularly im- very pleasant to walk in the park of the fifty cents, which there is considered very pressed with the views of the Catskill Battery in summer because of the fresh cheap. On the advice of the Dutch consul Mountains as he sailed through the breeze. In the park one can sit at several I arranged for an advertisement in the town of Hudson, noting that there was benches for the convenience of the walker. local newspaper to offer my services as a no comparable vista that existed in his All faiths seem to be represented here, portrait painter, this being the custom in very flat Holland. there being also a synagogue for the Jews. this country. A week or two after that, I Exploring Albany on foot, he was I also visited the museum, which suited had the pleasure of obtaining six portrait surprised to see many Dutch home- me better than the one at Albany. commissions. owner names but could not find any- one who spoke Dutch. At the Albany After four days in New York City, he Hulk’s commissions for portraits Museum, he enjoyed seeing a 3,000- returned to Boston on a steamboat were insufficient for him to stay in year-old Egyptian mummy. Still, he bound for Hartford, Connecticut, Boston, however. After eight weeks, he thought the quality of the art on dis- when a fire broke out on board the ves- embarked on a voyage to New York play was poor and noted that American sel. City, on a cargo boat via Cape Cod, museum collections lagged behind Martha’s Vineyard, and Block Island. those in Europe. At 6 o’clock on this voyage we were in He was amazed at the forest of masts in At Albany’s Academy of Art, he ad- very great danger of losing the boat, being New York Harbor, with barely enough mired old paintings by Dutch masters 20 miles from New York we discovered a space for his ship to dock. He had a but complained about Albany’s pollut- fire at the the front. Every effort was im- beautiful view of Brooklyn, New Jer- ed streets where pigs roamed loose. On mediately made to master the fire as soon sey, and Staten Island. a visit to Troy, New York, a Quaker he as possible. However, but during the first After staying one night in a hotel had befriended during a local steam- half an hour we could not locate where for seventy-five cents, he complained of boat passage warmly welcomed him to the fire actually was because of the smoke the heat and mosquitoes and left New his home. increasing around us. There was a †
24 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 “Shipping in a Calm” by Abraham Hulk the Elder. strong headwind and no one around was able to keep their eyes open. Smoke bellowed out all over the deck, and the lady passengers among us were all white with shock and every- thing was thrown into confu- sion. Seeing that we could not get any further using water against the flames, they were obliged to partially cut open the foredeck, and then each one saw with astonishment that the whole foredeck was on fire from below. When only one was able to put out the fire, no one could understand how it was possible that ImagesChristie’s ©2004 Limited there could be a fire in that part of the ship. It could have been done on purpose by some enemy of of his family. I managed to find work coach to Providence, Rhode Island, the captain or owner of the boat which from my arrival here until February the where he boarded a steamboat to con- seemed to me to be most likely as on fur- following year, but then after it seemed to tinue his journey. ther discovery even fire in the bow was stop. At the time I was obliged to paint spotted between the spars. After having portraits but I could not survive at all On the steam boat I was obliged to spend been on the steam boat all day, we ar- from my insufficient income because of a night on deck, as I had reserved a seat rived at Hartford at 10 o’clock in the the expensive standard of living. I there- as passenger on deck. The difference in evening. I spent the night there and left fore was obliged to make every effort to price was two dollars. early the next morning , departing on a get some additional work by doing some After I had walked around deck very stagecoach to Boston. lithography. late in the evening, I selected a good place to lie down between other travelers, most On the top corner of the diary’s cover Hulk could not find a lithographic job of whom were sailors who had returned is a handwritten inscription from one in Boston. However, with a letter of from a three-year voyage at sea. I used my of his friends, “Mr. Abram Hulk from recommendation from the largest li- suitcase for a pillow and soon fell asleep. his friend David C. Long, Boston No- thography company in Boston, he It felt as if I were on a down bed. After vember 11, 1834.” Presumably Mr. went back to New York to look for falling asleep for an hour or so, I woke up Long had read Hulk’s diary. work there. With only twenty-five dol- and felt that I was completely wet on my lars in his pocket, he traveled by stage- side. The weather had changed and much Most of my work that I got in all the time rain had fell on deck during the time that that I was in Boston was thanks to a cer- “I managed to find we slept. While I slept my neighbor, a tain Mister Long whom I was introduced rough looking sailor, had taken the liber- to by a Dutchman. Never could I have work from my arrival ty of snatching my suitcase from under met a better person than he and who my head and using it as a pillow. I ven- could have done more for me. He was here until February tured to take it back from under his head during my stay in America, my counselor but hesitated as it may have led to a and friend. When I was in need, he the following year, but fight, so I decided to leave it with him helped me, not like so many other friends until he woke up. by their words, but with actual deeds. I then after it seemed to Several unforeseen accidents oc- was invited to his house almost every day stop.” curred, making matters worse. On a and I never felt happier than in the circle steamboat trip from Philadelphia to †
25 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 “Shipping in a Squall” by Abraham Hulk the Elder.
lodgings exhausted with his clothes drenched in sweat. After five weeks, his faithful friend David Long managed to find him sufficient com- missions to paint fourteen portraits in Manchester, Massachusetts, a coastal town twenty-four miles northeast of Boston. Hulk noted the friendli- ness Manchester offered compared to that of the larger cities he had visited. After work, he enjoyed tak- ing early evening walks along the rocky coast, be- coming familiar with the ©2003 Christie’s ImagesChristie’s ©2003 Limited local community. After ten weeks without further commissions, he re- Baltimore, a fellow passenger accused change of course via Block Island, turned to Boston. By chance, he saw him of stealing his wallet. The passen- Long Island, and to the western tip the brig Lucy whose captain Cassidy ger demanded that he empty his pock- of Martha’s Vineyard, where the Cicilie was ready to sail to Amsterdam. Be- ets. When asked to undress in front of dropped anchor with other ships to coming friendly with the captain, Hulk female passengers, he declined the in- await calmer conditions. confessed a desire to return to Amster- sult. Later an investigation discovered The crew of another anchored ship dam, despite his plans to travel to Ha- the missing wallet in the pocket of the welcomed Hulk and others with so vana, Cuba, spend the winter months, man who had accused him. much wine that they spent the next day and then travel to South America to try Hulk became desperate when he asleep in their bunks recovering from a his luck there. Hulk finally returned to tried unsuccessfully to find employ- hangover. Amsterdam in January 1835, after a ment as a lithographer during his visits On a dark misty night seventy miles voyage over about seventy days. He to Brooklyn, Philadelphia, and Balti- south of Cape Cod, Hulk was violently had been absent for almost two years. more. Out of work, he returned to thrown from his bunk when another Boston, sailing from Baltimore on the ship collided with Cicilie’s stern. Fortu- Hulk Returns to ship Cicilie. nately, there was minimal damage, and Again he experienced rough seas, twelve days later, on July 3, 1834, he the Netherlands violent storms, and dense fog while finally arrived in Boston Harbor. The sailing along the New England coast- next day he participated in the Inde- Returning to Amsterdam in 1835, line. Inclement weather forced a pendence Day festivities. Abraham Hulk married Maria van der After desperately looking for work in Meulen in 1837. Three of their seven On a dark misty night Boston, Hulk accepted a job painting children became artists. Hendrick, the actual ships, for which he received a eldest (1842-1937), became a sea seventy miles south of dollar a day for twelve hours of work. painter, learning from his father. Abra- He complained about this exhausting, ham the Younger (1851-1922) became Cape Cod, Hulk was and even dangerous physical work, as a landscape painter. William (1852- he had to paint under the blistering 1906) painted landscapes and scenes violently thrown from summer sun and often climbed ships’ featuring cattle. Abraham the Younger masts. and William later settled in England. his bunk . . . In the evenings, he returned to his Just one year after his return, Hulk †
26 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 LEFT “Fishing boats and a three-master in heavy seas” by Abraham Hulk the Elder.
BELOW Abraham Hulk the Elder in a previously unpublished photograph of the artist circa 1885. PD-Art PD - Art
exhibited his first seascape, “A calm the Zeeland Delta, ob- lands at that time was with ships,” in Amsterdam in the Exhi- serving the calm only 40 years. Despite bition of Living Masters. This impor- winds, the rough seas his advancing years, tant exhibition for contemporary caused by an ap- Hulk nevertheless Dutch art was organized every year in proaching storm or wanted to continue various cities in the Netherlands. The thunderstorm, the his prolific career. exhibitions were open to the public cloud formations, Success for and the paintings were for sale. the low horizon, Hulk came quickly Once back in the Netherlands, the wide-open in England. In Abraham lived in several towns and skies, the diffuse 1876, he exhibited cities, including a few connected to the light seen at dawn his work for the sea (Haarlem, Amsterdam, and Enkhu- and dusk, the fish- first time at the izen). He owned a sailing boat and was ermen in the estuar- Royal Academy in familiar with the traditional Dutch ies, inspired his artistic London. The then sailing craft of his time. His brother style. He translated these president of the Society Johannes, also a skilled amateur sailor, images into masterful sea- of British Artists, Alfred became chairman of the Amsterdam scapes throughout his prolific career. Clint (1807-1883), a marine artist, in- Sailing Association in 1885. In 1875 at the age of sixty-two, vited him to exhibit at the Society’s Johannes also wanted to become an Hulk emigrated from Holland to Lon- galleries in London. artist. Abraham agreed to teach him to don. His Dutch Romantic-style sea- Other influential nineteenth-century paint on the condition that he would scapes and estuary scenes were more Dutch marine artists, such as Her- not become a marine artist. His broth- popular there than in the Netherlands. manus Koekkoek the Elder (1815 er agreed and became a townscape His sons William, Frederick, and Abra- 1882) and H. W. Mesdag (1831 painter, studying at the Royal Academy ham the Younger also emigrated to 1915), were already well-represented in Amsterdam under townscape artist London to pursue their careers. by leading London galleries. Hermanus Kaspar Karsen (1810-1896). Sadly, his wife Maria died on Sep- Koekkoek the Younger (1836-1909) Hulk’s sailing excursions on the tember 22, 1875, at the age of 67. The established a gallery in London to sell Zuiderzee and along the flat expanse of average life expectancy in the Nether- marine and landscape paintings. †
27 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 “Dutch barges in calm waters” by Abraham Hulk the Elder.
Hulk’s move into the heart of the British Empire, the most in- dustrialized and wealthiest nation at the time, was a smart move. In doing so, he helped meet the grow- ing demand from wealthy British clien- tele for seascapes and other Dutch art. As a naturalized English citizen, Hulk settled permanently in Eng- land, which contrib- uted significantly to his career. His art is compa- rable in style to first- and second- generation Dutch © Bonhams Ltd. 1793 marine artists who worked in the Romantic Hulk holds the viewer’s attention by diagonal style, such as Hermanus Koekkoek the Elder, J. positioning of receding objects . . . C. Schotel (1787- 1837), and Louis Meyer (1809-1866). using several diagonal lines to guide the show a low horizon separating air and These artists were influenced by seven- viewer from the bank of an estuary or a water. His placement of ships with bil- teenth-century marine painters such as foreground to a sailing ship in the cen- lowing or slack sails contributes to the L. Bakhuizen, J. van de Capelle, W. ter, often anchored close to another atmosphere he wants us to experience, van de Velde and Jan van Goyen. vessel in calm conditions. He also emphasizing nature’s force, changing Hulk painted both seascapes and placed smaller craft in a diagonal line weather, and the contrast between light estuary scenes. In seascapes, the land is in the center. Sometimes a steamship and dark. usually seen on a distant horizon, in or sailing vessel in the distance marks a Human helplessness contrasts with other cases, a view of the banks of an low horizon in the background. the dominant forces of nature, one of estuary. He constructed his works with Hulk holds the viewer’s attention by the Dutch Romantic principles es- care; a buoy or pole in the water some- diagonal positioning of receding ob- poused by landscapes and seascapes at times acts as a repoussoir (an object jects, while a sense of depth is indis- the time. His ships and the fishermen along the right or left foreground di- pensable in a good seascape. are subordinate to the dominion of the recting the viewer’s eye to other parts Paintings of traditional Dutch sail- sea, the sky, and the prevailing light. of the artist’s composition). ing ships usually show shiny wooden All types of weather are depicted equal- Painting the rocky coast of an estu- foreships, metal mast tops, bulging or ly convincingly, from an approaching ary, Hulk often depicted fishermen repaired canvas sails, and various fig- storm to a serene calm in the evening tending their boats or nets. He never ures as crew. Hulk excelled as a sea twilight. included people with their frontal view painter with dazzling atmospheric ef- Hulk followed that romantic style in his compositions; he only painted fects and credibly mastered the rela- throughout his career. He often used their side-view or back, which is ironic tionship between sky and sea in turbu- the same colors in his compositions: for someone trained as a portrait paint- lent or calm compositions. shades of yellow and ochre, as well as † er. He carefully composed a painting At least two-thirds of his paintings green, white, and blue for the sea,
28 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 and red to represent setting sun reflec- burg in Russia made Hulk an honorary line. tions on the water. member in 1862. From around 1880, The steam, smoke, soot, and smog In his calms, he spread broad brush- there was a growing demand for Dutch in London were an unpleasant sight, in strokes to characterize the effect of rip- art abroad. He took advantage of this contrast to the pristine nature of the ples in the water. To add depth to the trend, primarily selling his paintings in Dutch Zuiderzee. London did not pro- distance, he employed increasingly the Netherlands, England, the United vide Hulk artistic inspiration. Perhaps more delicate parallel brushstrokes. States, and Russia. the deadly London fog may have con- Reflections of the hull and sails of ships Artprice’s database lists 881 auctions tributed to his wife's untimely death in in calm waters frequently occur in his of his artworks between 2001 and 1875. However, this environment did work, as are lights, shadows, and alter- March 2021, indicating his extensive not affect his artistic style or composi- nating shades of gray on a billowing, productivity and success. He must also tion. choppy sea with white-crested waves. certainly have felt a shared patriotism In London, he had sketches and Hulk’s calm compositions are usual- for Holland, just like many of the paintings from his Dutch period as ref- ly depicted at dawn or dusk, with pink Dutch Romantic painters. The ships erences for new compositions. He or blue tones and scattered thin cirrus depicted in his paintings serve as a met- could afford to purchase the best art clouds. Composing rough seas, he con- aphor for Dutch independence and materials available (easel, prepared can- veyed wind and changing weather by trade. vases, panels, pigments, etc.) from billowing sails of boats, a choppy sea, The 1881 census listed Hulk as a Winsor & Newton, known as “Manu- and large cloud formations. resident of 42 Mornington Road, St. facturing Artists and Colours by special Although he seldom painted water- Pancras, in northwest London. The appointment to her Majesty.” Affluent, colors, these, along with his small oils, three-story home with a small garden Hulk experienced both the success and mostly painted on panel, are consid- in an upscale area was an indication of the trials and tribulations of a long life. ered his most atmospheric works. his wealth. The household included his In 1897 he paid a short visit to his In the 1840s, Meyer and Comp in sons Abraham and William, daughter- son-in-law Carl Wesper in Zevenaar in Amsterdam published a rare limited in-law Ada and her mother Harriet the Netherlands, where he died on edition featuring Hulk’s lithographic Leicester, grandson Frederick, and his March 23. n ship studies, proof of his interest in English housekeeper Mary Bishop. accurately illustrating the Zuiderzee Hulk lived in the three-story home, fishing boats, such as the botters and with a small garden, from 1875 to Matthew Honan, who currently lives in schokkers. The lithographs were pub- about 1890. The current owner told London, resided in the Netherlands for lished in two issues, covering four sepa- me that the house receives a lot of nat- nearly two decades where he became in- rate prints per cover at one guilder per ural daylight, which certainly could terested in marine art. His first acquisi- cover. have contributed to the artist’s decision tion was an oil painting by the Hulk, a master in creating an atmo- to buy it. Anglo-Dutch marine artist Abraham spheric effect, painted the relationship The street is also near Mornington Hulk. Matthew managed to trace the between sky and sea in many different Crescent, where several prominent descendant of the artist in the Nether- weather conditions and times of the British artists and writers once lived. lands who provided him with a copy of day, using similar compositions where Among them were the marine painter Abraham Hulk’s unpublished travel dia- only the position of ships varies. The Clarkson Stansfield (1793-1867) and ry, Voyage to America 1833-1835. representation of light and atmosphere the illustrator George Cruikshank The author is grateful to Mr. W. G. was central to his work. Rarely did he (1792-1878), who provided illustra- Cath, Veenwouden, The Netherlands, a change his fundamental theme, while tions for Charles Dickens’ books. descendant of Abraham Hulk the Elder many other commercially successful Hulk and his family would have for providing a facsimile of the artist’s nineteenth-century painters painted walked in nearby Regents Park and diary, along with a copy of an unpub- variations on the same theme. For him, shopped locally at Camden High Street lished photograph of the artist. this degree of steadfastness was success- for relaxation. From the balcony on the ful. Much of it considered unique, his townhouse’s first floor, He would have body of work was extensive, and he observed steam trains approaching sold very well. London’s busy Euston Station. The The Imperial Academy of St. Peters- Regents Canal ran parallel to the train
29 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 BOOK REVIEWS
tomed craft in every port and creek on the coast of Flanders,” preparing to cross the Channel and invade England. This pressing threat will require the Royal Navy ships to “blockade the coastline of Europe from Hamburg in the north to Venice in the south,” guard Britain’s shores and defend mer- chant shipping. Building ships in the hundreds to meet the demand will severely tax the British purse. Protecting the country’s trade is overriding, especially the East, “worth millions to the exchequer.” The Admiralty dispatches Griffin, carrying Vansittart, to Bombay to bol- ster Crown trading relationships and thwart attempts by the French to touch off rebellions by natives against the Upon the Malabar Coast British in the country. Ligurian Mission BY PHILIP K. ALLAN Philip Allan’s fast-paced narrative BY CHRIS DURBIN takes a mysterious turn in the Cape Independent, US/UK Paperback Verde Islands, setting Griffin on a sea Independent, US/UK Hardback $19.50/£14.99 chase, leading to critical clues about $15.21/£10.99 AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW Napoleon’s alarming designs against he recently signed Treaty of his arch-enemy. y 1760 during the Seven Years’ Amiens marking the end of the Breathing life into the ship’s compa- War, the French are pulling T French Revolutionary Wars ny, from the quarterdeck to the ratings B back in America, the West In- has set much of His Majesty’s Royal and landsmen, a Philip Allan signature, dies, and India, while the British Royal Navy ashore, at peace for the first time Upon the Malabar Coast immediately Navy rules the seas, except the Medi- in many years. drew me in, beginning with Clay’s terranean. Captain Alexander Clay, lately in time with his family and the fishing Leading Britain’s war effort and command of the thirty-eight-gun frig- partnership between Trevan and Sedg- overseeing the nation’s economy, Wil- ate Griffin, is home in Lower Staver- wick in Cornwall. liam Pitt summons First Lord of the ton, relishing time with his wife and Equally stirring is Griffin’s fitting Admiralty George Anson and Vice- two young children, along with the out for sea at Plymouth, the Sound Admiral Charles Saunders to his estate calm village life. bristling with a forest of warship masts, in southeast London. In the coastal Cornish village of Pol- “the steady beat of hammers,” and a Commanding the Mediterranean with, Adam Trevan and Able Sedg- busy dockyard. fleet, Saunders is delighted at the pros- wick, Jack Tars, not long away from Allan’s ability to meld historical pect of a fleet action against the French HMS Griffin’s lower decks, fish aboard events with fictional characters and “to round off his career.” their lugger, Little Sam. And Sedgwick incidents is the basis for page-turning At Pitt’s request, Anson orders Cap- is smitten by a local lass. storytelling. Once Clay and Vansittart tain Edward Carlisle to the Ligurian When the diplomat Nicholas Van- step ashore in India, Allan’s account Sea aboard the 50-gun Dartmouth, sittart visits Clay during the uneasy was colored by his experiences back- conveying British envoy Robert McK- peace, revealing that Boney is “not packing in the country years ago. enzie to Turin in the Kingdom of Sar- cured of his desire to rule the world,” The Alexander Clay novels continue dinia. and war isn’t far off, peace is fleeting. to fill the sails of those who go down to McKenzie’s task is to remind the The French are “assembling flat-bot- the sea in books. n Sardinian ruler that Britain’s sea- †
30 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 BOOK REVIEWS power is far-reaching, a not-so-veiled Great Britain – the War of 1812 – as threat to the Sardinian navy should the trade issues and sailors taken against kingdom not remain neutral. Dart- their will into the King’s warships in- mouth is then to reconnoiter Genoa, creasingly vex the Americans. where French warships are under con- Alaric Bond’s captivating chronicle, struction. written from the British perspective, Underway off Port Mahon in the lays bare the friction between the Mediterranean, Carlisle and McKenzie young American navy and the Royal – both intense characters – clash over Navy’s efforts to bolster her ships’ each’s perception of their duty when companies’ ranks and impair France’s Dartmouth captures an enemy brig. supply chain supporting its expansive “No prize is worth risking my mis- campaign in Europe. sion,” a sign of things to come. Although dedicated to carrying out Arriving in the Ligurian Sea, Carl- Admiralty orders, Thomas King is isle becomes entangled in the political guarded in pressing seamen of ques- machinations and, at the same time, tionable nationality, putting him at must deal with McKenzie’s “conceit odds with Leyton, recently his first and unpleasantness,” while command- lieutenant in Tenacious. ing a warship in potentially hostile wa- Once a cautious second officer, the ters. The Seeds of War new commander is now “a far bolder Adding intrigue to Dartmouth’s mis- BY ALARIC BOND spirit,” aboard Sparrow, and is prone to sion is Midshipman Enrico Angelini, gaffes in his enthusiasm to prove him- who “had been brought up in the Sar- Old Salt Press, US/UK PAPERBACK self. $14.25 /£10.73 dinian court,” is a cousin to Lady Chi- AVAILABLE NOW Aboard Tenacious, James Croft, the ara Carlisle and is a source for intel- new first lieutenant and a longtime ligence within the kingdom. n the North American Sta- old-school subordinate to the younger At sea, there is enough action to sat- tion, His Majesty’s frigate King does not always agree with him isfy those who relish chases, boarding O Tenacious, commanded by but realizes that his captain “had a rare belligerents with swinging cutlasses Thomas King, in concert with the brig- affinity with the lower deck that appar- and exchanging booming broadsides. sloop Sparrow, is cruising up the Amer- ently relied on something more power- And those who fancy “the aura sur- ican Eastern Seaboard, inspecting mer- ful than rules or regulations.” rounding a captain of a ship-of-the- chant shipping, no matter under what Against these complexities of com- line,” including critical repairs and flag they sail. mand, King and Tenacious face broad routine seamanship, won’t be disap- It is 1811, and Great Britain re- challenges – thievery among the crew, a pointed, either. mains locked in a seemingly endless captured slaver, enemy raiders, and, Chris Durbin’s career as an officer war with Napoleon Bonaparte’s perhaps most importantly, the 38-gun in the Royal Navy, albeit over two cen- France. The Royal Navy, with firm United States frigate Delaware and her turies after Carlisle, is evidenced control of the seas, is stopping and seiz- captain, Robert Walton. throughout his narrative, from demon- ing trading vessels carrying goods “like- As this crisp narrative unfolds, King strated leadership to ship handling in ly to assist Britain’s enemies.” and Walton face an awkward situation treacherous seas. American-flagged ships, although as they experience mutual respect and, Ligurian Mission, the ninth title in neutral, are being detained and potentially, friendship, even as their the series, shines a vivid light on an searched, and seamen unable to pro- countries draw closer to war. at-times obscure period in Royal Navy vide proof of their nationality, other Alaric Bond’s latest episode in his history, through Edward Carlisle’s than British, are arrested and pressed stirring Fighting Sail series weaves a eyes. As the Seven Years’ War nears an into Royal Navy service. brilliant tapestry against which a criti- end, one hopes that there are several As the title suggests, The Seeds of cal period in the naval histories of more chapters ahead in Carlisle’s and War sets the stage for the coming con- Great Britain and the United States Holbrooke’s careers. n flict between the United States and play out. n
31 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 BOOK REVIEWS
lowed by Men Against the Sea and Pit- cairn’s Island in 1934. The trilogy, a fictionalized account, was the basis for the 1935 feature film “Mutiny on the Bounty,” starring Charles Laughton. Each creative endeavor over two plus centuries tells pieces of the Boun- ty’s story. Paul Garnett In Chasing the Bounty, Donald A. Maxton has gathered firsthand ac- counts, primary sources, to create a Online Book definitive account of the events leading Sources up to and after the mutiny through the words of participants. The contemporary narratives written McBooks Press by the principal characters, which www.mcbooks.com Maxton collected from worldwide sources, offer eye-witness descriptions Rowman & Littlefield of each individual’s experience. No Chasing the Bounty doubt, there is bias in these accounts, www.rowman.com EDITED BY DONALD A. MAXTON but they reflect mindsets at the time McFarland, US Paperback rather than commentary and analysis Lyons Press $39.95/£36.30 two centuries later. AVAILABLE NOW www.lyonspress.com Reading Midshipman Peter Hey- n 28 April 1789, mutineers wood’s passionate letter to his mother aboard His Majesty’s Armed declaring that his conduct “has, I fear, Sheridan House O Vessel Bounty, led by acting- (from what has since happened to me), www.sheridanhouse.org Lieutenant Fletcher Christian, set her been grossly misrepresented to you by captain, Lieutenant William Bligh, and Lieutenant Bligh” allows the reader to Amazon eighteen seamen adrift in the Pacific. feel his genuine apprehension. In the wake of this mutiny, HMS After being captured and arrested, www.amazon.com or Pandora sailed to the Pacific to hunt Boatswain’s Mate James Morrison, www.amazon.co.uk down the culprits, including those who kept a journal, provided a graphic aboard the schooner Matavy, and re- picture of the squalid conditions Barnes & Noble turn them to England for court-mar- aboard HMS Pandora and incarcera- www.barnesandnoble.com tial. tion at Batavia en route to England, Nearly 250 years later, the incident brutal reminders of the fate accused and the aftermath captivate historians, mutineers faced. The Book Depository filmmakers, writers, artists, and readers Although charged, convicted, and www.bookdepository.com worldwide. sentenced to hang, both Heywood and The Bounty narratives – fact and fic- Morrison were pardoned and contin- tion – fill endless volumes dating back ued their careers in the Royal Navy. Abe Books to the years immediately following the Absorbing the genuine outpourings www.abebooks.com mutiny, including Bligh’s account, A from Bligh and Pandora’s Captain Ed- Voyage to the South Seas, initially pub- ward Edwards, among others in the Alibris lished in London in 1792. ship’s company, Maxton’s brilliantly In 1932, American novelists Charles edited chronicle proves once again that www.alibris.com Nordhoff and James Norman Hall real life is more incredible than fiction. published Mutiny on the Bounty, fol- – George Jepson
32 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 MARITIME FICTION
A Matter of Honor The Bomb Vessel The Corvette BY WILLIAM c. HAMMOND BY RICHARD WOODMAN BY RICHARD WOODMAN
The first volume in a naval fiction series A young captain Nathaniel Drinkwater is The frozen splendour of the Arctic set in the early years of the United States, given command of an old Ship, the Vira- Ocean and the absorbing drama of a A Matter of Honor is a dramatic account go, to be sent to the Baltic as a bomb ves- nineteenth-century whale hunt unfold in of a young man's coming of age during sel. Drinkwater’s ambition is to turn it The Corvette. Rewarded by promotion the American Revolution. Introducing back into a fighting ship, but his plans for his services at the Battle of Copenha- Richard Cutler, a Massachusetts teenager are thwarted. At the same time, Drink- gen, Commander Drinkwater is dis- with strong family ties to England, the water’s brother appeals for help in his patched in haste to replace the captain of novel tells his story as he ships out with desperate attempt to escape the gallows. the Melusine, who has been shot in a du- John Paul Jones to avenge the death of As Sir Hyde Parker’s fleet approaches the el. The ship sails as an escort to a whal- his beloved brother Will, impressed by Danish coast, the Virago joins the battle. ing fleet on its annual expedition to the the Royal Navy and flogged to death for Amid gales and ice, Drinkwater strives to Greenland Sea. During the whale hunt striking an officer. On the high seas, in save his ship and his brother. It is 1801 the loss of one of the vessels sets off a England and in France, on the sugar is- and napoleon is reaching supreme power chain of misfortune. Disaster, death and lands of the Caribbean, and on the bat- in France and has allied himself with treachery result. To repair his ship, tlefield of Yorktown, Cutler proves his Tsar Paul of Russia. Against this hazard- Drinkwater seeks shelter off the Green- mettle and wins the love--and allegiance ous backdrop, Drinkwater’s actions in land coast and finds more hazards than to the infant republic--of a beautiful the complex and bloody battle of Copen- the Arctic alone can produce, and it is English aristocrat from the arms of Hor- hagen are crucial. here that he makes the most difficult de- atio Nelson himself. cision of his career.
McBooks Press, $18.95 McBooks Press, $14.95 McBooks Press, $14.95 US Trade Paperback US Trade Paperback US Trade Paperback SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER SEPTEMBER
33 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 MARITIME FICTION
Trial By Fire Harbor of Spies Balkan Glory BY P. T. DEUTERMANN BY ROBIN LLOYD BY JULIAN STOCKWIN
It’s March 1945 and the war in the Pa- Harbor of Spies is an historical novel set 1811. The Adriatic, the “French Lake,” cific is approaching its apocalyptic cli- in Havana in 1863 during the American is now the most valuable territory max. The largest wartime armada ever Civil War, when the Spanish colonial Napoleon Bonaparte possesses. Captain assembled, Task Force 58, is closing in city was alive with intrigue and war relat- Sir Thomas Kydd finds his glorious on Okinawa; once taken, it will finally ed espionage. The protagonist – a young return to England cut short when the put American B-29 bombers in comfort- American ship captain named Everett Admiralty summons him to lead a able range of the home islands of Japan – Townsend – is pulled into the war, not squadron of frigates into these waters to and victory. At the heart of the fleet are as a naval officer, as he had once hoped, cause havoc and distress to the enemy. 14 Essex-class aircraft carriers, including but as the captain of a blockade-running Kydd is dubbed “The Sea Devil” by the USS Franklin, known as “Big Ben.” schooner. The rescue of a man outside Bonaparte who personally appoints one Just after dawn, while crewmen prepare Havana harbor sets in motion a plot of his favorites, Dubourdieu, along with for battle, a single Japanese bomber where Townsend finds himself trapped a fleet that greatly outweighs the British, breaks through the clouds and drops a by circumstances beyond his control. He to rid him of this menace. At the same 500-pound semi-armor piercing bomb soon realizes how this good deed has put time, Nicholas Renzi is sent to Austria on Big Ben, ripping through the wooden his own life in danger, entangling him in on a secret mission where he uncovers a flight deck before exploding on the han- a sensitive murder investigation. The deadly plan by Bonaparte that threatens gar deck. Trial By Fire is the gripping novel is a richly drawn portrait of Span- the whole balance of power in Europe. novelization of how, against all odds, the ish colonial Havana, flush with sugar The only thing that can stop it is a sailors of the Franklin were able to save wealth, and filled with signs of the Amer- decisive move at sea. their ship ican Civil War.
St. Martin’s Press, $28.99 McBooks Press, $19.95 Hodder & Stoughton, £7.91/$15.99 US Hardback US Trade Paperback UK Trade Paperback JULY AUGUST JULY UK/NOVEMBER US
34 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 MARITIME FICTION
The Sea of Silence The Silver Waterfall The Last Word BY SETH HUNTER BY KEVIN MILLER BY RON MINER
This is the seventh novel in the Nathan The Silver Waterfall is the story of the A small town journalist is tasked with Peake series. War moves to the Americas men who fought the Battle of Midway interviewing the last surviving World as Captain Nathan Peake, freed from over three momentous days in June, War II veteran. This novel is a poignant service in the Royal Navy, is secretly 1942. Men uncertain, determined, tale of a life well lived, and an evocative commissioned by President Thomas Jef- fearful and courageous. Men under legacy of rescue missions and night ferson to command a naval operation in crushing pressure, desperate and hopeful. flights from New Guinea to the Mariana the Caribbean Sea and frustrate plans to Their story is one of daring, of Islands in the South Pacific. Dan Callah- establish a new French Empire on the unfathomable loss, of survival inside an’s next three days take him on a pil- North American mainland which would rickety airplanes and burning ships. grimage of over one hundred years in the pose an existential threat to the infant What happened off Midway is a story of life of Owen Trimbel, a Great Depres- United States. With Europe temporarily reckless pride, and cold realization. sion-era Minnesota farm boy. Owen’s at peace, Napoleon Bonaparte has dis- story begins with an unforgettable visit to patched his victorious army with a vast an uncle’s home near Pearl Harbor on fleet to the Caribbean. Its aim is to re- December 7, 1941. Over the next hours impose French authority in the region, and days, he enchants Dan with his col- and then occupy a vast swathe of territo- lective wisdom, humor, and philosophy– ry stretching from New Orleans to the –from the intricacies of attaching a plow Canada border and westward from the to a mule to firing the .50 caliber ma- Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. chine guns from his PBY Catalina’s waist hatches.
McBooks Press, $23.95 Braveship Books, $16.99 Riverdale Press, $14.99 US Hardback US Trade Paperback US Trade Paperback AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW
35 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 MARITIME FICTION
Arctic Star Warshot The Neptune Strategy BY TOM PALMER BY GEORGE WALLACE AND DON KEITH BY JOHN J. GOBBELL
Multi-award-winning author Tom Palm- Trillions of dollars’ worth of gold lie on As the ship is rocked by massive explo- er returns with a thrilling naval adven- the floor of the Pacific Ocean in hotly sions, Commander Todd Ingram is ture inspired by the incredible history of contested territory, and its discovery thrown overboard, where he watches in the Second World War Arctic convoys. might be the spark that finally ignites a horror as his embattled ship leaves him Winter 1943. Teenagers Frank, Joseph powder keg of long-simmering political behind. Clinging to a floating piece of and Stephen are Royal Navy recruits on and military antagonism. China races to lifeboat in rough seas, he barely survives their first mission at sea during the Sec- claim the territory and the gold, but the night. A submarine surfaces nearby, ond World War. Their ship is part of an corrupt leaders are willing to risk and his joy turns to horror when he rec- Arctic Convoy sailing to Russia to deliver destabilizing the region, and even a ognizes it as a Japanese U-boat. Todd’s supplies to the Soviets. The convoys have world war, for the chance to achieve troubles have just begun – but so has the to navigate treacherous waters, sailing world preeminence. Commodore Joe race to save him. As the US Navy through a narrow channel between the Glass and the US Navy move swiftly to launches a classified rescue mission, Arctic ice pack and German bases on the intervene and prevent a global war and Todd is captive aboard the enemy sub- Norwegian coast. Faced with terrifying to protect the sovereignty and safety of marine as it dodges depth charges and enemy attacks from both air and sea, as those caught in the middle of the historic Allied ships. A deadly game of cat-and- well as life-threatening cold and storms, power-grab. mouse unfolds, and its outcome may af- will all three boys make it home again? fect the balance of power in a war that threatens to consume them all. This is a juvenile book.
Barrington Stoke Ltd, £6.99/$11.63 Severn River Publishing, $24.99 Severn River Publishing, $25.99/$19.99 UK Paperback Original US Hardback US Hardback/US Trade Paperback AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW
36 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 MARITIME HISTORY
The Truth About the Chatham Historic Naval Ship Models Mutiny on HMAV Dockyard of World War II Bounty BY SIR NEIL COSSONS (EDITOR) BY ROBERT K. LIU BY GLYNN CHRISTIAN Nowhere in the world is it possible to see The origins of 1/1250 and 1/200 scale such an intact naval dockyard for the models can be traced back to the early The Truth About the Mutiny on HMAV building and maintenance of the ships of twentieth century and their use as identi- BOUNTY brings this famed South Pacif- the sailing navy as at Chatham. This fication aids by the military during the ic saga into the 21st century. By combin- book, edited by Neil Cossons, Jonathan World War I. When peace came, manu- ing unprecedented research into Fletcher Coad, Andrew Lambert, Paul Hudson facturers aimed their increasingly sophis- Christian and his fate with deep knowl- and Paul Jardine – all experts in their ticated products at collectors. Since then, edge of Bounty’s Polynesian women, fields – tells the dockyard’s history, from acquiring, enhancing, modifying or Glynn Christian presents a fresh and Elizabethan origins to fleet base and scratch-building miniature ship models comprehensive telling of a powerful mar- shipbuilding yard, from sail to steel to has been an avidly pursued hobby itime adventure that still captivates after submarines. They set out the extra- around the world. This book focuses on 230 years. Glynn Christian’s extraordi- ordinary scale of the legacy and the models of the ships of the World War II, nary research into Bligh, Christian and challenges of the future once the yard probably the most popular subject for Bounty included every deposit of docu- closed in the 1980s. Profusely illustrated, miniature model collectors. Robert Liu, a ments worldwide and a sailing expedi- it is the first authoritative account of well-known modeler himself, addresses tion to Pitcairn Island. how Chatham’s dockyard was saved for all the practical issues that might con- the nation. front collectors
.
Naval Institute Press Press, $36.95 Liverpool University Press, $34.95 Naval Institute Press, $44.85 US Hardback UK Paperback US Hardback AVAILABLE NOW AVAILABLE NOW JULY
37 | QUARTERDECK | SUMMER 2021 Coming in October
Captain Richard Woodman’s Thrilling New Sea Adventure
THE DESTINATION FOR NAUTICAL FICTION www.mcbooks.com / www.rowman.com