Book Reviews

Robert J. Antony and Angela Schotten- the maritime histories of Japan, Taiwan, hammer (eds.) Beyond the Silk Roads: Vietnam, Spain, Portugal, France, the New Discourses on China’s Role in East Philippines, and many other localities Asian Maritime History. Wiesbaden, both past and present. The theme of Germany: Harrassowitz Verlag, www. interconnected histories is consistently harrassowitz-verlag.de, 2017. ix+222 strong and well-argued throughout this pp., illustrations, maps, tables, notes, volume. index. Euro 68,00€, hardback; ISBN Robert Antony’s opening chapter 978-3-447-10944-4. establishes a consistent thematic blue- print for the rest of the volume by exam- Beyond the Silk Roads: New Discourses ining recent historiographical shifts in on China’s Role in East Asian Maritime maritime and global history in the con- History is one of the latest entries in the text of East Asia. The thematic heart of rapidly-expanding field of Asian-Pacif- the volume is Sanjay Subrahmanyam’s ic maritime history. Derived from the seminal 1997 article “Connected His- 2015 “Beyond the Silk Road” confer- tories: Notes Towards a Reconfigura- ence in Shanghai, this volume is a cu- tion of Early Modern Eurasia,” which rated collection of eleven revised es- argues forcefully for “connected,” “en- says, including an introductory chapter tangled,” or “shared” history, instead of and conclusion, representing a broad the more traditional comparative histo- cross-section of times, places, and ry (3). Antony also centres the Chinese themes related to East Asia’s maritime maritime world on the South China Sea history. The book is very well-orga- in particular, and provides a general nized, thoroughly researched, and pro- history of its importance to China and vides a strong, comprehensive over- the world while avoiding an over-focus view of some of the most important on Sino-Western encounters common research taking place in this emerging to many global historians. Reading field. While its primary focus is on Chi- this volume, the reader gets the distinct nese maritime history, it also provides impression that the entrance of early detailed and fascinating glimpses into modern Europeans into Asian maritime

The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord, XVIII, No. 3 (Summer 2018), 209-324 210 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord space was simply another addition to an network. The essays by Adam Clulow, already-crowded seascape rather than John W. Chaffee, and Susan E. Schopp the momentous, earth-shaking event are also especially strong, no mean feat perceived by previous historiography in a collection without any poorly-con- and popular culture. As a rule, the sub- ceived or mediocre articles. sequent ten chapters do an exemplary The only real discordant note is the job of relating back to and expanding gaps in the chronology presented in this upon Antony’s blueprint. volume. The essays are generally in Aside from the excellent introduc- chronological order after the introduc- tory chapter, three essays in particular tion, beginning with a pair of prehistor- stand out. Ubaldo Iaccarino’s “Con- ic/ancient chapters by Judith Cameron quistadors of the Celestial Empire: The and Hugh R. Clark respectively, and Spanish Policy toward China at the ending with two essays on the modern End of the 16th Century” illuminates a maritime world by Adam Clulow and little-understood aspect of Sino-West- Robert Antony before proceeding to ern relations that has only recently Angela Schottenhammer’s masterful begun to garner serious attention from longue durée overview of China’s mari- Anglophone historians. He focuses time history. The remaining five essays his arguments on the ignorance and all focus on some aspect of the medieval near-hubris of the Spanish, whose ig- or early modern worlds. The thematic norance of Chinese norms, trade, and and analytical strengths of the volume language doomed their efforts to trade are at their best in these five chapters, with and expand militarily into China. undoubtedly owing in part to authors’ “Leizhou Pirates and the Making of the ability to draw from an extensive and Mekong Delta” by Xing Hang is anoth- well-established historiography for er high point of the volume. It places both early modern maritime and glob- the Mekong Delta at the centre of the al history. While all of the essays are seventeenth-century battles between strong, well-researched, and of signifi- the Ming loyalists and the advancing cant interest to the historian of China, Manchu forces, skillfully examining the case for a connected, sustained Chi- the long-term significance of this of- nese maritime world stretching from ten-neglected frontier region. Finally, prehistory to the present is undermined Robert Antony’s second essay, “Pirates, by the two significant, extended gaps in Dragon Ladies, and Steamships: On the the chronology presented here. Changing Forms of Modern China’s Pi- Regardless of this relatively minor racy,” brings the maritime world of late concern, Beyond the Silk Roads rep- Qing and Republican China into focus. resents a truly significant milestone in This article addresses the “underside of the development of a formidable his- Chinese maritime history” (165), rath- toriography of the Chinese maritime er than the official, institutional aspects world. It should be required reading for that make up much of the historiogra- any scholar of China or the global mar- phy. His investigation of the impact of itime world. Indeed, it would make an piracy on China’s maritime world rep- excellent addition to any upper-level or resents an important contribution to our graduate course on Chinese, global, or understanding of China’s nineteenth- maritime history. and twentieth-century lowpoints by il- luminating the economic and diplomat- Ashleigh Dean ic costs of this extensive underground Atlanta, Georgia Book Reviews 211 Christopher M. Bell. Churchill and the Navy over his entire political career. Dardanelles. Oxford: Oxford Universi- His extensive command of archival and ty Press, www.oup.com, 2017. xiv+439 published material, his fluid writing pp., illustrations, notes, bibliography, style and convincingly argued judge- maps, index. US $34.95, cloth; ISBN ments are all on display in Churchill 987-0-19087-0254-2. and the Dardanelles. While this is not an operational his- tory, the author offers enough detail to “Isn’t the whole of Gallipoli one mighty provide context for the political arena might have been?” so wrote one Royal that is his focus. The impact of new Navy officer to a fellow veteran of the technologies on naval operations had a Dardanelles campaign in 1936, 21 years significant role in the attempt to force after coming under heavy fire. (quoted the Dardanelles. Wireless enabled in Gallipoli by Eric Bush (1975). The Churchill and his naval staff in Lon- ill-fated campaign, which cost Britain don to become closely involved. Na- and her Allies almost 190,000 casu- val staffs in Whitehall and on the scene, alties, became one of the great Allied however, failed to appreciate how se- failures of the First World War. (Cana- riously Turkish mines would stymie dian angle: It is not widely remembered the advance of Allied fleet units. The that the Royal Newfoundland Regiment British were slow to improvise more ef- served in the campaign before being sent fective minesweepers. Both sides used to France.) Winston Churchill, who, as and feared submarines, which although First Lord of the Admiralty, had pushed small and with limited submerged en- for a naval attempt to force the strategic durance, managed to penetrate the waterway between the Mediterranean straits in the face of mines and strong and Black Seas, came to be associated currents that varied at different depths. with the failed campaign. Indeed, the The Royal Navy was overly optimistic poorly managed naval attempt to pene- about the power of naval guns against trate the Dardanelles before any troops fortifications. The British exploited were landed triggered a political crisis intercepted radio traffic. Finally, both that cost Churchill his Cabinet position. sides used aircraft for reconnaissance It eventually led to a Coalition govern- and strikes; but Royal Navy efforts to ment while a disastrous land campaign use aircraft for spotting ships’ gunfire dragged on. Throughout his life, Chur- were unsuccessful on the critical 18 chill would steadfastly maintain that March 1915 when British and French the Dardanelles campaign had been “a warships made their major attack on mighty might have been”. In this thor- Turkish fortifications. ough study, Christopher Bell examines As the Cabinet Minister responsi- Churchill’s actual involvement and his ble for the Admiralty, Churchill’s style subsequent efforts to erase the public was forceful and dynamic. But Bell opprobrium that linked his name to the shows that, while overly confident in failed campaign. his operational judgements and tending Bell has written extensively about to disregard professional advice that did maritime aspects of the Second World not mesh with his views, Churchill did War, the Royal Navy between the wars, receive support from his Admirals in and other twentieth-century naval is- planning the Dardanelles attacks. Al- sues. In 2012, he published Churchill ways keen on offensive action, Chur- and Sea Power, which examined Chur- chill became interested in the possibil- chill’s involvement with the Royal 212 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ity of forcing the Dardanelles as early While the ground forces already as the first weeks of the war. On the in-theatre and reinforcements were la- outbreak of war, two German warships boriously concentrated in Egypt and in the Mediterranean evaded superior prepared for an amphibious attack, Royal Navy units and reached safety in Churchill’s role came under increasing Constantinople where they were nom- attack in the press and from his polit- inally incorporated into the Turkish ical enemies. His mercurial First Sea Navy. As the fighting on the western Lord, Jacky Fisher, now an erratic 74 front settled into a bitter stalemate, the and long ambivalent about the cam- original idea of attacking the German paign, resigned in dramatic fashion in ships was resurrected. The strategic May. Bell notes that Churchill’s deci- advantages of opening the Dardanelles sion to recall Admiral Fisher from re- beckoned British planners. Success tirement to serve again a First Sea Lord would knock Germany’s ally, Turkey, in November 1914—based in part be- out of the war and open a new front on cause he thought that Fisher would be the eastern flank of the Austro-Hungar- a compliant colleague—had been “di- ian Empire. Most importantly, the sea sastrous”. (364) The government was route via the Black Sea to Russia, hard- already under severe pressure because pressed on the Eastern Front, could be of an emerging “shell crisis” on the reopened. western front. In the ensuing political Bell outlines the complex story of crisis, Churchill was forced to resign; how Churchill pushed forward a plan within days the Liberal government for a purely naval assault. In January of which he had been a member had 1915, it received the approval of the been replaced by a Coalition. The Al- War Council, a critical group chaired by lies finally landed troops at the end of the Prime Minister that functioned as a April. The Turkish defenders, assist- sort of Cabinet sub-group. The author ed by German officers and munitions, describes this as “a seemingly low-risk proved tenacious; the campaign became venture that might produce far-reach- a long, costly quagmire of casualties ing results.” (71) Within weeks it was that ended with an Allied withdrawal in recognized that ground forces would December. The dysfunctional British be needed to permanently eliminate system for making high level decisions the threat offered by Turkish fortifica- and planning throughout the campaign tions. By March 1915, a powerful An- had failed this test of war. For exam- glo-French naval force had been assem- ple, the War Council did not meet for bled. Although there had, as yet, been eight critical weeks between 19 March no decision on a land-sea operation, and 14 May 1915, which meant that the ground forces were being assembled decision to delay operations until troops in the eastern Mediterranean. Despite could be landed was taken by the com- the lack of sufficient troops in the area manders in the field rather than in Lon- for such a combined operation, it was don. It was subsequently endorsed by hoped that warships could force the nar- just three cabinet ministers. The author rows. The attack, on March 18, was a summarises the lack of coherent plan- debacle; mines sank three battleships ning and aptly decries strategic decision and heavily damaged three other major making as “haphazard”(136). warships. The Admiral in command re- Churchill, whose name was linked fused to attempt further attacks without with the disastrous campaign because support by troops. this suited his press and political oppo- Book Reviews 213 nents, began an energetic and ultimately ation. This is an even-handed account successful campaign to rehabilitate his based on extensive use of archival and reputation. It seems extraordinary now, published sources. One of the book’s given how modern governments con- strengths is how it dissects complex ep- trol information, but an official com- isodes involving several personalities mission was launched in April 1916 to in a fluid and engaging manner. Highly examine the Dardanelles campaign. recommended for those interested how Churchill connived with Admiral Jacky policy was being made in Britain during Fisher to give the commission a picture the opening months of the Great War of their work in planning and running and a fascinating aspect of Churchill’s the operation that “involved consider- long political career. able distortion of the truth.”(227) The Commission published its initial report Jan Drent in March 1917. It was ventilated in the Victoria, British Columbia press even as that year’s cataclysmic developments unfolded—the collapse Christopher M. Bonin. Virginia in the of Russia, the German submarine cam- War of 1812. Jefferson, NC: McFar- paign, the ongoing failure of efforts to land Publishing, www.mcfarlandpub. break the enervating stalemate on the org, 2018. ix+185 pp., illustrations, Western Front, and the American entry maps, notes, bibliography, index. US into the war. The final report appeared $35.00, paper; ISBN 978-1-4766-7108- in 1919. The next major hurdle in re- 6. (E-book available.) storing Churchill’s reputation emerged with the official histories compiled in Preservation of Canada within the Em- the twenties. The author provides a pire was the paramount goal of the nuanced and admirably clear outline of British during the War of 1812. Unfor- how Churchill manoeuvred to influence tunately, residents of the Chesapeake, what became a mostly positive image of especially Virginians, paid the price for his role in both official records. Finally, being on the front lines of this “second- Churchill published his own selective ary” theater of war. Christopher Bonin version of the campaign in his histo- produces a monograph of limited size ry of the Great War, The World Crisis and scope focusing on the region in (1923-31). Virginia in the War of 1812. He notes Churchill and the Dardanelles has there are few studies on the war regard- a satisfactory index and maps. The il- ing individual states and, “At present, lustrations include three captivating there is not a single-volume work on the contemporary drawings of personalities Old Dominion at war (1).” Therefore, important in the story, but otherwise the author ably introduces the reader to are mostly small and grainy photo- a Virginian perspective of the conflict graphs. Even though the literature on as a corrective for this perceived inad- the Dardanelles campaign is already equacy. vast, Christopher Bell’s lucid, crisp and “Free trade and sailor’s rights” is authoritative examination is welcome. considered the traditional casus bel- His book covers the policy decisions li. Does the evidence support this the- behind the campaign, how it unfolded, sis? War was not a result of the Ches- and how Churchill was eventually able apeake-Leopard affair in 1808. The to overcome the personal opprobri- British brazenly attacked a U.S. naval um that resulted from the failed oper- vessel and removed four sailors, three of whom were Americans. What of 214 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord sailor’s rights then, after a direct af- of the war and the fates of various sig- front to national honor and prestige? nificant persons mentioned in the book. Northern interests, generally merchant/ Bonin sheds some light on a num- shippers who supported the idea of free ber of local issues, such as slavery’s ef- trade, roundly opposed war. But when fect on the Old Dominion. This partic- the war hawks, generally western rep- ular institution influenced the strategic resentatives in Congress, and the man thinking of the state’s leaders. Central- in the White House, James Madison, a izing the location of armouries inhibit- Virginian, began their bellicose drum- ed the distribution of weapons for local beat for war, only then did war mate- militias. This was policy due to the rialize. It was thought it would be an fear of slaves arming themselves from easy march for Canada as the British dispersed militia stores. The dread were in a dire struggle in Europe. It is was real as numerous slaves rebelled against this backdrop that Bonin sub- by claiming their freedom and offering mits his state-centric contribution to the their services to the British. Hundreds historiography of the War of 1812. were incorporated into a Corps of Colo- The story of Virginia’s place in the nial Marines to fight their former mas- war is relayed in nine short chapters. ters. In fact, they did yeomen’s service The Chesapeake-Leopard affair and and were lauded by their officers. Other intervening four years of dismal Amer- nuggets of historical information can be ican diplomacy in the hands of Virgin- mined from this manuscript as well. ian administrations that lead up to the A book with modest goals, its over- avoidable conflict comprise the first all presentation could have been im- two chapters. The third illuminates both proved by including maps of various the desire and dread of war through the locations discussed. This would help letters of Virginia luminaries and news- geographically situate a reader, who paper commentary. A surprisingly wide may not be as familiar with Virgin- diversity of opinion existed within the ia as the author. Additionally, a more state regarding going to war. through editing would have improved The next two chapters relate the the text. An occasional sentence and condition of the nation’s and Com- fragment were repeated, proper capital- monwealth’s military preparations ization missed, and nonsense words or and stature, neither very sophisticated, words out of context were sporadically compared to the British, who were vast- found in the text−minor issues but dis- ly more competent in the martial craft. tracting, none the less. The short Con- The following three chapters focus on clusion, however, seems out of place. Virginian forces fighting both outside In an apparent attempt to be timely, an the state, in the old Northwest, and in anguished comparison is made between the tidewater during 1813 and 1814. the War of 1812 and the Post 9/11 Sec- Successes for Virginians, when they ond Iraq War. As the book was pub- occurred, were almost glorious, but in lished in 2018, maybe a comparison most actions and skirmishes the British with the centenary of the First World generally had the run of the state from War might have been more appropriate. Hampton to Alexandria. The author of- The parallels are more obvious: Lusita- fers brief outlines of some the notable nia/Chesapeake-Leopard; Virginian three battles, 27 skirmishes and 11 raids presidents; America’s desire to avoid a that occurred in the Commonwealth. war for which it was unprepared; and The final chapter presents the outcome Great Britain versus a continental pow- Book Reviews 215 er. This reviewer found the diversion ty to haul a load. Patent ‘Jarvis-type’ into contemporary politics an interest- brace-winches were also key in the ing choice. design, reducing crew numbers from Virginia in the War of 1812 is a fine what would have required 12-16 men monograph that makes a quick and easy traditionally to only four men using the read. Any historian of the era or person Jarvis winches (23). Compared to a with a general interest in the War of clipper ship of just 50 years earlier, this 1812 should find the book handy. A stu- meant 135T per crew vs 34T per crew dent of Virginia history might also find for a clipper. In service as the Pad- it useful as an introduction to the war ua, like all sailing ships of the era, she and its focus on the Commonwealth. hauled cargo that was not time-depen- Bonin states, “If this book sparks inter- dant—initially, the nitrate trade out of est and leads to further research, it will Chile and later, grain from Australia— have more than fulfilled the author’s niche routes where steamers had yet to ambitions (4).” I hope the author’s take over. ambitions are fulfilled, and motivated The Padua served well under the readers use this introduction to Virgin- flag of the Flying P-Line. It is unfortu- ia’s role in the War of 1812 to further nate that her greatest achievements were research and flesh out more fully Old almost buried in history. For example, Dominion’s place in the conflict. during the last ‘grain race’ from Aus- tralia during the winter of 1938-1939, Michael Tuttle Padua came in second place behind the Cranston, Rhode Island famous Moshulu, taking two days more than the winner’s 91days (84). By the Thomas Böttcher and Christine Hieber. time she arrived back in Germany in Viermastbark Kruzenshtern ex Padua. August 1939, Padua had circumnavi- Bremerhaven. Germany: Deutsches gated the world under sail in 8 months Shiffahrtsmuseum and Oceanum Ver- and 5 days—a record that still stands to lag, www.dsm.museum and www.ocea- this day (86). num.de. 2016. 325pp., illustrations, The book also provides some insight tables, notes, bibliography. English into daily life aboard the ships of the summary. Plan. €39,90 Euro, cloth: era. Despite the technological advance- ISBN 978-3-86927-077-7. ments, ships were still very dangerous workplaces and crew deaths were not One of the amazing, still-intact exam- uncommon. Safety depended heavily ples of a windjammer is the Kruzen- on a ship’s captain, with so called “driv- shtern. Built in 1926 at the famed Joh. ers” losing up to four men per voyage, C. Tecklenborg yard for the F. Laeisz while a ‘good’ captain might lose two (known as the famous Flying P-Line), crew in a lifetime at sea, Despite this, the ship still sails today and surprising- this reviewer was surprised to learn that ly, this is the first full monograph writ- German merchant sailing vessels gener- ten on the subject. ally treated their crews better and had Purpose-built as a cargo vessel the lowest desertion rates. named the Padua, the ship was the pin- Within her history, Padua’s sur- nacle of sailing technology of its day. vival to today must be credited to her Rigged as a four-masted barque and ability to be remain a useful training with a three-island hull, the ship was platform—a secondary mission she had designed for efficiency and the abili- had since her launch. Until 1957, Ger- 216 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord many required captains to have a mini- One aspect where the book disap- mum amount of time ‘before the mast’ points is in the English summary. For to qualify for Master Mariner, which a 300-page book, roughly 20 pages of meant vessels like the Padua were still summary is largely bare bones and dot- needed. Post-war, the ship was surren- ted with only a few highlights from the dered to the Soviet Union and without full text. Furthermore, the summary the intervention of a handful of key reads as what can be best described as Russian captains who saw a future for ‘translated.’ It may not be the product of her, the now-called Kruzenshtern might Google Translator, but it certainly lacks well have landed at the breakers. As it some polishing. While, in fairness, the happened, by 1968 the ship had found a summary does the job, this reviewer new purpose solely as a sailing training expected much more from a monograph ship—a task she still fulfills today. of this type. The second half of the book, de- Given the ship’s 90-plus-year exis- tailing the ship’s history under Sovi- tence and very intriguing history, it is et and later Russian flags is where the only proper that there be a monograph wealth of ‘new’ information can be to bring the ship’s story to light. Au- found. Understandably unavailable thors Böttcher and Hieber do this very during the Soviet era, this history has well, with a text that is beautifully il- finally been revealed. For example, in lustrated. Those with interest in wind- the late 1960s, while still under Sovi- jammers will certainly enjoy the work, et navy command, the ship had a bear and those who have had the pleasure on board—Misha (123). When the of walking on Kruzenshtern’s decks Kruzenshtern first participated in the should add it to their library. International Sail Training Program in 1974, one can imagine the impact of a Christopher Kretzschmar ship sailing onto the international scene Rusagonis, New Brunswick from behind the Iron Curtain. Most important to the ship’s fate Roger Branfill-Cook. River Gunboats. is one of her former Russian captains, An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Barnsley, Gennadiy Kolomenskiy. His life was S. Yorks: Seaforth Publishing, www. ultimately tied to the ship for 40 years seaforthpublishing.com, 2018. 336 pp., and it was his driving force to preserve illustrations, appendices, bibliography, and push for the ship to be given to the index. UK £40.00, cloth; ISBN 978-1- Baltic State Academy during the break- 84832-365-0. up of the Soviet Union that the ship sur- vived another great moment in history. When it comes to modern warships, Much like other books from the there is no shortage of books detailing publisher, this one is also heavily filled the history and development of various with photographs, maps, charts, and ta- types of vessels. Shelves groan with bles of voyages. Anyone interested in the specialized studies on battleships, the topic of Windjammers solely for aircraft carriers and submarines, with the aesthetics will not be disappointed even workhorses such as destroyers in this regard. The original builders’ and frigates receiving their due. When specifications have been completely re- it comes to the smallest warships, the produced in facsimile. For the sailing lowly gunboat, however, a prospective ship geek this is a very nice addition to reader faces a surprising dearth of op- the text. tions available to them, with the few Book Reviews 217 books on the subject typically devoted location information such as page num- to the specific vessels used in a particu- bers within the reference, as well as the lar conflict. This is what makes Roger author’s subdivision of the entries on Branfill-Cook’s book unique, as it is the the gunboats of the larger navies by the first effort to provide a comprehensive region where they were deployed. To- catalogue of all of the powered vessels gether, these make the book far more employed as warships on the rivers, time-consuming to use than should be lakes, and lagoons of the world, from the case with a good reference work. the Honourable East India Company’s These entries also exclude any details HEIC Diana down to her present-day of modifications that the new owners descendants. might have made to the vessels, an One likely reason for the absence omission which further diminishes the of such a work until now is the chal- book’s overall utility for the interested lenge of researching the histories of user. these vessels. Many gunboats did not Yet for those who persevere with it, start out as purpose-built warships, but Branfill-Cook’s book provides a trove of were initially civilian vessels that were useful facts, with its focus on gunboats subsequently modified for use, with the allowing readers to uncover many fas- occasionally hasty addition of cannons cinating nuggets of information about or machine guns, and some form of pro- these vessels. Though details about tection from attack. Even when these their deployment are as limited as those vessels were commissioned into their of their construction and modification, respective navies, the details about their what the author does provide conveys construction, operations and fate can be something of the impressive breadth of hard to find. Here Branfill-Cook gener- missions they have performed over the ously details the assistance he received decades, from traditional naval warfare from dozens of people who through to amphibious operations to support their own time and labour provided for land operations. As Branfill-Cook much of the information he relied upon reveals, gunboats have often played a for his book, yet for all their help, he number of utility roles beyond those of acknowledges that many gaps remain in their initial conception, serving as river- the details available. borne tanks, ersatz landing craft, and as To organize his information, Bran- floating artillery platforms. This range fill-Cook relies upon the tried-and-true of use helps to define what the author approach of doing so by country. This classifies as a “gunboat.” For example, is a perfectly sensible way to manage he includes artillery mounted on ca- the material, yet there are limitations in nal barges, but usually leaves out ves- how he employs it. Foremost among sels used for non-military duties (such them is how he deals with the many as coast-guarding and policing). This gunboats that were transferred between leads to some questionable omissions, countries; namely, by referring his read- such as the Point-class cutters initially ers to the relevant listing in their coun- used by the U.S. Coast Guard in Oper- try of origin. While understandable in ation Market Time and later transferred terms of managing the size of the book, to the South Vietnamese during the Viet- often it forces readers to go paging back nam War. And yet such omissions are and forth to find out what they need to probably inevitable, given the impossi- know. Easy referencing is further ham- bility of including every engine-pow- pered by the absence of more specific ered boat that has ever had a machine 218 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord gun attached to its frame. While some letters from fellow service members and of the decisions in this regard are de- an assortment of period photographs batable, the challenge involved in such to provide additional perspectives and a classification effort underscores both better visualizations beyond his own re- the utility of these vessels and the need counting. The text is straightforward, for a work such as this. with a single-page introductory letter And this is why, for all of its flaws, from Brooke offering background on River Gunboats is a welcome contribu- the work’s construction before delving tion to the sparse literature available on into his service aboard HMS Nelson in its subject. With its generous collection 1938. Ten chapters are based around of photographs and profile drawings of significant events and reassignments, nearly every class of vessel described, followed by an eight-page index. it reflects the author’s clear love of the The first three chapters of the work subject. Thanks to him, we now have detail Brooke’s service from the late a work that is a useful go-to reference 1930s through his participation in the for anyone interested in gunboats and hunt for the German battleship Bis- the many roles they have served in wars marck while serving aboard the Prince around the world. Hopefully, it will of Wales. They cover Brooke’s pre-war also serve as a springboard for further career as a midshipman aboard HMS research into these humble craft and Nelson, offering a glimpse into the in- highlight the often under-appreciated terwar Royal Navy and the rising war role they have played in modern war- tensions. His brief time aboard de- fare. stroyers is followed by a transfer to the famed HMS Prince of Wales, on Mark Klobas which he served for both Churchill’s Phoenix, Arizona secret meeting with Roosevelt and the hunt for the Bismarck. His accounts of Geoffrey Brooke. Alarm Starboard! A both incidents are fascinating glimpses Remarkable True Story of the War at into often-discussed moments of Sec- Sea. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen & Sword ond World War history. The vast ma- Maritime, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, jority of text, however, consists of the 2018. 288 pp., illustrations, maps, in- four central chapters that document the dex. UK £14.99, paper; ISBN 978-1- transfer of the Prince of Wales to the 52674-381-7. Pacific, its sinking, and Brooke’s subse- quent escape back to the safety of Cey- This work is an autobiographical ac- lon. The sinking of the Prince of Wales count of Royal Navy Lieutenant Com- is covered in vivid detail. It is Brooke’s mander Geoffrey Brooke’s service in escape from Singapore, survival amidst the Atlantic, Pacific, and Mediterranean the tumultuous retreat through Sumatra, from 1938 to 1945. Originally pub- and his five-week voyage across the In- lished in 1982, this is the third repub- dian Ocean in a battered sailing ketch, lishing of Alarm Starboard, with the the Sederhana Djohanisi, where the previous offering being a 2009 reprint- work truly shines. He not only offers ing by Leo Cooper Ltd. shortly after the gritty details of men lost, friends Brooke’s death. Written chronological- abandoned, and last-minute deals made ly and relying on his memory, papers, to ensure one’s survival, but fully cap- and letters home, Brooke supplemented tures the madness, despair, and des- his first-person account by interspersing peration of those Commonwealth and Book Reviews 219 indigenous forces smashed by the unex- tion, subdivided and merely dispersed pected Japanese onslaught. Given that to break up the text. While some line almost a third of his wartime memoirs up with discussed materials, Brooke’s are devoted to this tale of escape and primary focus on his 1942 escape mean evasion, it is clear that the actions of that the images are inserted in random January to April 1942 had a deep impact areas, such as the chapter on the Seder- on Brooke for the rest of his life. The hana Djohanis containing a photo block final three chapters cover 1943 through with a single image of Brooke aboard January of 1946, documenting his re- that ship, followed by seven images of turn to Atlantic Operations aboard the HMS Bermuda and one of a 1945 air cruiser Bermuda, followed by a reas- raid, with the seven relevant images signment to carriers operating in the Pa- of the Sederhana Djohanis voyage be- cific. Brooke’s accounts of Operation ing found over thirty pages earlier (p. Torch and Russian convoys is relatively 137-140, 172-176). The most obvious short in comparison to other points of casualty of this breaking up of the pho- his career, with his time aboard HMS to block is that the caption of an image Formidable comprising the bulk of his on page 209 is instead found on page late-war account. As a transferred of- 176, still bearing a previous editions’ ficer, Brooke offers a unique view into bolded “Opposite” directional text. On the operations of a late-war carrier, as he a more constructive level, the addition was thrown into several unaccustomed of editor’s footnotes or summaries roles. His descriptions of kamikaze at- would help clarify aspects not fully ex- tacks are fascinating, but it is visiting plained within the text or in Brooke’s the aftermath of one such action, and occasional footnotes. Brooke gives the his panicked shooting down of a crip- impression that he is from the upper pled allied aircraft afterwards that helps echelon of British society, and seems humanize the statistics of these suicidal to expect readers to know the jockey/ operations (249-251). Upon complet- horse racing parlance he tosses out, or ing his extraordinary tale, his final line the assumedly famous names and so- is most fitting: “Even now, 40 years on, cietal ranks he would encounter early if my luck seems to be temporarily out, in the work. Alongside details, terms, I feel it is only someone redressing the and traditions which may have faded balance.” (280) from common knowledge over the thir- In terms of possible improvements, ty-six years since the work’s first print- there are several suggestions. The most ing, short explanations of these details striking is the work’s biography on the in footnotes or endnotes would greatly back cover. The final line states “Now help those not familiar with the subjects retired he [Brooke] has three daughters or mid-twentieth century British high and lives with his wife in Sussex.” This society. Perhaps a future edition might is a rather bizarre statement, given that include these suggestions, and further Geoffrey Brooke passed away in 2009, increase the strength of this work. nine years before this edition’s publi- All in all, Alarm Starboard is a fas- cation. It is a simple correction, but a cinating glimpse into the wartime ca- strange and seemingly huge oversight. reer of an extremely lucky (or unlucky) Another oddity deals with the photo- man. Brooke’s harrowing centerpiece graphs, in six sections, spaced evenly account of escaping from Singapore throughout the book. They appear to and sailing across the Indian Ocean have been taken from an older edi- to safety alone make this a wonder- 220 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ful resource for those interested in the certainties, and project personnel. This 1941/1942 allied retreat in the Pacific. speaks to the importance of the ship- His additional wartime accounts offer wreck La Belle to the history of Euro- further ground level insight into sev- pean exploration and colonization of eral key events in World War II naval North America, to our understanding of history as well. While the work could the expedition’s leader, Robert Caveli- use an editor’s hand to help with lay un- er, Sieur de La Salle, and to the earliest derstanding of some of Brooke’s more colonial history of the Texas coast. esoteric references and statements, this The present volume, La Belle: The is a good firsthand account of one man’s Archaeology of a Seventeenth-Century war at sea. Ship of New World Colonization, is the comprehensive technical documenta- Charles Ross Patterson II tion of the full excavation of La Belle, Yorktown, Virginia archival research, conservation of the hull and artifacts, physical vessel mod- James E. Bruseth, Amy A. Borgens, eling, and analysis of the material cul- Bradford M. Jones and Eric D. Ray. ture recovered from the site. The vol- La Belle. The Archeology of a Sev- ume opens with an introduction to La enteenth-Century Ship of New World Salle, the expedition, and the expedi- Colonization. College Station, TX: tion’s four vessels, including the selec- Texas A&M University Press, www. tion, construction, sailing, and ultimate tamupress.com, 2017. xix+892 pp., il- fate of La Belle. At the time of its loss, lustrations, maps, tables, appendices, La Belle was being used as a temporary notes, bibliography, index. US $95.00, store ship, and La Salle documented hardback; ISBN 978-1-62349-361-5. what was loaded onto and stored in it giving archaeologists a useful guide for The shipwrecked fate of the barque what to what might be expected during longue La Belle is well known in Tex- excavation and conservation. as history, and its potential importance Following the introduction is an to French and American colonial histo- analysis of new archival research con- ry buoyed interest in the search for the ducted as part of this project. Much vessel, much like the search for oth- professional research on La Salle’s co- er mythologized shipwrecks in North lonial expedition to the Gulf of Mexico America, including Le Griffon in the had already been published; therefore, Great Lakes and Queen Anne’s Revenge researchers focused on newly discov- in North Carolina. After approximately ered material and documents pertaining 20 years of active searching, La Belle to La Belle in particular. Only docu- was discovered in Matagorda Bay, a ments relevant to the 1684 voyage are bronze gun recovered definitively iden- presented and discussed in this volume, tifying the shipwreck, and plans almost including the construction and provi- immediately put into place to archae- sioning of La Belle. This chapter was ologically investigate the site. Rarely written before conservation work was is any state archaeological agency af- completed, meaning that specific details forded so many years to conduct such related to the vessel are, unfortunately, a comprehensive excavation, documen- not linked to the archaeological remains tation, and research of a submerged in this section. shipwreck, especially through changes Next is a description of the exca- in political administrations, funding un- vation of La Belle. Due to the lack of Book Reviews 221 visibility at the site and its proximity appreciably complicates the analyses. to active shipping, the project team de- Carrell proposes that La Belle was con- cided to build a cofferdam around the structed as a whole vessel from a mix shipwreck and excavate the vessel as of new and used timbers following the if it were on “dry” land using both ter- Mediterranean method of trébuchement restrial and marine archaeological tech- (another archaeological first). Alterna- niques. This methodology was the first tively, Pevny argues that La Belle was of its kind in North America, and this designed, following the French system chapter describes the pros and cons, and of graphic design using diagonals to de- trials and errors of developing and us- velop the hull curvature, to be a ship-in- ing this methodology in open water. It parts that was ultimately assembled in then goes on to describe the quite spec- France. Two models of La Belle were tacular process of the excavation, how constructed to represent its appearance artifacts and features were mapped and and layout, and to recreate the method removed, and how they were packaged and sequence of its construction. for shipping to the conservation labora- Subsequent chapters analyze ma- tory. terial culture associated with: rigging; The chapter on the conservation of cordage; cooking (heating) and diet; La Belle is a well-written description stowage and packing containers (in- of both representative and challenging cluding individual analyses of the con- treatments of the material culture. Case tents of a sample of whole containers); studies presented involve the nocturnal navigational instruments; artillery; a (navigation instrument), the hull, wood gun carriage; petards; firepots; firearms; casks, and complicated composites, gun flints; iron and lead shot; swords; such as the firearms. What is especial- polearms; trade goods including glass ly interesting is that it does not just de- beads, iconographic rings, flush loop scribe the final results of conservation, brass bells, brass straight pins, and axes but also difficulties encountered, deci- and knives; ceramics; glass bottles; sion-making processes, new insights, footwear; human skeletal remains and reconsideration of methods, and budget facial reconstruction; faunal remains; considerations. Conservation of wa- floral remains (flotation); textiles; pig- ter-logged artifacts is never straight-for- ments; medicinals; ballast; and mis- ward, fast, or even permanent. cellaneous “domestic” goods. In this In the following chapters, research- last category are items such as lighting; ers do not always agree on the analy- containers; utensils; hardware; personal ses of characteristics or features of the items; barber/surgical tools; writing im- vessel and its artifacts. The volume’s plements; items associated with leisure editors purposefully preserved these activities; and random, uncategorized arguments to that the reader may “… objects. That it is comprised of such a understand that there is no single best variety of material culture is due to this interpretation” – a reality that deserves reviewer’s one significant criticism of to be better recognized in archaeology. this volume. There is no established In this volume, this is especially true for classification system used to categorize the two chapters that propose radically the material culture. What is presented different interpretations of the hull de- is mix of material, form, usage, location sign and construction. That the barque within the vessel, and association/con- longue is a previously unidentified ves- text. sel type in the archaeological record The project team for the excava- 222 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord tion of La Belle, including the editors Bursley’s extensive history of Charles and authors of this volume, have pro- Elliot. Though several books have ex- duced a highly significant contribution plored Elliot’s role in the Hong Kong to our understanding of the maritime acquisition, the author extends his ex- archaeology of colonial North Amer- ploration to analyze the character and ica, the European colonization of the context of decisions which drove Cap- Gulf of Mexico and the Texas Coast, tain Elliot to challenge naval protocol seventeenth-century French ships of in the Orient. Bursley explains Elliot’s exploration; the evolution of French actions in navigating through a politi- ship design; trade practices with Native cal den of profit and controversy which Americans; life about a ship at sea; and surrounded the unlawful exchange of life at a fledgling and failing colony. opium among British and Chinese mer- They have developed methodology for chants, ultimately leading to open con- excavating, recording, conserving, and flict between Britain and China. archiving many archaeological firsts, Newspapers which reported on opi- for example, the first identified barque um exchanges during Elliot’s tenure in longue in the archaeological record. the orient painted Elliot as a character The archaeological assemblage com- who lacked the capacity to fulfill his prises some of the largest single collec- duties effectively. Bursey, however, tions of artifacts types of the time peri- redefines this characterization by dis- od, including trade goods such as glass tinguishing Elliot’s options and his beads and iconographic rings. No doubt resourceful nature to find a balance of many future large-scale archaeological humanitarianism and duty. While Chief projects will look towards this work as of Commissions in China, Elliot nego- an archetype model for research design. tiated a diplomatic solution between the This volume is highly recommended. British government, the Co-Hong cartel, and Commissioner Lin who was tasked Alicia Caporaso at preventing further opium exchange. New Orleans, Louisiana Bursey successfully demonstrates that during these events, Captain Elliot as- Jon Bursey. Captain Elliot and the sumed a self-motivated leadership role Founding of Hong Kong, Pearl of the in negotiations between British opium Orient. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen and merchants, who faced punitive reper- Sword, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, cussions by China for their defiant ac- 2018. xviii+274 pp., illustrations, maps, tions, and Lin while honouring the Brit- notes, bibliography, index. UK £25.00, ish government’s responsibility toward US $34.95, cloth: ISBN 978-1-52672- its citizens conducting trade overseas. 256-0. By outlining the complexity involved in juggling dated directives from Brit- Author Jon Bursley explores the life- ain with the need for immediate action long trials and accomplishments of a in the orient, Elliot demonstrated com- nineteenth-century British naval cap- petency and an ability to drive events. tain in Captain Elliot and the Found- Bursley designed this naval history ing of Hong Kong, Pearl of the Orient. narrative using a friendly format which Controversies surrounding the First An- first explains the contextual history for glo-Chinese War and Britain’s acqui- each area assigned to Elliot, then pro- sition of Hong Kong during the nine- ceeds through a detailed account of teenth century lay the background for Elliot’s decisions which affected these Book Reviews 223 areas by means of politics, diplomacy Throughout the book, Bursey ad- and personal interactions. The author dresses nineteenth-century illness and catalogues Elliot’s actions through ex- disease. Elliot’s correspondence allows tensive reference to personal letters the reader to become intimately aware and official correspondence. Using of his family and their frequent bouts these resources, the author effectively with illness. The book serves as a cred- outlines Elliot’s character and identi- ible tool for exploring the history of El- fies a pattern of humanitarian interests liot’s assigned areas and as a marker for driving Elliot’s agenda which included the challenges of living in such areas. opium exchange, prisoner rights and The threat of illness became part of a slavery. constant struggle for individuals endur- Elliot’s career spanned his initial ing a life of constant travel in and out enlistment aboard HMS Leviathan in of tropical ports. Originally, Elliot’s 1815, progressing through his rise to career advanced due to the illness of commander of the Serapis and HMS others, but eventually, his own personal Renegade in 1825-6, then elevation to struggle with climate-related illnesses Captain aboard the Harlequin in 1828. began to hold him back. His wife also Elliot’s early titles included Protec- fell victim to constant weakness as a tor of Slaves in British Guiana, Chief result of climate adjustments. Yellow of Commissions in China, and British fever and other illnesses forced popu- General Consul in Texas. He then ac- lation fluctuation throughout the Carib- cepted the Governorship of Bermuda, bean as Elliot’s correspondence reveals. Trinidad, and St. Helena. Each assign- The author’s ability to navigate ment strengthened his experience and through naval history serves as a mod- resolve. est contribution to the overall success Bursey argues that during Elliot’s of this book. The significant value of early career, he consistently addressed this book lies in the author’s ability humanitarian injustices through politi- to capture the perspective of a nine- cal and diplomatic maneuvers, though teenth-century British traveler. Elliot often overstepped his authority. In became a witness to significant island 1845 Elliot became intimately involved events due to the nature of his career in promoting independence for the Re- path, therefore, his life became an in- public of Texas in lieu of American strument in the study of this type of ca- annexation. Addressing additional oc- reer. The author presents a multifacet- casions, Elliot misread the complexity ed look into the character of a man who of problems resulting in an overreach shaped the British acquisition of Hong from plausible objectives. In later Kong, while explaining the challenges years, Elliot’s constructive leadership of Elliot’s career path. Personality con- style allowed him to improve the lives flicts and diplomatic intrigue enliven of citizens and prisoners through in- the book as a historical and naval study, frastructure advances, the construction while the personal details add depth of schools, asylums and prisons, agri- by presenting an intimate look at nine- cultural improvement plans, and port teenth-century challenges encountered improvements to advance trade capa- by British citizens living, working, and bilities. Elliot became instrumental in trading abroad. evacuating convicts in the Caribbean when issues of yellow fever and cholera Diana Ritzie affected the islands. Pensacola, Florida 224 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord R.A. Burt. British Battleships 1889- relied on the tried-and-true firing prac- 1904. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute tices of “independent fire” and “broad- Press, www.nip.org, R 2013 [Original- side or concentrated firing.” Originally ly published1988]. 352 pp., acknow­ conceived in the age of sail, the former ledgements, illustrations, bibliography, practice allowed each gun’s captain to index. US $75.00, cloth; ISBN 978-1- shoot at will, and the latter required 59114-065-8. all of the ship’s guns to target and fire according to the order of a gunnery In British Battleships 1889-1904, Ray “director.” A reform implemented by A. Burt has created a coffee-table book Captain Moorsom, RN, in the 1850s, any navalist ought to consider acquiring. assigned the director the role of collect- Combining extant technical diagrams ing and prioritizing targeting informa- with those he created himself based on tion (such as ships’ relative speed and thorough research, Burt diligently ad- bearing, and specific targets, such as the dresses the question of British Royal enemy ship’s bridge, or a gun turret), to Navy (RN) ship identification. Strictly which all gun captains would be bound. speaking, it is not an academic text; for Since each gun was located along the example, there are no notes for readers length and along the centreline of RN to cite or use for cross-referencing. He ships, the targeting information the has written a piece of popular history, gunnery director would supply, which and as such, it lacks the stuffiness one was usually from the centre-most gun often finds in purely academic work: or the bridge of the ship, would be inac- this does not detract from the book in curate for other gun positions because the least since it appears to be aimed at of the disparity of their positions viz. providing readers with interesting ma- the director’s position. Frequently, an terial to satisfy a reader’s curiosity, not RN ship’s fore battery would shoot too fulfill a thesis requirement. Burt does soon for maximum effect, or the rear offer a brief and informal bibliography battery would fire too late and would at that readers may use to further their own best, wing the aft of the target ship as it research. The benefits of this approach steamed out of the battery’s target-zone; are not limited to casual readers, nor to and as the RN held firm to the age-old neophyte navalists, nor to those specif- philosophy that the weight of fire was ically interested in the RN. Burt makes of superior benefit for a ship in battle it possible for astute readers to benefit than any gun’s individual accuracy or from his relatively casual delivery of any general attempt to improve a gun’s material by offering key names, events aim, any alteration in gun bearing or at- and dates, and terminology in his text. tempt to increase accuracy was frowned An easy example of this occurs upon. Firing carefully took more time toward the end of the introduction, in than firing blindly. The traditional which Burt addresses RN gunnery and broadside replaced the director’s role in marksmanship (53-61). Naval opera- naval gunnery by 1885. tional theory was changing rapidly at Innovations in materials, design, the turn of the twentieth century, and and construction occurred around the it is a chicken-or-egg quandary wheth- turn of the last century, and new guns, er theory progression was antecedent not to mention new ships, required new to technological development. In the ways to conduct battle, rendering past case of naval gunnery, simple necessi- techniques obsolete. Both civilian and ty instigated reform. Long had the RN senior naval officials remained uncon- Book Reviews 225 vinced that their battle tactics needed to information pertinent to the British side be changed, and the volume of fire re- of the equation that were not referred to mained superior to collective accuracy in primary documents from the United in most tacticians’ minds. This did not States consulted prior to this review sit well with some particularly progres- (e.g., Elting E. Morison, et al. [eds.], sive officers, such as gunnery Captain The Letters of Theodore Roosevelt: Vol- Percy Scott, who instituted many re- ume[s] I-VIII. [Cambridge, MA: Har- forms on his own vessels, HMS Scylla vard University Press, 1951]; Henry and HMS Terrible. A reader familiar Cabot Lodge [ed.], Selections from the with the time period in question might Correspondence of Theodore Roosevelt know the topic from the side of the Unit- and Henry Cabot Lodge, 1884-1918, ed States, and will know of the reforms Vol. I [and II]. [New York: Charles Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Scribner’s Sons, 1925]; Elting E. Mor- Lodge and William Sowden Sims insti- ison, Admiral Sims and the Modern tuted in the United States Navy (USN) American Navy, [New York: Russell & to a greater or lesser extent. This short Russell, {1942} 1968]). Accordingly, section of the introduction illustrates further independent research is possi- gunnery reform from the British side, ble because Burt’s book is thoroughly and includes reference to the influence researched and presented in a pleasing of the Third Sea Lord Sir William May, manner, albeit not cited to academic ex- for instance, upon cooperative gunnery pectations. reform initiatives embarked upon by the British Battleships 1889-1904 is a RN and the USN. Specifically, naval popular, coffee-table-style history book gunnery reform was not taken seriously developed through meticulous research in the USN either, until William Sims and careful reproduction of illustrations, encountered Captain Scott at the Hong and while it is not “academic” per se, it Kong station, after which he composed is nonetheless a work of good quality: and sent a highly detailed letter contain- university instructors would be well-ad- ing his findings and conclusions to The- vised to use it as an example of scholar- odore Roosevelt. This chance meeting ly presentation and prose, and one that also coincided with a 1902 British study might be used best to enhance first-year into gunnery practices, precipitating students’ learning. For any reader with the complete overhaul of techniques to a good knowledge of research methods, make them relevant to the needs of con- the information Burt transmits is of temporary maritime warfare. pleasing inspirational value. While not mentioned in Burt’s book, several of Theodore Roosevelt’s, Ambjörn L. Adomeit Henry Cabot Lodge’s and Sims’ biog- London, Ontario raphies and collections of personal cor- respondence reference this specific top- ic. Burt’s ability to draw readers into a larger topic is thereby illustrated in this section of the text. This reviewer Henry T. Cheever. The Whale and his has a particular interest in Western/An- Captors: or, Whaleman’s Adventures. glo-American naval gunnery reforms (First published New York: Harper & instituted during the 1885-1920 period, Brothers, 1850). Edited and Introduced and Burt’s work has introduced some by Robert D. Madison, Lebanon, NH: small, but important, nuggets of new University Press of New England, www.upne.com, 2018. xxxiii+242 pp., 226 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord illustrations, notes, appendices. US ocean.” The word “relationship” is key $40.00, paper; ISBN 978-1-5126-0266- to our understanding of the sea. Thank- 1. (E-book available.) fully, this conviction remains valid well beyond the nautical experience of the “There she blows! There she blows! / USA. (Editors of academic books and Man the boats! For nothing stay! / Such journals might bear that in mind when a prize we must not lose! / Lay to your judging the acceptability of literary oars! Away! Away!” So reads the fron- manuscripts). Reprinting Cheever’s tispiece of Reverend Henry Cheever’s book also found support in the perspec- 1850 account of his 236-day voyage tive of Stuart M. Frank, Senior Curator from the South Pacific to home port at the New Bedford Whaling Museum. in Nantucket. With its over-taxed ex- Madison, Cheever’s editor, endorses clamation marks the poem captured Frank’s perspective in his Acknowl- the prevailing view of whale-hunting edgements. “In an increasingly mate- as a swashbuckling enterprise. In the rialistic world of literary criticism,” he literature of the day, whaling was a explains, Frank had years ago “insisted risk-taking battle against a magnificent on the importance of American religious “sea-monster,” the great Leviathan; a thought to maritime culture.” That, too, gladiatorial encounter between enter- is a seminal perspective well worth re- prising humans and insensate beasts. peating in other cultures as well. The And it was portrayed as such. One of “rewards” which the series Seafaring the combatants, if not both, could die America has promised arise in the case a bloody and painful death. By all ac- of Cheever’s book from three sources: counts, the last half of the nineteenth the immediate experience of a sensitive century marked the halcyon days of and reflective writer; the engagement tall-ship sailing and whaling. Indeed, of the creative imagination; and the re- so much literature of the sea prevailed flections of a religious writer who, with that Richard Dana had felt obliged to honesty and conviction, stakes out his preface his Two Years Before the Mast changing understanding of the marine (1840) by virtually apologizing for his world. “unjustifiable” presumption in adding Key to the readers’ appreciation of his own tale to the mix. Of course, Da- Cheever’s The Whale and his Captors na’s narrative was unique. So, too, was is Mark Bousquet’s cogent and well- Cheever’s personal account; and now turned Afterword. It could well have also its first scholarly reprint at the skil- served as a Preface. His sensitive anal- ful hand of editor Robert D. Madison. ysis clarifies not only the importance of Cheever’s reprint appears in the Cheever’s work for the 1850s, but its series Seafaring America under its gen- historical significance for readers today. eral editor Richard J. King (Williams In short, by having experienced and College, Mystic Seaport). As King thought deeply about the brutal hunting explains in his brief preface to this vol- and butchery of whales, Cheever had ume, the series promotes a broad range become “the first writer to produce a of fiction and non-fiction, poetry and whaling narrative that demonstrates a drama. Thus he includes in the histori- sustained sympathy for the plight of the cal canon those works of both fact and whales.” He became, in short, the first fiction “that reward reconsideration be- whaling environmentalist. Certainly, cause of the lessons they offer about our Cheever also provided us with a rous- relationship [emphasis mine] with the ing whaling tale in the established tradi- Book Reviews 227 tion, but as Bousquet explains, “his text This attractive reprint combines also reveals a confrontation with the nautical experience, literature and reli- unexpected emotions brought forth by gion to create a compelling narrative. his witnessing the slaughter of whales.” The book makes a significant contribu- Cheever’s work is a vivid social docu- tion to current reflection on our ocean- ment with a modern thrust. ic world and the life which it sustains. Cheever himself had recorded his It takes its rightful place alongside the own transformation subtly and well, most recent contribution in the field, drawing on a literary record as diverse Nick Pyenson’s Spying on Whales: The as Bunyan, Byron, Milton, Cowper, and Past, Present and Future of Earth’s Coleridge to make his case. He docu- Most Awesome Creatures. (2018). mented his keen scientific interest in the whale’s anatomy and physiology, espe- Michael L. Hadley cially the circulation of the blood, and Victoria, British Columbia its breathing. He saw all creatures as endowed “by the Creator’s providence” with survival instincts. He himself had Nick Childs. The Age of Invincible: engaged deeply in the whaling experi- The Ship that Defined the Modern Royal ence. As his title suggests, he pondered Navy. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen & Sword the existential condition of both the Maritime, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, whale and “his captors.” We read his 2018. xxvi+189 pp., illustrations, notes, descriptions of the “wondrous mon- bibliography, index. UK £12.99, paper; ster;” of the “battleground” in which ISBN 978-1-52674-382-4. (E-book, the vicious hunt takes place. At first Kindle available.) the whale was nothing but a commod- ity, sought solely for its economic val- Nick Childs’ excellent and concise his- ue on a greedy market. Later Cheever tory of HMS Invincible provides far conceded that “the havoc” which the more than a traditional ship biography, industry caused was “enormous.” If and the reprinting of this 2009 study is unchecked by ethical considerations, he auspiciously timed with the commis- warned, then “the poor whale” would be sioning of the new generation of Brit- “doomed to extinction.” In the course of ish aircraft carriers, starting with HMS the voyage his empathy with the whale Queen Elizabeth. Childs’ study covers grew. “Unlike humans,” he wrote, the broad outline and evolution of car- “whales do not wage war.” He found rier aviation within the Royal Navy, it “painful to witness the death-agony” treating HMS Invincible as an essential of a harpooned whale; observed the bridge between Second World War fleet whale’s “tenderest maternal solicitude” carriers and the daring decision to build for its young; interpreted a whale’s final large carriers. moment as “terror-struck” at the hands As a political correspondent for the of “his tormentors.” By the end of the BBC World Service and World News book, as Mark Bousquet’s Afterword television, and a former correspondent rightly explains, Reverend Cheever on a wide variety of defence affairs and had reached a position taken by Jeremy world conflicts, Childs brings an easy Bentham in 1789: the question was not familiarity with the intricacies of de- whether animals—the handiwork of the fence policy that allows him to unravel Creator—could reason and speak, but knotty decisions for even casual read- whether they could suffer. ers to absorb. Scholars will note that Childs does not rely unduly on archival 228 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord research and documentation, instead fleet carriers. During the Cold War, choosing to rely upon extensive oral in- carriers competed for scarce financial terviews with naval officers, politicians, resources with the extensive demands civil servants and academics. The re- of anti-submarine warfare against So- sult is a readable and concise book, al- viet submarines and with the navy’s beit one that presents an interpretation own role in providing a nuclear deter- of defence policy from the Royal Na- rent aboard its own submarines. Childs vy’s point of view. There is obviously convincingly argues that the end of the an effort to use the history of the Invin- Cold War and the concurrent increase cible-class to justify the policy decision in amphibious and expeditionary op- to invest in fleet carriers, but Childs of- erations under the more interventionist fers a solid case for such a large strate- government of Tony Blair proved the gic investment. wisdom of maintaining the Royal Na- HMS Invincible faced the peren- vy’s capacity to provide naval air sup- nial challenge of financial constraints, port for global power-projection and and Childs expertly connects naval conventional (non-nuclear) deterrence. policy decisions with the wider politi- Building the Invincible-class and main- cal and economic condition of Britain. taining a foothold in carrier aviation re- For example, while the Royal Navy’s duced British dependence on the Unit- experience of combat in the Falklands ed States Navy, and allowed the United War justified the relevance of carrier Kingdom to conduct independent oper- air power for power-projection and am- ations and make effective contributions phibious operations around the world, to joint missions. popularity and prestige did not insulate Childs uses the story of the Invinci- the Royal Navy from ongoing financial ble as a microcosm of the wider chang- pressure (117). The book addresses es affecting British defence policy in the tangible impact of inter-service ri- the evolving conditions of the Cold War valries, particularly between the Royal and post-Cold War periods. Scholars Navy supporters of the Fleet Air Arm and recreational readers will find that and the Royal Air Force, which played the book neatly synthesizes first-hand an important role in negotiations over accounts of the warship’s origins, ser- the Joint Harrier Force and the eventual vice and fate into a concise account of cooperation of the two services in the the strategic and institutional evolution Queen Elizabeth-class. Readers un- of the mid- to late-twentieth-century familiar with the Royal Navy and its Royal Navy. perennial financial challenges will find the political and bureaucratic infighting Iain O’Shea particularly fascinating, considering the Burnaby, British Columbia common assumption that Britain priori- tized naval forces. Jeffrey R. Cox, Morning Star, Midnight Childs integrates the activities of Sun: The Early Guadalcanal-Solomons Invincible into the broader strategic nar- Campaign of World War II August–Oc- rative, expertly connecting the thread tober 1942. New York, NY: Osprey of carrier air power to the navy’s role Publishing, www.osprey.com, 2018. in NATO European defence during the 448 pp., illustrations, maps, bibliog- Cold War and demonstrating how the raphy, index. US $28.95, cloth; ISBN experience of Middle East conflict in 978-147282-638-1 (Available in paper- the late 1990s and early 2000s revived back). and reinforced the need for full-scale Book Reviews 229 On the inside she was a poisonous mo- Hornet, the Japanese who flew against rass. Crocodiles hid in her creeks or them, the sailors who scanned the radar, patrolled her turgid backwaters. Her aimed guns, did damage control and the jungles were alive with slithering, Marines and soldiers who fought while crawling, scuttling things, with giant navies maintained and cut their supply lizards that barked like dogs, with huge lines. The battles included Savo Island, red furry spiders, with centipedes and the greatest defeat in U.S. Naval histo- leeches and scorpions, with rats and ry, with four first-line cruisers sunk and bats and fiddler crabs and one big spe- 1,077 American and Australian sailors cies of landcrab which moved through dead over what remains known as Iron the bush with all the stealth of a steam- Bottom Sound. roller. (130) The Japanese plan was to fight the Such is the way Coastwatcher Mar- “Decisive Battle” that would win the tin Clemens described Guadalcanal, an war. The Americans wanted to an of- island in the Solomon Islands where fensive that would keep the sea lanes America’s navy, marines and army open and start the road across the Pacif- would begin the long trek to Tokyo Bay. ic. At the onset, the forces were fairly Morning Star, Midnight Sun is the sto- evenly matched. The U.S. advantage ry of the early Solomons Campaign of was that it a pipeline of production to August-October 1942 when the United replace its losses while Japan did not. States Navy, reeling from the disaster of This book chronicles the men who Pearl Harbor and the Imperial Japanese decided the fate of the Solomons in late Navy, afflicted with a bad case of “Vic- 1942. Their errors were costly, such tory Disease”, fought over miserable as those of the Blue and Talbot who islands and crucial ocean routes while missed the oncoming Japanese Fleet, as the war’s outcome hung in the balance. were the equipment failures, such as the The setting is the Solomon Islands repeated duds of American torpedoes. of the South Pacific, those small, jun- Mistaken identification rained down gle islands of minimal significance fire on friendly forces and withheld it to the great powers of the world other from the enemy. The actions related than they were situated astride the lines in this tome reflect a time of transition. of communication between the United The American Navy sharpened its skills States and Australia, that the Americans while the Marines and army took, and wanted to save and the Japanese sought held, the first pieces of Japanese oc- to conquer. cupied territory. The shortcomings of The forces are the United States Adm. Ghormley were recognized and Navy Pacific Fleet, striped of battleships his replacement by Adm. Hulsey, re- after Pearl Harbor and reduced to a few cently returned to service from medical carriers after the battles of the Coral Sea leave, put in place the team that would and Midway, and the Imperial Japanese lead the coming offensive. Americans Navy, still expanding but bloodied in began to realize that, though Zeros re- the same battles. The names of some tained their technological qualities, characters are famous, such as Yama- those of the pilots were ebbing. The moto, Ghormley, Nimitz, and Halsey. Japanese tide had reached its peak and Others are unfamiliar; the pilots of the began its relentless ebb. Cactus Air Force, the makeshift squads Author Jeffrey R. Cox has crafted operating from Henderson Field on a thoroughly researched narrative that Guadalcanal, and of the Enterprise and tells it tale in great detail. He combines 230 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord the big history of admirals, engage- and recreated journeys. ments and shifts in battle momentum Dawson traces the early develop- with the small history of the men who ment of the flying boat in chapter one lived it. For the scholar or student with before chronicling the rise of commer- a focus on the naval war in the Pacif- cial air ventures during the interwar ic this is a valuable resource. For the period in chapters two and three. The general reader it may contain too much focus is on British experiments and op- detail. I like a book that helps me put erations in the 1920s and 1930s with names and engagements into context of short sections covering similar opera- the greater war. I gain little by know- tions in other countries. British efforts ing that Japanese Petty officer nd2 Class to develop long-distance flying boats Miki Isamu released his bomb too high were intimately related to the mainte- to hit the Enterprise or that Captain nance of its colonial empire. Engineers William Sharpsteen torched a Zero, and pilots strove to extend the reach of apparently piloted by Seaman 1st Class aircraft and create a reliable service that Iwase Jisuke. I recommend Morning could quickly deliver Britain’s elites to Star, Midnight Sun for readers already anywhere in the colonies. conversant with the naval war in the By the 1930s, the first practical Pacific who seek to deepen their under- long-range flying boats were ready for standing, but not as an initial read. service. Dawson focuses on the vener- able Short C-Class Empire flying boat Jim Gallen which served British Imperial Airways’ St. Louis, Missouri colonial routes. The highlight of this section is Dawson’s account of a typical Leslie Dawson. Fabulous Flying Boats journey from England to South Africa A History of the World’s Passenger Fly- on the C-Class. The reader first takes ing Boats. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen & a virtual tour of the huge plane, getting Sword Aviation, www.pen-and-sword. a sense of the cutting-edge technology co.uk, 2018. xiii+320 pp., illustrations, and lavish accommodations that charac- appendix, index. UK £14.99, paper; terized flying boat interiors at the time. ISBN 978-1-52673-969-8. As the journey begins, we follow along for five days of travel across the Medi- terranean, south along the Nile, over to Despite their brief pre-eminence, few Kenya, Mozambique (then Portuguese types of aircraft capture our imagination East Africa) and finally, South Africa. like the huge, sleek-hulled flying boats. Dawson palpably conveys the tensions They embody the glamour, adventure, of early air travel: the simultaneous ex- and danger that characterized air trav- citement and tedium during days spent el in the interwar period. Avoiding the in the air, and the constant reassurances need for expensive and infrequent land- of the safety of the aircraft juxtaposed based runways, flying boats skimmed with all-too-frequent accidents. across the waves and gracefully lifted Dawson follows the flying boats into the air “from the grey, heaving into their operations during the Second Atlantic to the dry heat of Africa and World War in chapters four through the idyllic sun drenched islands of the seven, again largely focusing on British Pacific.” (300) Leslie Dawson’s Fabu- colonial and transatlantic operations. lous Flying Boats breathes life into this The nation’s pilots and flying boats bygone era through a collection of first- were reorganized to coordinate the war hand accounts, aircraft descriptions, Book Reviews 231 effort across the empire. The demands Dawson takes great care to guide of war pushed social and technological readers through the interiors of the Short change; women had new opportunities C-Class and Boeing 314, but there are to work on seaplane bases as pilots and few images to supplement his descrip- sailors. The need to overfly enemy-oc- tions. Discussions of rarer aircraft that cupied territory put a renewed empha- readers are unlikely to know also often sis on ultra-long-range flying. The lack images. Furthermore, there are no story of the PBY Catalina flying boats footnotes or bibliography, making the which reconnected London and Austra- text of limited use for researchers and lia in 1943 is a particularly fascinating historians. case. Five Catalinas were modified to The greatest strength of Dawson’s make the non-stop flight from Perth to book also points to its weakness. He Sri Lanka over the Indian Ocean. In a vividly captures the experiences and true feat of endurance, the journey took efforts of flying boat operators and 28 hours in the austere, unpressurized passengers in the colonial settings that plane. To commemorate the arduous defined their use in the interwar period. experience, those who took the journey The stories of aircraft narrowly thread- were ceremoniously inducted into the ing between the trees to land in remote “Secret Order of the Double Sunrise.” tropical rivers are engaging and fasci- In the final section of the book nating. Yet Dawson does little to inter- Dawson tracks the post-war decline rogate the motivations and significance of flying boats. A new generation of of their imperial roles. It would have huge ocean-spanning flying boats, such enriched the book to consider the wider as the British Saunders-Roe Princess implications of flying boat operations and Howard Hughes’ infamous Spruce beyond the triumphs and tribulations of Goose, were already obsolete as their early air travel. prototypes were finishing construc- Nevertheless, Fabulous Flying tion. These aircraft were but dreams of Boats is a worthwhile book for any- a bygone era supplanted by land-based one imbued with an enthusiasm for Douglas DC-6s, Lockheed Constella- these iconic machines and their crews. tions, and Boeing 377 Stratocruisers. Dawson’s passion for flying boats is in- Yet, as Dawson shows in chapters fectious, and I for one will be stepping eight through eleven, many of these aboard one of the remaining examples flying boats had extended service lives as soon as I can. long after their supposed obsolescence. They have found uses fighting fires and Marc J. Alsina transporting passengers in more remote Baltimore, Maryland commercial aviation markets. Dawson traces these afterlives of British- and American-made planes in operations Anthony B. Dickenson and Chesley from Argentina to the South Pacific. Sanger. After the Basques. The Whal- Finally, as is evident in his meticulous ing Stations of Newfoundland and appendix of the world’s flying boats, Labrador. St. John’s, NL: DRC Pub- Dawson tracked down the final rest- lications, www.drcpublishingnl.com, ing places of the most of these aircraft, 2018. x+277 pp., illustrations, maps, whether the glamour of a museum, the tables, appendices, sources, bibliogra- inglorious scrap yard, or a somber grave phy. CDN $19.95, paper; ISBN 978-1- at the bottom of a river, lake, or ocean. 988358-16-1. 232 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord This is a detailed but concise account tion of the process of catching and pro- of station-based whaling in Newfound- cessing the whales, Part 3 is the main land and Labrador from 1898, when section of the book. It deals with each a processing plant was established in whaling station in turn: initial establish- Notre Dame Bay, until 1972, when ment, owners, location (mostly illustrat- whaling, other than indigenous hunts, ed by aerial or satellite photographs), was banned by the Canadian govern- record of catches and eventual closure. ment. The title of the book is After the There are many period photographs of Basques—long after, really. The sys- operations, whales being dismembered, tematic Basque whale hunt, exempli- ships (the whale catchers), and some fied by the operation at Red Bay, Labra- of the people involved: Norwegians as dor (a heritage site), ended in the 1580s well as Newfoundlanders. but throughout the next three centuries Part 4 is devoted to the 60 some whaling was carried out on a whale-catching vessels, most of which small-scale opportunistic basis by ships were built in Norway. They are illustrat- from Spain, France and New England, ed by photographs which compliment usually in conjunction with catching those in Part 3. Statistics (tonnage, di- cod. In the nineteenth century, Scottish mensions, horsepower) are not given, and American whalers worked in the but the catchers were small, powerful northern grounds of Davis Strait and craft and excellent sea boats, while Baffin Bay, leaving the waters around larger ships, converted from freighters, Newfoundland comparatively unex- were of the fish-factory type, although ploited. they did not operate independently but It was Norway that developed the were used to support the stations. steam powered whale catcher armed An appendix shows total and sta- with a powerful harpoon gun at the tion catches by species; another, legis- bow, and Norwegian know-how and lation that affected Newfoundland and business interests were enlisted in the Labrador whaling, while a third lists the establishment of the industry in New- formation and changes of Newfound- foundland. Twenty-one coastal stations land whaling companies, correlating were constructed by 27 companies, the information in Part 3. A fourth de- though not all were open at the same tails what can be gained from each part time. As usual, efficient killing reduced of the carcass of a blue whale, the great- the number of whales that came by the est prize. different areas. The processing centres Nowadays, with the number of would then be closed either temporar- whales in the oceans so depleted, we ily or permanently and the operation tend to deplore whale hunting, but for- shifted to a different bay. Companies merly it was seen, like sealing, as a nec- also were established and dissolved. At essary though dangerous and adventur- the peak of these operations in the early ous enterprise that produced a needed twentieth century, whaling for a while commodity and provided employment supplanted sealing as Newfoundland’s to the shore workers and the ships’ second largest industry after salt cod. crews. During the time this enterprise was in The authors are both retired faculty operation over 20,000 whales were members of Memorial University in St. caught in Newfoundland waters. John’s, Newfoundland, and obvious- After an introduction and a descrip- ly saw the need to put the story of this Book Reviews 233 industry in accessible form, which they to showcase the vessel profiles as-built have achieved by this compact but com- and after refits. These core components prehensive volume. are bookended by additional informa- tion, an introduction and a “Sources, C. Douglas Maginley Conventions and Abbreviations” sec- Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia tion proceeding the main body of text to inform the reader of the author’s Aidan Dodson. Before the Battlecruiser: classification rationale. At the end, is The Big Cruiser in the World’s Navies a list of principle gun types and metric 1865-1910. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Sea- to imperial conversion appendices, end forth Publishing, www.seaforthpublish- notes, maps, and an index. The maps ing.com, 2018. 304 pp., illustrations, are of special note, showcasing not only maps, glossary, notes, index, appendi- the worldwide routes of key squadrons ces. UK £35.00, cloth; ISBN 978-1- in 1904 and 1914, but also detailed 4738-9216-3. (E-book available.) maps of various seas showing the loca- tion of major ports, significant actions, This work combines chronological his- and points where various ‘big cruisers’ tory with technical data around the ‘big were lost. cruiser’ naval vessels of the world from Part One, “The Rise and Fall of their advent in 1865 to the completion the Big Cruiser,” actually begins with of the last designs in 1910. While each a summary and analysis of wooden and nation maintained its own designations early iron ships of the late eighteenth of ship types, which varied from coun- to mid-nineteenth centuries, following try to country and occasionally, within various designs and ‘replies’ between navies by decade, author Aidan Dodson key navies as they pushed wooden ves- uses his own criteria to determine rele- sels to their limits and brought about vant vessels, namely, non-line-of-battle the advent of iron, armoured, mechan- armoured vessels begun prior to the of- ically powered commerce raiders (13- ficial 1909 completion of HMS Invin- 15). From there, Dodson examines the cible with side protection and/or a dis- early forays into big cruiser designs, placement of over 7,500 tons (7). Given the cycle of construction and ‘replies,’ the tangled and often interconnected na- innovations, advancements, and war- ture of warship development on the in- fare. Shortly after a vessel’s introduc- ternational stage, Dodson states that his tion to the timeline, he often pauses to work is not only an analysis of the rele- cover key points of its service history. vant vessels, but also a view of interna- Among the naval conflicts examined, tional naval history through the “lens” the two most in-depth studies cover of the big cruiser movements. This the 1904 Russo-Japanese War and the narrative is largely concentrated in the First World War. The author sees the first half of the book, which examines Russo-Japanese War as the “high point” the ships of the world chronologically. of the big cruiser, as both the Japanese The second half examines the vessels’ and Russians relied heavily on various career data and serves as a repository of designs throughout most engagements technical data, classified by nationality. (93). The Japanese victory was such Using a standardized format, Dodson a shock to the Russians and their navy discusses each vessel’s national service that the text devoted to their post-war life and illustrates it with line drawings reactionary construction is a third of the 234 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord length of the war summary itself. Un- 1865 to 1955, a list of each nation’s surprisingly, the First World War con- vessels located along the timeline’s sumes almost an entire chapter, cover- y-axis and shaded lines to illustrate ing well known engagements such as their build time, service life, and final Jutland, Gallipoli, and convoy actions, reserve periods. Vessels are then exam- arranged chronologically and by the- ined chronologically, with each class atre of action. Most fascinating is the of warship (if applicable) receiving its antecedent chapter, “The Long Dying,” own section. Within these subsections, which examines the fates of the surviv- a deck drawing illustrates internal lay- ing big cruisers after 1919 to the pres- outs and armour thickness, while line ent. This includes their conversion to drawings show the external appearance receiving ships, training vessels, mine- of class vessels as built and following layers, and the like. Scrapping opera- refits. Basic data such as designation, tions were carried out throughout the displacement, dimensions, machinery, interwar period, with the Second World armament, protection, and compliment War serving as a brief respite for the are listed, followed by tabulated data dwindling number of survivors. The on individual ships detailing builder, last of the breed, the Georgios Averof, key dates in ship construction, and final occupies the final paragraph, detailing fate. Each class section then concludes its last cruise into preservation as a mu- with the brief synopses of the assign- seum ship. The main text ends with a ments of the relevant vessels. As the four-page analytical “Retrospective,” technical data on some of these vessels which examines the design approaches was sometimes hard to pin down, Dod- and changing roles faced by countries son standardized information in Imperi- as they innovated their way closer to al units and utilizing British deck terms, the advent of the battle cruiser. Dodson with other choices being fully docu- concludes that the vessels were “when mented in his earlier “Sources, Conven- looked at in their own terms… credible tions and Abbreviations” section (8-9). attempts at harnessing rapidly-changing Very little comes to mind in terms technologies” (161). Finally, the amaz- of possible improvements, although it ing assortment of period photographs was surprising that the naval Battle of scattered throughout the work provide a Manila Bay received only a single sen- wonderful resource, offering images of tence within the main text (76). While the various vessels at different points in none of the various cruisers involved in their careers in ways that line drawings that battle fall directly under Dodson’s cannot fully encapsulate. definition of a “Big Cruiser,” the- par Part Two, “Technical and Career ticipants were definitely close cousins. Data,” is impressive in its own right, Certainly, the destruction of unprotect- with 117 pages of information on all ed vessels by those protected by armour vessels Dodson defines as big cruisers, further emphasizing the demise of the subdivided by the 14 nations to which unarmoured cruiser design. Another they belonged. The section begins with suggestion would be to include photo- a four-page chronological ‘timeline’ of graphs of some of the key individuals ‘to-scale’ waterline silhouettes, before involved in the realm of cruiser design, moving to the alphabetically-arranged such as Russian Captain Second Rank nations. Entries for each country are Kopytov, whose specifications formed similar, beginning with a graphic time- the first true armoured cruiser, French line scaled at five-year intervals from warship designer Emile Bertin, whose Book Reviews 235 work Dodson deemed an “Era,” Ger- especially the way its ships and sailors man Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz, the typified, indeed created, the unique cul- driver behind German Fleet Laws, and ture of Newfoundland. His family had British First Sea Lord Admiral Sir John sawmills in Green’s Harbour in Trinity Fisher, whose tenure saw the disposal Bay, and later in other outports, with a and refitting of many big cruisers of finishing mill in St. John’s which Ted’s the Royal Navy. These are just minor father managed, so he was well ac- suggestions, however, and their absence quainted with all aspects of the marine from the work is in no way detrimental. scene. Before the Battlecrusier is an ex- Ted showed an early aptitude for cellent resource for those interested art, and in the 1920s, after completing in mid-nineteenth to early twentieth his schooling in St. John’s, he attend- century naval designs, fleets and ac- ed the Ontario College of Art where tions. Dodson’s analytical text is strong he studied under E.H. MacDonald and enough to stand alone as a solid study of Frank Johnston of the Group of Seven. the international evolution of armoured Unfortunately, the stock market crash cruiser design and employment, but the of 1929 affected the family business, coupling of this with his thoroughly re- and in that year, Ted returned to New- searched and well compiled technical foundland to run the family sawmill in data compounds the work’s usefulness, Alder Harbour. While he was seldom providing data that is much more reli- without his sketchpad (his preferred able than standard populist texts or the medium was pencil), he did not seri- more propagandized contemporary data ously pursue his art until 1936, when he which nations often produced during was commissioned to draw portraits for the ships’ lives. For those researching The Book of Newfoundland. Although naval vessels of the mid-Victorian to in- he was also a talented cartoonist, his terwar period, Before the Battlecruiser portraits and cartoons are not included is a fine addition to the historiography. in this book: they may be in another volume. Charles Ross Patterson II This collection of his ship portraits Yorktown, Virginia has been put together by his daugh- ter-in-law, Sheilah Mackinnon Drov- Sheilah Mackinnon Drover. Ted Drov- er. Starting with sketches of ancient er, Ships Artist. St. John’s NL: Flanker and historic ships, it is then divided Press, www.flankerpress.com, 2018. into chapters on sail, steam and motor xvii+186 pp., illustrations, glossary, vessels. The accompanying text, de- notes, bibliography. CDN $21.95; scribing the work and history of each ISBN 978-1777117-436-7. ship, provides us with a virtual nautical history of Newfoundland. The Grand Ted Drover was born in St. John’s, Banks fishery, which has been well cov- Newfoundland in 1907. He had polio ered elsewhere, is not largely featured as a child which left him with one leg but there is an important section on the shorter than the other and gave him a contribution of women and girls, espe- distinctive walk but did not prevent him cially in the Labrador fishery to which from living an active, adventurous and thousands of Newfoundlanders—men, successful life. Ted was a businessman, women and children—migrated every sailor and artist who had a deep inter- year. est in the history of his native land and Sealing was an important part of the 236 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord economy of Newfoundland, conducted land to Corner Brook on the West Coast in the latter half of the nineteenth cen- and return. These steamships and many tury and the early twentieth in wood or more are featured in this book. composite ships with auxiliary engines, During the Second World War there many originally built in Dundee, Scot- was a great demand for shipping of land, as whalers. Competition was all kinds. In 1942, the Newfoundland fierce and successful sealing captains government set up a new shipyard at became locally famous. A berth on a Clarenville on a long inlet off Trinity sealer was coveted by townies and out- Bay. Ted Drover was contracted to set porters alike. In fact, Ted had signed on up a sawmill there to provide the ma- for a trip to the ice in a sealer when he terial for a group of ten wooden mo- returned to St. John’s in 1929. tor vessels designed by William Roué, Then there was the coastal trade. who had designed the schooner Blue- As early as the 1860s, the Newfound- nose. These little ships, known as “the land government granted subsidies to splinter fleet” were very successful and steamship owners who would provide found ready employment during and af- reliable communication with the coast- ter the war. In 1935 Ted had married al settlements. There were two types: Jessie Troake, a District Nurse. They the “coastal boats” which connected St. lived first at Alder Harbour and then John’s with the larger coastal towns, Clarenville, but in 1944 Ted and his and the “bay boats” that plied the waters family moved to Twillingate where Ted between the many settlements around acquired his own vessel, the MV Jes- the larger bights, such as Fortune, Pla- sie Cull, which he operated as a charter centia, St. Mary’s, Conception, Trin- boat. These were smaller vessels that ity, Bonavista and Notre Dame Bays. could take a few passengers and a small (Look at a map of Newfoundland: amount of cargo and were used by gov- even today, after the consolidations of ernment officials and commercial firms the 1950s and 60s, the inhabited coves that wanted to go directly to a destina- seem innumerable.) These were small tion avoiding the many calls of the “bay steamers by ocean-going standards: the boats”. The Jessie Cull measured only larger ones 1000 -1500 tons, the “bay 21 tons and was 47 ft long, but Drover boats” a few hundred. Ted’s images of took her as far as Labrador. He sold her the earlier vessels are especially inter- in the early-1960s after suffering a heart esting as they have seldom been illus- attack and the new owner soon lost her. trated. These ships were operated by Then, in 1965, Premier Joey Small- the Reid, Crosby and Bowater com- wood invited Ted to come to St. John’s panies, and the later ones, which were and establish a new maritime museum. owned by the government, and then He accepted and took great pride in ex- the Canadian National Railway. They hibiting the objects that typified New- survived to the post-Second World War foundland’s marine heritage. He died period. I first saw St. John’s in May, in 1980 having taken part in virtually 1947, the first port in my first trip in my all of his Province’s maritime activi- first ship, and was there from time to ties and leaving an historically valuable time up to 1955. I remember the Portu- collection of ship portraits. It is very guese “white fleet” of dory fishers, the good to have many of them reproduced Glencoe (the last of the clipper-bowed in this book. steamers), the famous Kyle on the Lab- rador run, and the Northern Ranger C. Douglas Maginley which did the long haul from St. John’s Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia around the northern tip of Newfound- Book Reviews 237 Brian Fagan. Fishing. How the Sea Fed to discuss to demonstrate that fishing Civilization. New Haven, CT: Yale has fed people around the world since University Press, www.yalebooks,yale. they tamed fire. edu, 2017. xvii+346 pp., illustrations, Fishing is neatly organized into notes, bibliography, index. US $29.99, three parts. Part One covers the rise cloth; ISBN 978-0-30021-534-2. of subsistence fishing. Between the taming of fire and 13000 BC, people We have all heard the story of how developed tools specifically designed hunters and gatherers turned to agricul- to catch fish such as fishhooks, barbed ture and 80-90% of the world farmed spears, shallow-water traps, and nets. to survive until the rise of commercial By 8000BC, subsistence fishing stimu- farms and industrialization led to the lated population growth and permanent mass production of food. Farming, we settlement in northern Europe and Ja- are told, gave rise to civilizations. Bri- pan. Other subsistence fishers migrat- an Fagan argues that fishing was just as ed to find newer, richer fishing waters. important as farming. His latest book This sort of migration was a “significant is a must read for anyone interested in element in the first human settlement of maritime history. the Americas.” (17) Several recent books on commer- Part Two addresses the role that cial fishing by Jeff Bolster and Matthew fishing played in the rise of civilizations. McKenzie have stressed the importance The world’s first cities emerged near the of the nineteenth century and the rise of Mediterranean Sea around 3100 BC. industrial capitalism to our understand- Cities developed later in Asia and in ing of the depletion of fish stocks and the Americas. These population centers the decline of commercial fishing. Fa- were located along estuaries, lakes, and gan follows them in arguing that trawls, rivers. Their societies were all complex purse seines, and encircling nets ex- hierarchies with farmers and fisherfolk ploited the oceans on an industrial scale at the bottom. The Sumerians, Egyp- beginning in the 1850s. But, Fagan is tians, Romans, and Mayans depended an archeologist who takes a very, very on each of these workers for food. Fish long view of changes in the environ- also became a commodity used in trade. ment. He insists “the modern fishing The final portion of the book cov- industry should not get all of the blame ers roughly 1000-2000 AD. Here, Fa- for the current state of the world’s fish- gan focuses on the rise and decline of eries. The present condition of the herring and cod fisheries in the Atlantic world’s fishing grounds is the culmina- Ocean. Medieval technology sufficed tion of thousands of years of exploita- to catch large numbers of these fish un- tion of the oceans, exacerbated by the til well into the 1800s. Steam trawlers assumption that fish were a limitless re- in the 1840s then enabled fishermen to source.” (241) Yes, modern technology stay far offshore for longer periods of transformed commercial fishing. Yet, time, and their catches were eight times the depletion of fish stocks is rooted larger than they were during the Age in “that most human of qualities—the of Sail. One hundred years later, die- ability to exploit opportunities as they sel trawlers brought in 40 percent more arise.” (241) Fagan traces opportunistic fish than steam trawlers. A combination fishermen to 1.9 million years ago. (16) of climate change, technological inno- He covers a lot of ground in this book. vation, and basic human opportunism Probably too much. But, there is much has led us to a point at which fishing 238 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord may no longer be able to feed people. 1. (Available for download at: http:// Fagan ominously notes “Today, we face www.navy.gov.au/media-room/publi- the challenge of feeding more than nine cations/sea-power-conference-proceed- billion people by 2050, at a time when ings) climate change threatens fisheries al- ready under severe stress.” (240) This is one of the latest installments There is much to admire in this of an excellent series, from which I’ve book. Fagan brings to the table a life been lucky enough to review a couple spent on archeological digs around and read a lot. So, when this popped the world. He is an expert on climate through letter box, I was quite excit- change and commercial fishing. He is ed. Attracted by a cover that features also a very good writer. The book could a striking, stormy image of a Hobart have easily been mired in scientific jar- class destroyer, I decided to read it im- gon. But, Fagan wants to lure as many mediately. That picture sets the tone readers as possible into his narrative. for what is quite a vibrant read, de- And Fishing deserves a wide audience. spite the lack of internal imagery other Having said this, two-thirds of the than some black and white charts. The book is based on archeological evi- ‘quite’ comes from the fact that, due dence. The written record is largely to its nature as a conference compila- overlooked. This represents a missed tion, it feels like a series of 20-minute opportunity, as fish merchants and fish- papers, with all the attendant sub-head- ermen have left us quite a paper trail in ings at points. But if the worst you can ledgers, log books, memoirs, court re- say about a well written, encompassing cords, naval records, government doc- work is that it attempts to cram in too uments, and newspapers. Also, Part much of the good stuff, then honestly, Three leans very heavily on Bolster’s the criticism feels weak. Mortal Sea for fishing in the modern Most readers, especially special- era, but the heart of this book focus- ists in the field, would probably start es on one particular region during the with either of the work’s bookends, A mid-nineteenth century. Fagan could Global Navy for Global Needs by the have broadened his secondary source then-Chief of the Navy, Vice-Admiral base to deepen our understanding of the Tim Barrent, RAN (retired 2018) or The history behind the rise and fall of the Future of Sea Power by Rear Admiral Atlantic cod and herring fisheries. Of James Goldrick, RAN (retired 2012). course, these caveats do not serious- Both are excellent, well written piec- ly undermine Fagan’s larger argument es which explore and encapsulate the about the pivotal role fishermen played topic of this work; namely, the future in the rise of civilizations. role of the navy not only in warfare, but in peacetime, whatever the reality Christopher P. Magra of that may be; and the role of navies Knoxville, Tennessee as complex yet utilitarian tools of great potential use in the increasingly inter- Andrew Forbes (ed.) The Future of Sea meshed, and if not multi-polar, certain- Power. Proceedings of the RAN Sea ly multi-centric world. Power Conference 2015. Canberra, AU: The three pieces that caught my Sea Power Centre–Australia, www. eye were written by Professor Mi- navy.gov.au, 2017. xi+140 pp., figures, chael Evans, Rear Admiral Brad Wil- notes. PDF ; ISBN 978-0-9925004-8- liamson (USN) and Dr. Alex Zelinksy. Book Reviews 239 Zelinksy’s paper, The Future Navy eryone (especially goverments) should Powered by Science and Technology, read to make them think. Using phras- actually appears later in the book, but its es such as the “tyranny of distance… seven pages are what underpin many of replaced by the prospects of proximity” the theses put forward elsewhere. His (115), Evans pulls no punches when he thesis can really be summed up by his points out that Australia’s turn-over at third paragraph, “The complexity in this the top, five Prime Ministers and eight analysis is that the threats of today are Defence Secretaries in five years has unlikely to be the threats of tomorrow. caused issues−companies which had Agility is therefore the key. It is into this such a turnover of CEOs and Operations military, political and economic envi- Directors would be considered high- ronment that the RAN will operate. As- ly dysfunctional, yet in government, sured freedom of actions is paramount multi-billion decades-long defence and to achieve this, the Navy needs ac- contracts are subjected to Treasury and cess to relevant and world class science public scrutiny which completely over and technology” (69). Interestingly, looks this weakness. What makes this, while making a strong case for organic in fact, all the papers in this book, so Australian technology programs, Zelin- interesting and relevant is that these are sky also highlights Australia’s need to issues which do not just affect Austra- work with partners to broaden both the lia. They are issues which are common pool of expertise to build from, but also to all democracies to a greater or lesser the basis of funding. extent; but especially for island democ- This builds nicely into A View from racies, like Ireland, New Zealand, Ja- the Bridge Wing: Building Partnerships pan and Britain where the effect of such and Strengthening Cooperation, the instability on maritime strength and eleventh paper, written by Williamson. flexibility is even more apparent. Let This reads like an explosion of diplo- us consider the point made when Ev- matic speak, which is appropriate, as ans quotes Admiral Mike Mullen, “rid it focuses on the diplomatic side of na- yourselves of the old notion – held by so vies. The conclusion, for example, be- many for so long – that maritime strate- gins: “While myriad issues exist that re- gy exists solely to fight and win wars at strain our ability to build partnerships sea, and the rest will take care of itself.” and strengthen cooperation, we cannot (123) In the modern era, winning the use them as roadblocks to preventing peace is just as important as winning developing the building blocks of oper- wars, especially as if done right, it may ational success required to operate to- not only shape the conflict, but prevent gether at sea”, a good illustration of the it. linguistic style employed by the text. It Quoting Mahan, in his paper The is a thorough, if albeit too brief, canter Operational Impact of New Technology, through those issues and their possible Milan Vego states, it is “Better to offer resolutions. This brevity makes more certain considerations for reflection, sense when we realize that if it went rather than make sweeping dogmatic into greater depth it could well overlap, assertions.” (77) This could well have even duplicate, some of Evans’ paper. been the guiding philosophy, not just With Australian Rendezvous: Mar- for this book, but for the whole series itime Strategy and National Destiny in so far. It has certainly provoked many the 21st Century, Evans takes the kind of ideas in this reader’s mind and I’m sure strategic, long-term overview that ev- it would for others. This book is as 240 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord much about the past as it is about the compared with those of its opponents. present, the timelessness and universal- FAGr 5 can be translated as Long- ity of the problem of preparing for the Range Reconnaissance Group 5, but future, always full of known and un- because the Luftwaffe and Common- known factors. Any would-be reader wealth used similar words for units of will find it relatable and beneficial, but different sizes a better translation would it would be especially useful for those be Wing 5. Shadow over the Atlan- who are professionally involved in the tic is based on a manuscript by Oskar field, or who have either oversight or Schmidt, who had been in charge of the over-watch over it. Wing’s administrative staff and thus, had a broad overview of the activities Alex Clarke of individual squadrons and sorties. Epsom, Surrey Schmidt apparently based his narrative on a combination of his memory, input Robert Forsyth. Shadow over the At- from his former comrades, and official lantic. The Luftwaffe and the U-boats: and private records. Little has been 1943-45. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publish- published previously in English giving ing, www.osprey.com, 2017. 312 pp., a German perspective from the unit lev- illustrations, map, tables, appendices, el about efforts to use airpower in the glossary, notes, bibliography, index. Battle of the Atlantic. Oscar Schmidt’s UK £25.00, US $30.00, CDN $40.00, first-hand accounts of individual mis- cloth; ISBN 978-1-4728-2045-7. sions and FAGr 5’s vicissitudes give the book fascinating immediacy. Rob- “The few units that were employed in ert Forsyth used contemporary British maritime operations were overtaxed signals intelligence and wartime reports to a greater degree than the rest of the to add extra dimensions to the story of Luftwaffe”. That was the conclusion some of the missions described. In ad- of German historian Sonko Neitzel in dition, he describes in detail how the his magisterial study Der Ansatz der various types of aircraft flown by FAGr deutschen Luftwaffe uber dem Atlantic 5 were developed. und der Nordsee 1939-1945 (1995). A FAGr 5 was formed in mid-1943 single long-range reconnaissance unit, and mostly flew reconnaissance mis- FAGr 5, which is the subject of Shad- sions from western France between ow over the Atlantic typifies how the November 1943 and July 1944. Their Luftwaffe was a failure at supporting aim was to locate allied convoys for at- the U-boat campaign because it expect- tack by strike aircraft and U-boats. The ed the impossible of its airmen. For- impetus behind its creation had been a syth is a British aviation enthusiast who promise in February 1943 by the Führer runs an aviation and military publishing to Admiral Dönitz, recently promoted business with an obvious niche market. to C-in-C of the Navy, that more long- He has specialized in producing books range reconnaissance aircraft would be about German military aircraft during provided to support the U-boat cam- the Second World War. This is his eigh- paign. The Junkers 290 was a long- teenth such title. range aircraft that had entered service in Robert Forsyth invariably uses the late 1930s; a militarized version was German ranks and organizations in the now available. The Ju 290 had better narrative. He does not take space to ex- endurance than the Fw 200 Condor, the plain how the Luftwaffe organization mainstay until then, of German efforts Book Reviews 241 to operate out over the Atlantic. The tional challenges and communications core of FAGr 5 was drawn from recon- difficulties. There was no system for naissance units that had been operating passing enemy reports from searching in Russia. It’s interesting that this core aircraft directly to U-boats, but there are included 21 “Hiwis”, Soviets recruited interesting descriptions of air-dropped as “Volunteer Helpers.” Apparently radio buoys designed to broadcast a sig- used by the administrative cell, these nal that would enable U-boats to home Hiwis would remain with FAGr 5 until in on a reported location. In practice, the German surrender in 1945. these were another failure because the Forsyth traces many of FAGr 5’s Germans did not have a critical mass of flights from their base at Mont de Mar- searching aircraft or by 1944 of U-boats san, 100 kilometres south of Bordeaux. in the areas under sporadic aerial recon- Their main focus was the area off Por- naissance. Statistics (158) are a typi- tugal to locate convoys on the Gibral- cal operational snapshot of a five-day tar-UK track; several missions also flew period, 14-19 February 1944: FAGr 5 up around Eire to search to the west of had deployed 24 aircraft including 17 Britain’s North Channel. These were Ju290s against convoys. Three were arduous flights, some lasting over 18 shot down and 10 aircraft dropped out hours, with an ever-present risk of inter- due to various defects. The author inter- ception by British land- or carrier-based sperses contemporary assessments by fighters. When searching off Portugal, U-boat headquarters of how there were the FAGr 5 pilots flew at 200 metres or too few aircraft and of the many other lower when they were over the water to problems that bedevilled air-sea coop- lessen the chance of detection; climbing eration by using Hessler’s The U-Boat periodically once in suspected vicinity War in the Atlantic 1939-45 (1989). of convoys to extend their radar search FAGr 5 lost seven aircraft in en- horizons. When returning over the Bay counters with the enemy between No- of Biscay, they flew at 15 to 20 metres. vember 1943 and August 1944. Re- Arguably the most gripping parts of cords from both sides graphically tell Shadow over the Atlantic are first-per- about these incidents. Three Ju290s son narratives about individual sorties were lost over a three-day period in collected by Oscar Schmidt. February 1944. Two of the these in- Locating convoys was a major volved the escort carrier HMS Biter challenged for the Germans. After Jan- supporting a convoy to the west of the uary 1943 they were no longer able to North Channel. On the 16th Biter de- read Allied radio traffic about shipping tected a shadower on radar, launched movements because the codes had been two Martlet fighters and vectored them changed. Intelligence from aerial sur- in for a kill. A few hours later a sec- veillance became more critical than ond of FAGr 5’s Ju 290s was tracked on ever, particularly as U-boats could no radar by Biter which then vectored two longer operate in search lines on the Beaufighters for a second kill. These surface in the face of omnipresent Al- fighters were flying out of Northern Ire- lied aircraft after mid-1943. The narra- land to support the convoy. Three days tive about FAGr 5 operations is a litany later, RAF Four Mosquitos patrolling of the problems that plagued German over the Bay of Biscay sighted a Ju290 efforts to locate enemy shipping from flying very low over the water (their re- the air and to successfully home in at- port (156) said “flying at zero feet”) and tacking units. These included naviga- shot it down. There were no survivors 242 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord from these three FAGr 5 290s. There formations. Their varied stories are in- were two further losses to another es- cluded. There were long fights to drop cort carrier, HMS Nairana in late May. saboteurs in Algeria, supply missions Two Ju 290s, 2,500km from their base, to German troops cut off in Yugoslavia located a homebound convoy to the and to drop parties behind the Sovi- west of Spain that was being supported et lines in Ukraine and even to a town by Nairana. The carrier detected one 400km of Moscow in August 1944. In of the shadowers flying at low altitude early 1945 former FAGr5 crews trained in heavy weather and launched two Sea for a high-priority operation involving Hurricanes. One of the fighters flew several Ju290s that was to attack Soviet into the sea while trying to close the power- generating stations. This was Ju 290 that was then shot down by the finally abandoned when Allied bombers other Sea Hurricane. A second par of destroyed too many of the Ju290s on the Ju290s were then sent out to track the ground. Former FAGr 5 pilots also flew convoy. These were also detected by the Ar 234 jet reconnaissance bombers Nairana which launched two Sea Hur- over the British Isles in the final weeks ricanes and vectored them in to attack. of the war. The narrative includes sur- One of the Ju290s was shot down but real details in the stories of the FAGr5 the pilot managed to land on the water airmen-in the summer of 1944 while so he and four others of the ten-man the Allies were advancing in Normandy crew survived. Forsyth reproduces the and Brittany and flying operations had report of one of Nairana’s pilots about slowed the men enjoyed a new swim- how a fighter was then launched to lo- ming pool and their commander kept cate the survivors, “a tiny speck in the them occupied in sports competitions. vast sea and stayed circling them, wav- This officer, who emerges from how his ing encouragement, until they were actions are recorded as determined and picked up by one of the escorting cor- dynamic, returned early in 1945 from vettes”. (178) a skiing holiday in the Alps; his head- Reconnaissance flights by FAGr 5 quarters company compete with their ended in June 1944. That month, one Russian “Hiwis” and some soldiers had of its Ju290s staged through Norway to enjoyed fare brought back from France fly to northeastern Greenland where it during their congenial Christmas cel- landed on the ice to recover personnel ebration in an inn in Bavaria. Mean- from of a weather reporting station that while the Allies were pushing into Ger- had operated since the previous sum- many from east and west. mer. The Ju290 returned with a total At times the narrative is slowed by of 42 men on board. By the summer detail−for example, the reader learns of 1944 it had been decided to cease how a return flight from France by a Ju production of Ju290s. Weather report- 290 in October 1943 experienced a flat ing flights over the Atlantic continued tire on landing and was delayed until a until August when FAGr 5’s aircraft replacement could come out (66). The flew back to Germany and the Group’s author painstakingly includes the seri- personnel trekked east as conditions in al number of individual Ju290s when France became ever more dangerous. describing their sorties. Information FAGr 5 was not formally disbanded un- about several key personalities beyond til February 1945, but once it returned their earlier service on the eastern front to the Reich its aircraft and personnel is absent. It’s telling that the narrative became involved with various other traces the fate of several German air- Book Reviews 243 craft taken by the RAF to Farnborough nourished them. One such story is told for evaluation after the war but not of in Milwaukee: A City Built On Water. FAGr 5 personnel. It would have been Milwaukee’s origins and develop- interesting to learn what happened af- ment were dictated by the rivers and ter the war to Oskar Schmidt, his com- Lake Michigan on which it is situated. manding officer and others. There is The combination of abundant water an extensive section of photographs in- and “good land” (a translation of the cluding an arresting large photograph of native word from which “Milwaukee” Biter, pitching into the sea with aircraft is derived) attracted Native American ranged on her small flight deck. settlements. In the seventeenth cen- Shadow over the Atlantic presents tury, French Canadian voyageurs pad- the story of a German maritime long- dled down the St. Lawrence River from range reconnaissance wing as seen by Montreal to the Great Lakes in search its members. This unit, FAGr5, op- of furs. The initial route of American erated the new Ju290 from a base in settlement in the American Northwest southwestern France between Novem- Territory was the Ohio River, a long ber 1943 and August 1944. Individu- overland trek from Wisconsin. The de- al sorties are described using arresting velopment of Milwaukee and other cit- eye-witness accounts supplemented by ies on the Great Lakes was spurred by information from UK archival records. the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 A comparison of the crew size, endur- that provided a water route from the ance and general performance of long- Lakes to the Hudson, New York and range Ju290 with comparable Allied the Atlantic World beyond. The Cana- maritime reconnaissance aircraft would dian Welland Canal, connecting Lakes have been of interest to general read- Ontario and Erie by bypassing Niagara ers. There is a single map and several Falls, established a second water route contemporary photographs. Because from the American upper-Midwest the book provides an English-language to the Atlantic. By 1850, Milwaukee account of German efforts at air-sea would be home to 42,000 residents, cooperation based on records kept by many of whom were involved in the participants it is a valuable addition to transfer of flour, wheat, lumber and the literature about the Battle of the At- hogs to the east. Where there is mar- lantic. itime trade there is shipping and by 1870, there were 1,700 schooners ply- Jan Drent ing the inland seas. Victoria, British Columbia At the end of the nineteenth cen- tury, Milwaukee shipyards had turned John Gurda. Milwaukee: A City Built on out 114 of these craft. One of the larg- Water. Milwaukee, WI: Wisconsin His- est belonged to Captain James Monroe torical Society, www.wisconsinhistory. Jones, who opened his yard on what org, 2018. 244 pp., illustrations, maps, is still known as Jones Island around index. US $28.95, cloth; ISBN 978-0- 1854. In the fullness of time, the “age 87020-865-2. of sail” would give way to steam for those seeking faster transportation. The history of shoreline cities is inextri- Even then, lake travel was long, quar- cably intertwined with the history of the ters were cramped, privacy nonexistent, maritime landmarks, figures and ves- food monotonous and the company sels who defined, founded, supplied and frequently rude. According to Harriet 244 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Marineau, a British traveler writing in Pacific. Dunbeath, Scotland: Whittles 1837, “The ship was the only place in Publishing, www.whittlespublishing. America where I saw a prevalence of com, 2017. xi+193 pp., illustrations, bad manners.” glossary. UK £16.99, US $19.95, paper; With the coming of the rail- ISBN 978-1-84995-253-8. ways, highways and air travel, the mar- itime influence on Milwaukee would Master Mariner Simon Hall reveals take new forms. The completion of the some of his experiences in the southern St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 opened a hemisphere over his fourteen years at new water route to the Atlantic and was sea, working first for the British forces touted as “the greatest single develop- and then, in commercial shipping. His ment of this century in its effects on book explains what the shipping in- Milwaukee’s further growth and pros- dustry was like at the end of the “gold- perity.” The seaway’s greatest prom- en-age” referring to the mid-940s to the ises went unfulfilled as ocean vessels mid-1980s. He presents many different outgrew it locks. What ships did tra- characters, lifestyles, and experiences, verse the Seaway introduced new spe- employing an amusing writing style to cies of exotic creatures into the Great infuse the story with his obvious pas- Lakes that have altered the ecology of sion about everything seawater related. the Lakes in ways still evolving. On the very first page, Hall informs This work covers many other top- his readers that this is a personal ac- ics relating to Milwaukee and its water, count of his time at sea and that he has including its effect on the city’s indus- altered some of the names of ships and try, fisheries, waste disposal, recreation people to avoid offending anyone while and urban renewal. Issues that have retaining their privacy. After that clari- influenced Milwaukee have been felt fication, he continues with his story, of- throughout Lake Michigan and beyond. fering an even-handed appraisal of the Author John Gurda has supplement- people he meets along the way, includ- ed his entertaining and informative nar- ing himself. He describes his growth as rative with a host of photographs, maps a sailor and the mistakes he made along and drawings that bring hues and visual the way to becoming such an accom- images to the written word. Among my plished member of the nautical commu- favorites are the then-black and white, nity. He admits for example, his own and now, vivid colour, photos of the character flaws via stories of his time same scenes. at the nautical college in Plymouth. Milwaukee: A City Built On Wa- Spanning the entirety of Hall’s career, ter is an easy read and a delight for the the book often strikes a self-reflective mind and the eyes. Whether your inter- and philosophical tone, but rather than est is in Milwaukee itself, or how the impede the story, it provides the read- changing Lakes and lakers have served er with a better understanding of Hall’s and molded the Heart of America, this personal perspective, not only on mat- is a book to read, peruse and enjoy. ters of the sea but also on important life questions and occasional obstacles. Jim Gallen Among the unique aspects of a St. Louis, Missouri seafaring life, Hall refers to the special bond of shipmates which goes beyond Simon J. Hall. Last Voyage to Wewak. A traditional working relationships be- tale of the sea: West Africa to the South cause of the extensive amount of iso- Book Reviews 245 lated time the group spends together. ter, his children. He explains how new A close-knit crew is vital, he states, technology did not just transform indus- because sailors often run into danger- tries on land but also extended into the ous situations and must be able to trust sea, completely changing the way ships their companions, potentially with their operated, and its impact on the ship- lives. Throughout his book, the author ping industry overall. The book does deepens the reader’s understanding that not dwell on specific enhancements of being a sailor, or working extensively vessel technology or of foreign policy: at sea, is more than a job− it becomes it rather provides a personal account of a way of life that affects one’s mindset a sailor’s life. It is not about technical and becomes part of one’s “soul”. advancement for the maritime com- Hall’s amusing interactions with munity but instead, it enlightens read- people from different nations entertain ers about the lifestyle and experiences in an endearing way. Respectful, al- of those who work on the sea. Simon though not entirely politically correct, Hall’s amiable style offers an amusing the author presents all parties in the glimpse into a world that readers might same light without crossing the line not otherwise ever dwell in or under- in terms of disrespect or insult. Even stand. The Last Voyage to Wewak is a someone from the country involved single installment of his trilogy, exten- should be able to relate to the situations sively showing his time in the nautical he describes without taking offence. sector. The author does a brilliant job of keeping his audience engaged with per- Jane Plummer sonable individuals and exciting expe- Pensacola, Florida riences. When he introduces someone new, the reader feels almost as if he or Maura Hanrahan. Unchained Man: The she is actually meeting the person them- Arctic Life and Times of Captain Rob- selves. Maritime phrases are sprinkled ert Abram Bartlett. Portugal Cove, NL: throughout the book; for example, he Boulder Publications, www.boulder- refers to his retirement as “The tide publications.ca, 2018. 350pp., illustra- went out” or uses the traditional expres- tions, notes, bibliography, index. CDN sion, “To swallow the anchor…” Since $21.95, paper; ISBN 978-1-927099-94- he usually describes vessels and situa- 0. tions using nautical terminology, Hall has thoughtfully included a brief glos- From Alaska’s North Slope to the east sary to help his non-maritime readers, coast of Greenland and around to the although most terms can be deciphered Northeast Passage above Russia, the in the context of the story. His easy and Arctic is a bewitching place of rock, affable writing style make this a pleas- ice and sea. The (mostly) white men ant read, even for someone without any who penetrated its fastness claimed the previous knowledge of nautical lan- mantle of “explorer.” But as Maura guage. Hanrahan demonstrates in her uneven Hall began working at sea as a biography of one of them, Captain Rob- naïve sixteen-year-old recruit, fresh out ert (“Bob”) Bartlett, they were as much of training at college, ultimately leaving exploiters as pathfinders, for, unlike the 14 years later, age 30, to take a terres- empty, frigid wastes at the other end of trial job so that he could enjoy life with the planet, the Circumpolar North was his then-new bride and shortly thereaf- and is inhabited by brave, hardy and 246 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord adaptable indigenous peoples whose matched that given to his mother. acquiescence and assistance was indis- Four years later, Bartlett sealed his pensable to the invaders from the south. reputation as a great polar leader. Com- For Bartlett, the Arctic became an manding the ill-fated Canadian Arctic “otherworldly” arena in which he found Expedition, he and a single Inuit com- divinity, refuge and meaning. His ulti- panion Kataktovik, were forced into a mate reality lay not in “running away memorable trek across the Arctic ice from anywhere,” but “to somewhere: pack from their besieged vessel Kar- the Arctic.” (249-50). This radical in- luk off Wrangel Island to the Siberian trovert was “virtually unable to derive coast and on to the Bering Sea where serenity or genuine pleasure from the rescue came to them, and, eventually comfort of others, save his family; he some (but not all) of the Expedition’s derived energy from quietness and his other members. Hanrahan’s account of own company. . . . In contrast to other the ordeal is masterful. His reputation explorers, the Arctic was never his ad- secure, Bartlett undertook numerous versary.” (251) other voyages of exploration and ex- Bartlett was born in 1875 into the ploitation to Labrador and Greenland in relatively remote, provincial and rigidly the 1920s, ‘30s and early ‘40s. stratified fishing and sealing society of The man Hanrahan depicts is not a Newfoundland. His father, a prominent particularly pleasant chap. Frequently local captain, was a hard man whose cold and aloof, Bartlett, like his fellow son never quite came up to his demands Newfoundlanders and the American until the youngster bailed him out finan- “explorers” he encountered and worked cially near the end of his days. Bartlett’s with, instinctively embraced the harsh mother, Mary Jemima, gave her son the racism and sexism of the time. Han- warmth and commitment he needed to rahan spends many pages−perhaps too face life with fair success. He rewarded many−dwelling on the ruthless ex- her with an unstinting adoration that he ploitation of native Inuit peoples by gave to only one other person in his life. their invaders who either ignored or There was no question that the young dismissed the distinct culture they en- man would follow the family commit- countered. ment to the sea and he came to initial The author also spends far too prominence after an early career that much time portraying Bartlett’s imme- took him, as captain of various ships, diate family and late-nineteenth centu- to the Caribbean and Mediterranean, as ry Newfoundland society to the detri- well as the nearby coasts of Labrador ment of more important matters. The and Greenland. As with so many other sources of Bartlett’s conduct are neither young skippers, he suffered traumatic systematically explored nor satisfacto- accidents that seem to have confirmed rily explained. Hanrahan all too often an essentially stoic and introverted na- asserts when assessment is demanded. ture. In 1909, at age 34, he accom- At one point, she casually mentions that panied Robert Peary on the American Bartlett had moved to New York City. admiral’s final (and, Peary insisted, suc- The reader is left to ponder why this cessful) effort to reach the North Pole. aloof character who found deep emo- As the last person to turn back before tional satisfaction in loneliness would the final assault, Bartlett achieved a decide to live in one of the world’s larg- measure of fame that was to last him all est and most dynamic cities. Proximity his life and his platonic love for Peary to monied folk who could provide need- Book Reviews 247 ed funds for further Arctic voyaging? scene of lawlessness amid contests and The companionship of fellow Arctic shifting alliances between nations, and explorers? those larger-than-life figures, such as The strains of a relentlessly harsh Blackbeard and Captain Henry Morgan, life spent in polar seas and lands bred roamed the seas with relative impuni- in Bartlett “deep- seated insecurities” ty. Though this age has received more (233) that never left him. For a time, he consideration than any other has from became an alcoholic. He never enjoyed scholars and popular audiences of pira- a satisfactory domestic life and endured cy, it appears that there is still much to a lonely old age. What saved him from say. This volume certainly proves that, outright despair were the many honours for its collection of essays manages to and awards showered upon him in his offer something new in shedding light later years and the comfort, and even on piracy in both the oft-studied histori- joy, he derived by repeated voyages cal period, as well as the world of today. north, where he could “sink into the Editor David Head has assembled a spirituality of the Arctic.” (240). strong selection of essays that advance All this we are told, but Bartlett our understanding of pirates and pira- never comes alive as a recognizable hu- cy during a pivotal period of the early man being. Hanrahan submerges him modern world. The assemblage also so thoroughly in what he did and where affords a prism through which scholars he came from that who he was and why can further probe broader questions; he behaved as he did is never wholly namely how empires clashed, how col- clear. This reader was left with the im- onies took shape, and how public poli- pression that perhaps there was just not cy regarding crime and its suppression enough in Bartlett’s life to merit an ac- developed. Twelve scholars, most of counting of it. whom have published widely in the field, contribute essays that speak ei- Lisle Rose ther in part or in whole to the rise, fall Edmonds, Washington and enduring popularity of Golden Age piracy. Head organizes the essays into David Head (ed.) The Golden Age of four thematic sections, bound nicely by Piracy: The Rise, Fall, and Enduring his effective introduction and conclu- Popularity of Pirates. Athens, GA: The sion, which usefully identify the spe- University of Georgia Press, www.uga- cific events marking the birth and end press.org, 2018. vii+256pp., notes, in- of the age, as well as the many ways dex. US $84.95, cloth; $29.95, paper; in which a definition of piracy must be ISBN 978-0-82035-325-8. (E-book considered fluid and expansive. available.) In “Pirates and Empire,” Carla Gar- dina Pestana suitably sets the stage by Most of our contemporary understand- addressing how sectors of the Atlan- ing, and often misunderstanding, of tic, specifically the Caribbean, became those who turned to pillaging and plun- spheres for piracy. Those rejecting dering has been derived from exam- Spain’s exclusionary claims over the inations of the upsurge in piracy which Americas recognized the extraordinary occurred between the middle of the sev- profits as well as the uncertain author- enteenth century and the first third of the ity of the region. The ‘private seafar- eighteenth century. Western scholars ers’ of Jamaica, the heart of English refer to this period as ‘The Golden Age piratical activities in the Americas fol- of Piracy’, when the Atlantic became a lowing conquest of the island in 1655, 248 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord are at the heart of John Coakley’s fine are not nearly enough. Economist Pe- essay. Operating under contract, or at ter Leeson offers an innovative way of least with implicit authorization of col- understanding the often-contradictory ony leaders, these private seamen sailed nature of piracy. Considering pirates and plundered in support of the colonial as economic beings who responded government, defended the colony, and rationally to the incentives they faced were therefore vital to Jamaica’s sur- in pursuit of profits allows for a clear- vival. Kevin McDonald’s especially er understanding for why they worked insightful essay places the heavily im- together, why they flew the black flag portant logwood cutting practice at the and why they resorted to torturing those centre of illicit activity in the Spanish who resisted. Main to reveal pirates as multifaceted The fourth and final section, “Im- historical agents and piracy as a com- ages of Pirates in Their Own Time and plex, multilayered historical activity Beyond,” is the most effective at bridg- and process. ing the Golden Age and modern worlds Section Two is devoted to the “Sup- through analyzing perceptions of piracy pression of Pirates.” Douglas Burgess in popular culture held by pirates and uses pirate trials to demonstrate that pi- non-pirates. Margarette Lincoln’s ex- racy was only effectively curbed once cellent opening essay examining the crown and colony shared legal clari- creation of the pirate myth as swash- ty for what constituted piracy. David buckling popular hero, fixes on the fig- Wilson considers colonial and metro- ure of Henry Every. Carolyn Eastman politan responses to piracy during its utilizes illustrated print portrayals to lo- most intense period and convincingly cate the origin of persistent motifs em- argues that its suppression in the Atlan- phasizing heroic and sexualized mas- tic was due to a series of fragmented culinity and violence with Alexandre and distinctive campaigns rather than Exquemelin’s Buccaneers of America, a coordinated state war on piracy by while Matthew Taylor Rafferty tack- Britain. Guy Chet challenges conven- les the literature of antebellum pirate tional opinion that piracy all but died confessions that reasserted women’s out by the 1720s in his comparatively responsibility for cultural and moral shorter, yet refreshing and provocative norms. Closing out this section is the piece. He makes a compelling case for superbly written essay by Adam Jortner the continued existence of piracy within chronicling the treasure-hunting phe- the Atlantic world for well over another nomenon from its folkloric beginnings century, meeting its demise inadvertent- in post-Revolutionary America when it ly as the sale of contraband became less served as a morality tale for emergent profitable, rather than due to an- over American capitalism. whelming crackdown by the British Stimulating and engagingly writ- Royal Navy. ten, these essays are well cited and of Just two essays make up the third manageable length. Its reasonable cost, section, “Modeling Piracy.” Virgin- in combination with the above assets ia Lunsford’s detailed treatment of the and extensive thematic coverage will similarities between the buccaneers serve the scholarly community well and operating in the seventeenth century convince course instructors to include Caribbean and pirates operating within this volume on reading lists. contemporary society reminds us that piracy’s complex support system needs Michael F. Dove to be addressed and that naval solutions St. Thomas, Ontario Book Reviews 249 Paul N. Hodos. The Kaiser’s Lost Kreu- Two 5.9-inch guns were strapped to the zer: A History of U-156 and Germa- decks of these large submarines and ny’s Long-Range Submarine Campaign two internal bow torpedo tubes with 18 Against North America, 1918. Jeffer- torpedoes were added. Hodos describes son, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., these U-boats as versatile vessels which www.mcfarlandpub.com, 2018. x+215 could cut cables, attack ships underwa- pp., illustrations, tables, notes, bibliog- ter with torpedoes, bombard targets with raphy, index. US $35, paper; ISBN 978- their big guns, and lay mines in Allied 1-4766-7162-8. (E-book available.) shipping lanes. They would also carry extra crew members to serve as a prize While there have been other books writ- crew of captured vessels. By August ten about the little-known long-range 1918, at the height of the campaign, submarine campaign against North there would be three large U-Kreuzers America, both from the Canadian and off the coast of North America. the American viewpoints, none of them The author devotes two chapters to have covered the complete U-Kruezer one of the top U-boat aces of the First war, nor was their focus completely on World War, Konrad Gansser, who sank the campaign itself. Author Paul Ho- 41 ships. More relevant to this story, dos tells this fascinating story, while at Gansser was the first commanding of- the same time giving the reader a de- ficer of U-156 off the coast of West tailed description of career of U-156. Africa. Germany regarded him as a He also describes this submarine cam- hero, but to the Allies, he was an un- paign from the perspective of Imperial scrupulous villain. U-156’s second Germany. commanding officer was Richard Feldt, Hodos begins by reminding read- who commanded the submarine on her ers of the British blockade of Germa- cruise to North America. ny, which forced the German civilian Prior to U-156’s arrival, howev- population into eating only bread and er, German U-boats made several at- potatoes by 1916, and when the pota- tacks on the Atlantic coast of the Unit- to crop failed, they became dependent ed States, and the author gives a great on turnips. Much of the population description of those attacks. U-156 was malnourished and in a survival atti- didn’t reach Cape Cod and New York tude. Germany’s U-boat campaign was until mid-July 1918. Within days, she a desperate attempt to break the British sighted the USS San Diego, a 13,600- blockade. He also recalls the problem- ton armoured cruiser heading into New atic position of the United States, which York, quickly laid an underwater mine though officially neutral, because of the in her path. The submarine was some British blockade, could only trade with distance away when the San Diego Great Britain. struck and sank within a few miles of Early in the war, Imperial Germany the Long Island shore near the larg- used huge cargo-carrying U-boats with est port city in America, becoming the no weapons, and a crew with no overt largest American warship lost during ties to the German Navy, hoping to the First World War. The U-kreuzer start a meaningful trade with the United then went on to shell the tugboat Perth States. This trade never materialized, Amboy off of Orleans, Massachusetts. and by February 1917, the German One of their near misses struck a spot Navy took over the seven cargo U-boats on Nausett Beach and exploded. Al- and changed them into combat vessels. though probably unintentional, U-156 250 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord made the first bombardment of Amer- well researched history of Germany’s ican soil by foreign military since the long-range U-boat campaign against Mexican-American War in the 1840s. North America. The narrative of this U.S. Navy air stations along the coast history is built around is U-156. Her occasionally spotted these U-boats and close calls, exciting operations, and the dropped bombs on them, although most personal stories of her crew and victims of the bombs failed to explode and the make for great reading while still cov- U-boats continued on. ering the overall story of Germany’s U-156 headed north where it found first attempt at long-range submarine few allied merchant ships off the coast warfare. This book should be in the li- of Maine. Once in Canadian waters, brary of anyone interested in the history it fired two shots across the bow of of the First World War, especially the the Dornfontein, less than ten miles American or Canadian naval history of from the shore of Grand Manan Is- that war. land in New Brunswick. After the ship stopped, the U-boat took the personnel C. Douglas Kroll aboard and kept them prisoner while Keizer, Oregon the Germans set the captured vessel on fire. They then released the crew to the Trent Hone. Learning War. The Evolu- Dornfontein’s lifeboat to make for the tion of Fighting Doctrine in the U.S. nearby shore. This attack on the Dorn- Navy, 1898-1945. Annapolis, MD: fontein initiated the first operational Naval Institute Press, www.usni.org, wartime experience in the history of the 2018. 432 pp., illustrations, maps, ta- Royal Canadian Navy. The Canadian bles, notes, bibliography, index. US and U.S. Navy sent vessels to the Bay $34.95, cloth; ISBN 978-1-68247-293- of Fundy to search for the U-Kreuser. 4. (E-book available.) Meanwhile, U-156 headed north and launched a string of attacks off Nova Trent Hone’s Learning War is a qua- Scotia. si-textbook concerned with the evolu- While cruising near Halifax, Feldt tion of naval warfare and a history of was wise enough not to attack a con- naval doctrine during the early part of voy with his slow U-Kruezer. Instead, the twentieth century through the Sec- he waited for ships sailing alone. One ond World War. This multi-faceted of those ships was the Canadian tanker voyage touches on naval policy, officer Luz Blanca, sailing for Tampico, Mex- education, ‘weaponology’, the history ico from Halifax, which U-156 sank. of critical battles, critiques of some of In September 1918, U-156 was head- these events, and finally, mini-biogra- ing home to Germany, but had to pass phies of the naval leaders of the times. through the Northern mine barrage to Early in the book, the author sets get there. Her last radio transmission the tone by referring to François Ja- was on 25 September. She was never cob’s “bricolage,” (DIY or “tinkering” heard from again and never made it in French.) It refers to evolutionary home. processes that involve two elements: The Kaiser’s Lost Kruezer is a wel- constraints (rules) and historical cir- come addition to the many books that cumstances (events). The contribu- have been published during this cen- tions of the two disparate factors drive tennial of the First World War. Paul outcomes. Simpler objectives depend Hodos has given us a well written and more on constraint than history, but as Book Reviews 251 complexity increases, history becomes ristic (experiential) concept. There the critical factor. Appropriate reac- were war games and what they called tions to these developments are the ba- ‘conferences’ at the college. There were sis of good leadership and positive out- no identified winners, but these events comes in naval combat. were followed by analyses of the prac- Naval warfare presents a multitude ticality and innovations presented in of challenges. The combatants bring to problem-solving. When officers partic- the combat zone a variety of complex ipated in these so-called ‘conferences’, vessels and weapons. During the Span- rank was considered irrelevant. Over ish American War, these included battle time, the Navy’s learning system and ships, heavy and light cruisers, and de- curriculum triggered paradigm shifts. stroyers. As the U.S. Navy entered the It redefined what it meant to be a naval First World War, submarines evolved officer and fundamentally altered how from defensive to formidable offensive the U.S. Navy prepared for war. Naval weapons. Aircraft carriers progressed officers shifted their thinking in the era from supportive vessels to the queens of steel ships powered by steam. Line of battle in the Second World War. officers and engineers were considered During that time, naval guns became equals, creating a new outlook. Gun- much larger and far more accurate. nery changed from massive assault and Torpedoes were perfected and could be inundation of a target to accuracy and launched from surface ships such as de- judicious use of ammunition. The navy stroyers, as well as submarines and fi- first engaged in exploration and then nally, from torpedo bombers. Warships turned the discovered situation into ex- had to confront the enemy from pitch- ploitation. War College’s games exper- ing decks during raging storms at sea, imented with tactics using various types poor visibility, and the dark of night. of ships, diverse battle formations and Added to this, communications were means of communication, all aspects of imperfect and logistical support had to which led to a concise naval language catch up with constantly moving fleets that all command crewmembers and the bringing replacement parts, fuel, food, entire fleet understood. and ammunition. The explicit circumstances that In order to man the ships, it was promoted and permitted the navy’s necessary to develop a cadre of trained swift innovative measures from the officers and naval tactics, but being a Spanish American War to the end of the professional naval officer at the time, Second World War were ongoing but was a relatively unattractive occupa- transitory. Constraints governed naval tion. Besides the inherent danger of experimentation in the years leading up being a warrior, promotion up the ranks to Pearl Harbor. This unprecedented at- was glacially slow. Traditionally, an tack led to an increase in the size of the officer only moved up the bureaucrat- naval fleet, with a huge influx of new ic ladder when a slot became open and officers and men, most of whom had no promotion was by seniority, not neces- naval background and experience. In- sarily based on merit or competence. sufficient ability to fully man the fleet Formal training of those in command arguably slowed the rate of readiness evolved as naval academy graduates and disrupted the navy’s heuristic based and others filled the ranks once the Na- educational system. The new concept val War College was instituted. The was to use emergent potential and the first curriculum was based upon a heu- ability to evolve and adapt. This expe- 252 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ditious growth changed the USN by re- UK £25.00, cloth; ISBN 978-1-5267- purposing the constraints that had fos- 2529-5. tered experimentation and innovation. Pre-war exercises had been designed Some authors are considered great his- to promote the development of novel torical writers because their books are approaches. With a set of established literary origami, there is always more solutions to almost any given situation, information folded into the work than even uninitiated personnel were able to can be found at first, second or even perform quickly and reasonably well. third reading. Others are considered Following standard operating proce- great because their writing is so lyri- dures replaced experimentation as the cal, it feels like a novel, so smooth that preferred approach. These standardized the reader absorbs information without processes reduced variability, but ulti- being aware of it. Hore’s biography of mately slowed the pace of learning and Henry Harwood puts him most definite- perhaps led to a crucial casualty—orig- ly among the latter group—although inal thinking. Within this atmosphere this work was certainly an attempt was rapidly changing technology that to join the former. Harwood is most altered the navy’s perception of the bat- well-known for his exploits in South tle-scape. These included sonar, radar, America, but the book could also have Talk Between Ships (TBS) radio, and been titled ‘Hero of the River Plate, a most important Combat Information life time in the making’ – because it is Control (CIC) and advances in com- Harwood’s life story. It gives an incan- puterized plotting. By the end of the descently intricate insight into the life Second World War, the USN’s well-de- of a Royal Navy officer in the first half veloped system of learning and appli- of the twentieth century. This service cation of principles ceased to exist. A occurred before, during and between new maxim came to the fore, Observe, the two world wars, which for better or Orient, Decide, Act (OODA). worse, frame much of the historical ap- Learning War is a complex book proach to the period. Harwood was part full of detailed technical naval infor- of it all, and Hore describes it, giving us mation, military jargon, and acronyms. such a personal sense of Harwood hob- Yet, it offers a unique and important bies, his work, his hopes, his family, his window on naval history. This is at strengths and his weaknesses, that we times an ambitious read, but quite re- feel like we are sailing alongside him warding. It is not a book for everyone, and experiencing what it meant to be a but an excellent choice particularly for naval officer in his world. former naval officers, and a conduit for Nevertheless, it is unsurprising that insight into the complexity of naval roughly one-third of the book is dedi- warfare for officers of sister services. cated to the Battle of the River Plate, summed up in Harwood’s own words: Louis Arthur Norton “The whole thing… was to try and West Simsbury, Connecticut make him [Langsdorff] divide his fire. We succeeded. He started with one tur- Peter Hore. Henry Harwood—Hero ret on the Exeter and the other one on of the River Plate. Barnsley, S. Yorks: us. Then he shifted to the Exeter and Seaforth Publishing, www.seaforthpub- then he came back to us. When we saw lishing.com, 2018. xii+244 pp., illustra- that he was going to try and finish off tions, maps, notes, bibliography, index. the Exeter we opened the A arcs [turned Book Reviews 253 to bring more guns to bear] and gave Occasionally, a grammatical or him all we had with sixteen 6in guns. So syntactical error arises (see 154), but it he remained undecided, but there is no really doesn’t interrupt delivery of the doubt that he ought to have finished off content of the book, and errors, albeit one or other of the forces on his flanks. rare, are almost inevitable in any long After the hits on Exeter he ought to have work. Hore highlights the difficulty finished her off. Perhaps he thought he of command in a war where every re- had, as we did when she disappeared in source is at a premium, and Harwood’s a great cloud of spray, smoke and flame. plans designed for what was available But she came out and remained in the on paper rarely coincided with what action—her finest achievement—and so was actually available to him. Unfor- the enemy remained undecided.” (85) tunately, Harwood lacked the resourc- Divide and conquer is an old phrase es to achieve the high expectations of and a very simple strategy – which Har- his command; meanwhile, others who wood applied brilliantly and it worked seemed to be able to play the politics perfectly. Simplicity was a hallmark better, avoided blame by using him as of Harwood’s career. Rather than a scapegoat. over-engineering a solution, he would This is a book for everyone, ac- break down the problem to its most per- cessible and easy to read, and will be tinent parts and decisively engage those enjoyed by general readers, but it also points in the most straightforward man- has all the resources and historical pre- ner possible. This decisive simplicity cision to make it useful for students and originated early in Harwood’s career academics. While certainly not unique through his naval experience on the in its field, it is definitely unique in its South America and the China Stations subject. Harwood, overshadowed by so and developed through a career spent in many other characters of his era, has these far-flung cruiser stations. In fact, been overlooked by other biographers. it was during Harwood’s second visit to While this reviewer might begrudge the China Station, in December 1928, the fact that Hore has beaten him to the that he achieved Captain’s rank and punch, Henry Harwood—Hero of the served there until March 1929. Hore River Plate is an excellent book, thor- reveals how well Harwood was regard- oughly researched and well written. ed by his superiors ; Harwood deserves fuller study because, “Arthur Snagge gave him an excel- despite his weakness in internal and do- lent confidential report: ‘A most bril- mestic politics, his skills in diplomacy, liant and efficient officer… Intellectual influence/information operations, inno- and technical ability are combined with vative planning and skilful command a fine personal character and forceful make him an officer worthy of emula- power of command’. Trywhitt obvious- tion. ly agreed and would write to Harwood after the Battle of the River Plate: ‘My Alex Clarke dear Harwood. I can’t tell you how Epsom, Surrey pleased and delighted I was to hear of your glorious action… It was an addi- Rick James. Don’t Never Tell Nobody tional pleasure for me to see your suc- Nothin’ No How. The Real Story of West cess as I was instrumental in your pro- Coast Rum Running. Vancouver, BC: motion to Captain which, incidentally, Harbour Publishing, www.harbourpub- you earned handsomely.’” (33-4) lishing.com, 2018. 312pp., illustrations, 254 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord appendices, bibliography, index. CDN hard-hit. Fortunately, this province was $32,95, cloth: ISBN 978-1-55017-841- populated by a large number of hearty 8. mariners and boat builders. Thanks to its geographic location, it was ideally Rum running and smuggling were com- placed to distribute assorted alcohol- monplace activities during the 1920s ic beverages to a large population of and early 30s among the American At- southern neighbours. The “Yankees” lantic and Pacific coastal communities had a demand for such illegal goods, as well as along the Canadian land and the cash to pay for them and seemed lake borders. The book’s enthralling ti- unconcerned about how they became tle is derived from a quote of a ship’s available. crew member. Concerning his coming The next obvious imperative was and goings, he said that the less anyone to devise a viable business plan. First, knew about his activities, the better and one had to obtain a large supply of al- then recalled the rum runner’s motto: coholic beverages overseas. Next, it “Don’t Never Tell Nobody Nothin’ No was necessary to find a way to clear for- How.” (191) eign customs with the paperwork, but On 17 January 1920, the 18th without off-loading and paying duties. amendment to the United States Con- Under-the-table money paid to customs stitution, known as the National Pro- officials in out-of-the-way countries re- hibition Act or the Volstead act, offi- solved this problem. Afterwards, one cially became law. It prohibited the had to establish a waterborne beverage manufacture, sale, barter, transport, ex- supermarket. Entrepreneurs purchased port or delivery of any intoxicating al- a number of large, ocean-going vessels cohol except for that authorized within and stationed them in international wa- the act. This so-called “Noble Exper- ters, but near the onshore “markets.” iment” lasted for 14 years until it was Once there, small, fast camouflaged rescinded in 1933. While American boats could rendezvous with the “moth- saloon doors were nailed shut, Ameri- er ships” in order to deliver the mer- ca’s northern neighbour had tried pro- chandise ashore. Finally, bootleggers hibition within its individual provinces would be waiting to pay a wholesale several years previously. It was found price and then pass it onto a variety to be extremely unpopular and expen- of “retail” consumer outlets from the sive to enforce. Ironically, the failed speakeasies to individuals. James Canadian attempt at prohibition ended points out that the supply-chain was so about the same time that Prohibition in fragmented and complex that, although the United States went into effect. By there was a decided markup on each chance, this was shortly after the end bottle, the profit for each handler in the of the First World War in which many succession was roughly $25 per case at Canadians served. When these veterans sea, $40 smuggled on the beach, $50 for returned from overseas, they found that the bootlegger, and $70 for the consum- their national economy had suffered er in 1925 dollars. While profitable, it from this conflict and there was a short- did not garner great riches. age of well-paying jobs. This was true Finding a suitable mother ship and throughout the Commonwealth, but the crew presented a problem. The vessel more sparsely populated, far western containing a large quantity of booze had province of British Columbia, especial- to withstand many extended months at ly the Vancouver area, seemed notably sea, either at anchor or lethargically Book Reviews 255 cruising near a location just over the 12- “sacking,” the removal of bottles from mile International Limit. The ship had cases and placing them in burlap sacks to be replenished at sea with food, wa- for ease of transfer and economy of ter and fuel for a relatively bored crew. space; and “dollar matching,” where a Small craft, usually well under 100 series of numbers was written on halves feet, interacted with the mother ship as of dollar bills and matched up at deliv- shore boats or landing craft. Transfers ery to assure that the off-loading “cus- of goods usually took place on moon- tomer” was legitimate. less nights or during marginal weather, Rick James masterfully recounts so that the ever-present Revenue Police how this quasi-industry came about or Coast Guard would have difficulty and is perhaps best read while sipping intercepting the fast, highly maneuver- a glass of one’s favourite Canadian li- able boats when they came into legally bation. Don’t Never Tell Nobody is an recognized territorial waters. enlightening fast-moving book about James goes into great detail about a slice of maritime history that is sel- the owners of the fleets ashore along dom visited. Its only minor flaw may with several of the colourful mother be that there is too much information ships captains and crew members who concerning the ship dimensions, horse- had harrowing adventures and occa- power, cruising at maximum speed, etc. sionally amusing escapades. The de- of the many vessels involved. Still, tails of the size, capacity, speed, and these details reflect James’ painstaking history or demise of several of the ships scholarship and make his book a good turns them into actual supporting char- starting reference-work concerning the acters in this multifaceted rum runner’s West Coast rum running trade and an tale. The author also focuses on sever- entertaining, information-packed read al of the Coast Guard commanders and for historians of this era. the legal machinations that occurred af- ter crews and vessels were apprehend- Louis Arthur Norton ed. In one ironic story, a mother ship West Simsbury, Connecticut caught fire and a surveilling coast guard vessel was called upon to give lifesav- E.R. Johnson. United States Marine ing aid. Since this occurred outside the Corps Aircraft Since 1913. Jefferson, U.S. territorial limit, it was considered NC; McFarland & Company, Inc., a routine rescue of seamen in distress www.macfarlandpub.com, 2018. 590 with no legal consequences. These pp., photographs, illustrations, appen- west coast rum running escapades that dices, glossary, bibliography, index. US occurred from Ensenada, Mexico, north $49.95, paper; ISBN 978-1-4766-6347- through California, Oregon and Wash- 0. (E-book available. eISBN 978-4766- ington state were accomplished with 3065-6.) little violence, an outcome that might have been expected when dealing with The United States Marine Corps “polite” Canadian outlaws. (USMC) is America’s most storied mil- It is not surprising that colourful itary unit. Primarily a force meant to criminal trade produced its own special seize territory quickly, it has often been vocabulary such as “fireboats,” a euphe- called, “sea soldiers.” Less well known mism for fire-water boats; “buck” and is that the USMC has had an aviation “buck and a quarter boats” that were branch since the military possibilities 100 and 125 feet in length respectively; of the aircraft were developed. In Unit- 256 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ed States Marine Corps Aircraft Since which squadron(s) used the type be- 1913, E.R. Johnson continues his stud- ing described. Finally, a drawing of ies of American military aircraft with the particular type—frontal, side, and what must be the definitive guide to a split upper/lower view of the aircraft USMC aircraft. as well as photographs of the aircraft in USMC aviation has several roles: USMC markings are included. There its primary duty is to support USMC are no scales attached to each draw- troops in combat; then, to aid U.S. Na- ing, which may mislead some readers val aircraft in protecting the U.S. fleet; unfamiliar with the aircraft, but inclu- and finally, the classic role of fighter sion of a scale might have increased the aircraft—air-to-air combat. Johnson’s price. Similarly, the only colour plates book tells the stories of all the USMC of USMC aircraft are on the cover—but aircraft used from 1913 through today. again, cost must certainly have been a A short but valuable introduction relates consideration. To include colour infor- the formative years of USMC aviation; mation on USMC aircraft since 1913 few are aware that USMC aircraft were would have added to the length of the active in support of the American Army volume and certainly increased its price in the First World War; helped develop dramatically. While some readers may combat-support strategies in the Do- bemoan the necessarily brief coverage minican Republic, Haiti, and Nicaragua given to certain aircraft (such as the F-4 conflict in the 1920s and early 1930s; Phantom), the intent of this work was played a key role in supporting USMC to give an overview of the aircraft in troops in the Second World War, Korea, USMC service. Those wishing more in- Vietnam, the First Persian Gulf War, formation on any one particular aircraft and the current conflicts in Afghanistan can look elsewhere. and Iraq. In short—wherever there are Eight appendices contain relevant U.S. Marines—there will be USMC information including unmanned air aviation to support them. systems (a new concept,) aviation-relat- After the introduction, the meat of ed ships, installations, squadrons, and the book is divided into three major aircraft assignments, unit organizations, parts: Fixed-Wing Tactical Aircraft; organization of expeditionary and am- Fixed-Wing Transport, Trainer, and phibious operations, weapons and tac- Utility Aircraft; and Rotary Wing air- tics, and aircraft designation, terms, and craft (e.g. helicopters and one autogi- abbreviations. The glossary provides ro—an early form of short-takeoff and helpful information for those unfamiliar landing aircraft which was a precursor with USMC terms and the bibliography to helicopter.) Johnson follows his usu- contains many sources for further study. al approach by describing each aircraft This book is valuable for those used by the USMC in chronological wishing to know more about USMC order of its entry into USMC service— aviation. Following the format of each description contains technical Johnson’s previous books, it is com- specifications of the aircraft, includ- prehensive and straight-forward. His ing its type, manufacturer(s), average writing is not “electric”, but expository unit cost, total naval versions built (if in nature—appropriate for a work of applicable), the aircraft’s power plant, this type. The only caveat is that two performance, armament, weights, and of his prior books, United States Na- dimensions. Then comes a narrative val Aviation 1919-1941 (reviewed in of the type’s USMC career, including TNM/LMN in vol. 22, #1, April 2012) Book Reviews 257 and American Military Training Air- end. craft (also reviewed in TNM/LMN in As is the pattern for Naval Record vol. XXV, #3, July 2015) cover parts of Society works, scholarly analysis is the same ground as the present volume. largely confined to main and chapter Nevertheless, the student of the USMC introductory texts, with the transcribed will want this book as it is a valuable documents presented without indi- reference. vidual editorial discussion. The only modification to the documents is the in- Robert L. Shoop clusion of informational footnotes and Colorado Springs, Colorado the removal of some attachments due to space constraints and their degrad- Ben Jones (ed.). The Fleet Air Arm in ed quality (xxviii). Although short in the Second World War, Volume II: 1942- nature, with approximately twenty-five 1943, The Fleet Air Arm in Transition – and a quarter analysis pages versus 572 The Mediterranean, Battle of the Atlan- document pages, these sections do an tic, and the Indian Ocean. Abingdon, excellent job of summarizing the situa- Oxon: Routledge Publishing for the tion of the Fleet Air Arm and other mil- Navy Records Society, www.routledge. itary/political factors, using bracketed com, 2018. xxix+618 pp., bibliography, numbers as quick reference guides for index. US $144.95, cloth; ISBN 978-0- various included documents relevant 8153-5507-6. (E-book available.) to specific statements. Topics such as aircraft production and the early per- This work is the second volume of editor formance of escort carriers on convoy Ben Jones’ compendium of surviving duties can thus, be quickly and easily Second World War Fleet Air Arm docu- examined by readers without the need ments and records, designed to “present to rely on the index. an insight into the major planning and The documents themselves begin policy issues of concern to the Admi- with a 6 January 1942 British Air Com- ralty and extensive coverage of naval mission missive on the future supply of operations” (xxiii). Whereas the first American fighters, and concludes with volume, released in 2017, covered the the 12 February 1944 Directorate of period 1939 through 1941, Volume II Naval Operational Studies’ report re- focuses on the critical years of 1942 and garding the 1943 accomplishments of 1943, with the zenith of fighting in the escort carriers in anti-submarine oper- Mediterranean and the rise of the escort ations. The first half, “1942: Climax in carrier. These two years are examined the Mediterranean,” covers its name- in separate sections, each with short sake theatre as well as actions against editorial passages regarding “Planning the Japanese in the Pacific, the Vichy and Policy” and “Operations.” There French in Madagascar, and the Kreigs- follows a numbered arrangement of marine in the Atlantic, in addition to transcribed documents, with 132 piec- the Fleet Air Arm’s struggles to acquire es presented for 1942 and 103 for 1943. airframes, carriers, and support bases A “Sources and Documents” section, amidst the chaos of a multi-front war. index, and a listing of Naval Records Given the pivotal nature of 1942, this Society Volumes complete the book. A section offers a great deal of informa- glossary of abbreviations is also includ- tion on a variety of subjects. Important ed, but this is helpfully placed before actions, such as attacks on the Tirpitz, the main introduction rather than at the Operation Pedestal (a Malta Convoy), 258 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord and the invasion of North Africa, have deployment, much to the irritation of their official blow-by-blow reports tran- the Americans (337). Many other doc- scribed in their entirety, offering won- uments address aircraft design and pro- derful insight when viewed in the larger duction, with somewhat barbed official context of the supply and logistical re- correspondence trading blows about ports that give background to the situ- American versus British airframes. ations that prompted certain reactions. More ground-level experiences in Messages from the East temper the American versus British naval aviation successes in the West, such as a 2 May activities are transcribed as well, such 1942 report from Admiral Somerville to as detailed reports on 823 Squadron’s the Admiralty referring to the defensive operations aboard USS Saratoga in strategy in the Indian Ocean as an “un- mid-1943 (487-493). Also of interest attractive policy… forced on me by un- is the Royal Navy’s evaluation of the attractive aircraft… It is no use disguis- experiences gained during Operation ing the fact that for daylight striking we Husky (the invasion of Sicily) and Op- are outclassed by the Japanese” (88). eration Avalanche (Southern Italy), the Interwoven amidst all these combat and burgeoning requests for new mobile air- logistical reports is also the develop- fields and supplies in the East follow- mental debacle of the Fairey Barracu- ing the changing tide against Japan, and da. Paired alongside constant requests many documents and reports concern- and allocations of Martlets, Swordfish, ing the use of escort carriers to combat Seafires, and other airframes, it is fas- the U-Boat menace in the Atlantic. cinating to see a flawed design like the In terms of shortcomings and pos- Barracuda linger on despite having con- sible improvements, there are some tinual problems and official demands suggestions that seem to be applicable for “one competent man” to replace the to most Naval Records Society works. “amateurs [who are] in no way capable With documents so rife with locations of organizing the enormous effort re- and ship movements, the inclusion of quired to design and produce a modern maps would be appreciated, to allow for aircraft” (71). greater visualization without the need The work’s second half, entitled for a second reference work. For exam- “1943: The Escort Carrier Comes of ple, Document 97a, the October 1942 Age,” follows the Fleet Air Arm from memorandum Requirements for Naval the reinstatement of naval aviation to Air Stations and Facilities Abroad in the Admiralty Board via the January 1946 Programme, discusses various appointment of Rear Admiral Denis locations around the world, and they Boyd, through the various end-year would be even more starkly defined by reports produced by the various com- a map denoting base locations (209- mands and directors associated with the 219). Another suggestion would be for Fleet Air Arm. As the section name im- an appendix of carrier and naval aircraft plies, much of the records relate to the design blueprints, profiles, or images. employment and operation of Escort/ With so many documents pertaining Auxiliary carriers by the Royal Navy. to vessels that did or did not come into The vast majority of these vessels were existence, aircraft design problems, and Lend-Lease Bogue-class escort carri- the intermingling of American and Brit- ers, although most spent an additional ish war material, such images would be ten weeks in British dockyards under- immensely helpful in further contex- going further modifications prior to tualizing the documents, especially in Book Reviews 259 cases like the proposed conversion of transit time to the hunting grounds of the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary the Atlantic. The massive bunkers or liners into carriers (138-139). The lack “pens” constructed in the Brittany ports of these elements does not detract from by the German Organisation Todt, em- the work as a whole, but their inclusion ployed thousands of construction work- would improve Jones’ solid bedrock of ers, both volunteer and forced (slave) primary documents. labour. Built with concrete ceilings This volume of The Fleet Air more than three metres thick and hold- Arm in the Second World War is a sol- ing as many as 12 boats, the pens were id compendium for those seeking in- largely undamaged by Allied bombing. formation on individual Fleet Air Arm Kaplan has written several doz- actions in 1942/1943, design and pro- en books on aviation, naval, and mili- duction of carriers and their associated tary history, and this one addresses the aircraft, and the global perspective of U-boat war and the U-boat pens. More the British carrier force in these two than 150 black-and-white and colour crucial war years. Editor Ben Jones photographs (historic and contempo- has done a commendable job of tran- rary, and many full-page) significantly scribing surviving documents, and the enhance the text and enrich the work as introductory texts act as efficient, quick a whole. Viewing these photographs reference guides for documents on a va- is a learning experience in and of it- riety of key topics throughout the work. self. Anyone familiar with shipyards, For those who live outside the United waterfronts, and naval and maritime Kingdom and lack easy access to sur- vessels, will marvel at the massive viving archival materials, this work is structures that protected Grand Admiral an excellent resource for research and Karl Döenitz’s boats. The placement of analysis. historic photographs alongside contem- porary ones showing the pens and facil- Charles Ross Patterson II ities as they are today is striking. Yorktown, Virginia With respect to the book’s title, three chapters are key: the first, “The Philip Kaplan. Building for Battle: Beginning,” the second, “Early Days,” U-Boat Pens of the Atlantic Battle. and the fourth, “Brittany Bases.” The Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen & Sword Mil- remaining five chapters provide an itary, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, 2018. overview of U-boats, captains and 175 pp., illustrations, UK £25.00, US crews, and routines and battle at sea $39.95, cloth; ISBN 978-1-52670-544- in the Atlantic. Only about a third of 0. the book addresses the construction and use of the U-boat pens. While the Designed as part of the publisher’s focus of these chapters is the Brittany Building for Battle series, Philip Ka- bases, there is also mention of others, plan’s work provides an overview and such as those in Germany at Hamburg study of the five important ports along and Bremen, and in Norway at Bergen the Brittany coast that became bases and elsewhere. for Hitler’s Ubootwaffe after the fall The first chapter reminds readers of France in 1940. The availability of that Nazi Germany learned well many the ports of Brest, Lorient, St Nazaire, of the lessons of undersea warfare ex- La Pallice and Bordeaux enabled the perienced in the First World War. Tak- U-boats to reduce significantly their ing advantage of those lessons and ad- 260 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord vances in technology, Germany sought a vivid account of leaving one of the to create and design protective bunkers pens at La Palllice. One is left wishing for its new boats that would be impen- for more; perhaps a concluding section etrable to aerial bombardment. Such on the post-war use of the pens. Some bunkers required enormous amounts maps, charts and diagrams of the pens of timber, concrete, and steel. Perhaps placing the subject in the broader con- even more critical, was the need for text of the Battle of the Atlantic would thousands of workers, many of whom also enhance the work significantly. were drawn from concentration camp The U-boat record and history are facilities provided by the SS. impressive. Kaplan’s work adds to the The results were impressive. For growing literature of the U-boat war. example, the pens at St Nazaire were The faces of the young sailors and the begun in February 1941 and not com- boats they crewed have been captured pleted until June 1942. In 1943-1944, in enduring photographs that serve as a a fortified lock was built to protect the vivid reminder of the human cost and boats as they moved between the pens tragedy of war. Well worth reading. and the Loire River. In size, the facili- ty is 300 metres long, 130 metres wide, Timothy J. Demy and 18 metres high. It has 14 pens, each Newport, Rhode Island capable of holding two boats. Further, the base was equipped with 150 offices, Bruce Kemp. Weather Bomb 1913: Life four kitchens, a hospital, and 92 dormi- and Death on the Great Lakes. Merrick- tories for boat crews (15). ville, ON: Waypoint Marine Publish- Although the volume is enjoyable, ing, www.waypointmarinepublishing. it lacks balance. Had the author or com, 2017. Distributed by The Nautical publisher added “U-boats and” at the Mind, www.nauticalmind.com. 283 pp., beginning of the title, the work would illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. have been much more even. There CDN $29.95, US $24.95, paper; ISBN are extensive first-hand accounts and 978-1-38-950663-5. quotes throughout the book, at least one running more than four pages. For The storm that struck the Great Lakes in this, the author identifies the book by mid-November 1913 has over the years title but provides no page numbers for acquired the nickname “The Great the reference. The presentation and ti- Storm.” Certainly, in terms of loss of tle leave the reader with the impression life and the value of the shipping lost, that the book’s core topic was bases, yet the Storm (Kemp tends to capitalize it, much other information and material as will this reviewer) certainly quali- on U-boat operations is placed around fies. Through the nineteenth century it. The font is not easy on the eyes and the shipping season had wound down the decision to print quotations in a dif- mid-November, and far fewer vessels ferent colour from the remainder of the of much less tonnage were out of the text is distracting. Inconsistencies in Lakes when those storms hit. Over the the bibliography and typographical er- years, a number of volumes have been rors also detract from an otherwise en- published on the subject. The hun- joyable book. The volume ends some- dredth anniversary brought out Michael what abruptly with a lengthy quotation Schumacher’s November’s Fury (2014) from Iron Coffins by former U-boat and while Paul Carroll’s account of The commander Herbert A. Werner. It is Wexford (2010) came just before. Nei- Book Reviews 261 ther is cited in the 17 pages of notes in press accounts, particularly those of this volume. Toronto’s Globe and Daily Star. Giv- What is evident from the notes is en that most accounts of the Storm are that the author spent a fair amount of largely drawn from the American press, time tracking down descendants of this also adds a dimension to the story. those affected by the Storm. It is the As reviewers we are often in danger particular strength of this account, that of exaggerating a particular flaw well a number of voices have surfaced that out of proportion to its real significance. were otherwise lost. The author’s cre- For me, it was the persistent mis-iden- dentials include newspaper and maga- tification of the Doxford Turret ships zine articles, guides to cruising on the on the lakes as “whalebacks.” Differ- Great Lakes and Rideau Canal and a ent country, different yards, different novel. The volume includes frequent inventors, different patents, different accounts of the author’s experiences in designs … and for that matter, different those waters, and his personal reactions experiences in the Storm as none of the to various interview opportunities and true whalebacks were ashore. discoveries. One of the more curious Kemp, like most others who have of these (255) includes an extended ac- written about the Storm tend to em- count of his excitement at the discov- phasize the vessels and the lives lost. ery of a picture of the Simon J. Mur- Among the story lines that get lost is phy at the Lambton County Reading that over a hundred other vessels safe- Room. This reviewer would have liked ly rode out the Storm at anchor, having to have seen the picture, but the only heeded the storm warnings or the cap- image in the entire volume is on the tain’s barometer. Perhaps even more cover: a beautiful silhouette of a mod- significant, is the fact that you survived ern self-unloader on a sparking golden if you were on board a steel freight- sea. It is about as far from the author’s er that ran aground, as most of those description of the Murphy as possible. counted as casualties did. And most of Perhaps, if the volume gets to a second those ashore and written off by the in- printing, those making decisions about surance companies as constructive total covers would reconsider the artwork. losses were over the course of the 1914 We do not often see in the review salvaged, and eventually put back into pages of this journal, volumes that com- service. bine chapters that are explicitly fiction Caveats aside, The Weather Bomb with those that are non-fiction. Kemp, 1913 was written for the general reader as novelist, takes an extended imag- and will serve them well as an introduc- ining of the last voyage of the Regina tion to some of the worst weather ever from the Welland Canal through to Lake experienced by sailors on the Great Huron. (57) This “novella” rates three Lakes. footnotes, but the heart of the story ap- pears to have come from an interview Walter Lewis with Captain McConkey’s daughter in Grafton, Ontario 1996 and some things she shared. The bulk of what remains is orga- Sarah Kinkel. Disciplining The Empire: nized into a day-by-day account of the Politics, Governance, and the Rise of storm. To the interviews mentioned the British Navy. Cambridge, MA: Har- earlier, the author has drawn much of vard University Press, www.hup.har- the narrative from the contemporary vard.edu, 2018. 305 pp., illustrations, 262 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord table, notes, index. US $45.00, cloth; 1740s, were the main opposition to the ISBN 978-0-67497-620-7. Walpolean Whigs. They wanted more order and centralized control over all facets of government, economy and so- Sarah Kinkel sets out to explore the de- ciety at large. Authority in the hands of velopment of government and Admiral- the elite (read upper middle and upper ty control over the British navy during classes), with compliance by the rest of the eighteenth century. Her premise is the citizenry, was their basic orientation. that the navy was transformed during Their navy would be more disciplined, the century from a weak, undisciplined, responsive to Admiralty command, and defensive force to a strong, controlled a more robust, ambitious force that won and offensive one. This was brought battles rather than lost them. Over the about by centralization of control in the course of the century, they worked to- Admiralty (with government oversight, wards this end, whenever they were in of course), enlargement of the navy a position of power to advance the goal. (both ashore and afloat), a tightening of Kinkel explores the 1749 Navy Bill, discipline, and directives to exert im- which streamlined the court martial perial dominance within colonies. She procedures and limits, and set out the holds that this was not a smooth, uncon- offences and potential punishment for tested transition, but rather, proved to serving officers, seamen and marines. be a hotbed of contention among both She does not refer to this by its more the political elite and public discours- common name, the Articles of War. As es. The central issue was the perception originally proposed, the bill had applied of greater government control over the to officers on half-pay, which received lives of people, both in the navy and in a great deal of push-back from naval the colonies. Indeed, the navy was the officers. It also more clearly separated mechanism that the government used to naval law from civil law, placing naval enforce its statutory grip over the col- personnel under a unique set of laws onies. and judicial process. This point was After laying out some background perhaps the greatest bone of contention on the early navy, Kinkel discusses the for opposition to the legislation. Walpolean Whigs. They held a conser- The central opposition group were vative position, refraining from any fur- the Patriots, who, Kinkel claims, played ther changes to government (from those a role in shaping the navy during the of the Glorious Revolution), a meek eighteenth century. The Patriot group imperial view, reduction in government was concerned that the 1749 Navy Bill debt and a focus towards Europe. They separated the naval officers away from saw a small navy as a defensive force, civil society, something which they to guard English harbours and shipping, felt threatened not only the officers’ to act as a deterrent for potential ene- freedom, but ultimately that of British mies, and to transport the army to Eu- citizens. For the Patriots, the navy it- rope, but nothing more. Britain’s poor self became a weapon to enforce the naval performance in the wars during centralized government’s will. Their the first half of the century generated approach was less elite government and much criticism for the government in wider civic involvement, without a pro- power and reinforced the broader sense fessional navy or army, and more reli- of the navy’s weakness. ance on individual volunteerism in time The authoritarian Whigs, who rose of war. What that last element looked to prominence in the Admiralty in the Book Reviews 263 like was the use of letters of marque Here, Kinkel illustrates the contention and privateers, (and on land, militias). raised by the navy’s involvement in Kinkel sees the debate over the 1749 attempts to force the colonists to con- Navy Bill as a major moment in the de- form to the customs and taxes imposed velopment of the navy, both in terms of on them by the authorities in London. discipline and also in its role of being She also notes the navy’s impressment more aggressive, obedient to the higher of men from the Thirteen Colonies and command, and well ordered. the suppression of smuggling, which Where Walpolean Whigs had shied were met with anger and, at times, vi- away from creating colonies, or seizing olent rejection. The radical press, both those of their enemies, both the author- in the colonies and England, had a field itarian Whigs and the Patriots wanted day criticizing the authorities for their more colonies. The Whigs wanted a oppression. In the chapter dealing with tighter centralized control over those the years leading up to the American colonies, whereas the Patriots wanted Revolution, Kinkel takes a short side a more local determination of colo- trip to demonstrate how the navy was nial development. The Authoritarians used to control slaves in the West Indies would use the navy to enforce Britain’s and exert British government control tax and custom laws at the outer reach- over India, subverting the East India es of the empire. The Patriots opposed Company. such activity, seeing it as representing The Patriot movements in both the presence of a totalitarian regime America and Britain shared the idea rather than democracy. of increased involvement of the com- The Seven Years War saw the ex- mon citizen in political decisions, and ertion of central control and exercise of a rejection of a professional navy and discipline as the navy was used to cap- military. Indeed, Kinkel notes that the ture territory in North America and the American rebels during the Revolution- West Indies, and to combat the French ary War were basically a militia force in Europe. Greater material effort and (though it became more trained, expe- more professional officers was the na- rienced and at least semi-professional vy’s giant leap forward and the key to as the revolution dragged on). Patriots its success. Kinkel views the court mar- also rejected a standing navy, opting for tial and execution of Admiral Bing as the use of privateers. The official con- the key moment when the authoritarian tinental navy, both during the war and Whigs cemented their control and the afterward, remained small. discipline they desired over the navy. The author states that Britain failed The wide and lively public debate because of military defeats ashore, and around Bing’s trial and death present- a confused strategy to deal with the rev- ed another opportunity to work out the olution. She suggests that the navy did issues of naval governance. In a sense, not lose the war, but had, in fact, dev- it was a test case for the Articles of War astated American trade. The British and the naval court martial process that government’s inability to use the navy was decided in favour of centralized au- effectively alongside its troops, the wan- thority. ing desire to wage war, and the election Prior to the American Revolution, of the opposition party into power after the authoritarian Whig government be- the fall of Yorktown, kept the navy from gan to exert discipline and control over realizing its full potential. the colonies of the growing empire. Kinkel concludes that the navy’s 264 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord evolution into to a well-disciplined, There are a few other minor references combat-ready force was due, in part, to captains being disciplined, but what to the longevity of the authoritarian of the rest of the shipboard comple- Whig party’s grip on the Admiralty. ment? The navy is more than just offi- Over time, their power to reward, by cers; the crew also needed discipline to employment, those who adopted their make them a tighter working and fight- rules, were aggressive in battle, and dil- ing unit, obedient to commands from igent in completing their orders, led to a their officers. The Articles of War were change in naval culture. That transfor- meant for the sailors and marines, as mation made the navy a more effective well. A deeper discussion of how these tool for controlling the outlying empire, rules were applied aboard ship is miss- and a greater challenge to continental ing. Kinkel does acknowledge their im- powers, such as Spain and France. The portance through a quote from Admiral author clearly states that the navy was Kempenfeldt on the need to train, dis- not totally modern by 1800, for there cipline, and watch the seamen so they was plenty of room for development, become better than the enemy’s (202). and more political debate to be heard. Likewise absent is a discussion of the But, the professional culture of the Brit- various editions of the Regulations and ish officers at Trafalgar, and the orienta- Instructions for His Majesty’s Service at tion to their task on that day, had been Sea, and how they fitted in with efforts first set out in the third quarter of the to structure and discipline the navy. eighteenth century. This book examines the upper ech- This book presents an interesting elons of power, and how they wrestled perspective on the development of the over shaping the navy as a tool for state British navy. On the level of political policy, making the navy (as an institu- and public discourse, Kinkel makes tion) more compliant, and capable of a solid case for a contentious debate doing the state’s bidding. It is not really over how tightly the navy should be about discipline within the navy’s ships. structured, and to what end it would be Interestingly, Kinkel demonstrates how employed. The evidence from public the navy was used to control others, but and private comments by politicians omits how it exerted control over the and the elite, and the numerous quoted lower decks. public journal articles, and illustrations, The index contains the names of in- demonstrate the point. Ultimately, of dividuals repeatedly mentioned within course, the side supporting more pro- the text, but not those who make brief- fessionalization, tighter control, and the er appearances. Only one ship name use of the navy as an offensive force appears in the index, though more are won. mentioned in the book. But what about the disciplining of Disciplining the Empire will appeal the navy itself? Here the case is not as to those studying the governance of thoroughly made. The author covers Britain during the eighteenth century, in the 1749 revisions to the Articles of War particular the opposing political camps, more from the debate around the con- and the development of naval policy in tent of the Navy Bill than its applica- relation to empire building. tion as a means of increasing discipline aboard ship. Admiral Bing’s court mar- Thomas Malcomson tial and execution is the major evidence Toronto, Ontario for its impact, at least on senior officers. Book Reviews 265 Beverly Lemire. Global Trade and the economic balance of the third. Viewed Transformation of Consumer Cultures. from the perspective of consumer de- The Material World Remade, c.1500- sire, on both the production and con- 18200. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge sumption sides of the equation, Lemire University Press, www.cambridge. adds interesting facets to this well- org, 2018. xviii+351pp., illustrations, known trade. maps, notes, bibliography, index. CDN In contrast to the globally recog- $125.36, cloth; ISBN 978-0-521- nized furs, tobacco, a New World prod- 19256-9. (E-book available.) uct, experienced a vastly different tra- jectory. Prior to the Columbus voyages, Do global commodities create glob- the weed was a non-good in world-wide al consumers, or do global consumers commerce, which rapidly became glo- create a global economy? A scholar of balized after contact. This new product fashion and textiles, Beverly Lemire was beloved by both governments for examines a selection of products of revenue and governed for relaxation. early international exchange that were From the spiritual and pleasures of the once considered luxurious and valuable indigenous populations of the Amer- or newly introduced to the world econ- icas, through Europe and Africa and omy. She exhibits how these articles throughout Asia, tobacco spread like were absorbed, adapted and/or adopted the weed it was. Lemire relates cultur- by distant consuming cultures. Lemire al vignettes that connect the use in dis- also illuminates motivations to produce parate communities as varied as North these goods in the synergy that is trade. American Natives and African slaves to Her survey of these early global com- Indian moguls and Japanese samurai. modities is viewed through the lens of A commodity that receives treat- consumerism. This can be interpreted ment counter to the orthodox east-west as the enhanced desire and opportuni- trade flow is European woolens. In gen- ty to indulge in the once expensive, but eral, it is accepted that westerners were through time commonplace, articles of driven to acquire Asian silks, spices and worldwide trade. porcelains with little other than specie Food, clothing and shelter are flowing out of Europe and the Ameri- considered essential requirements for cas. Lemire, a noted historian of tex- human existence. Since the rise of hu- tiles, illustrates that woolen goods were manity, the acquisition of furs has been a huge export product from Europe and used to provide all three basic needs. highly desired in Asia, again adding a All world civilizations were well ac- facet to early global trade. Whether quainted with the feel of furs at the in- considering such globally known com- auguration of the period under study. modities as furs, new introductions to This familiarity led to many fur-bearing world-wide trade such as tobacco, or animals being extirpated or made rare recasting traditional thoughts on east- in most parts of densely populated Eu- west trade patterns, Lemire generally rope and Asia. Thus, faraway Russian creates an interesting argument relative furs could command high prices in both to the consumption and consumers of regions. Post-Columbian interactions the goods during dynamic period that with the New World dramatically shift- was the first real integration that created ed this paradigm, increasing the supply global consumerism. Other commodi- of furs to both areas and changing the ties, items and skills are treated within 266 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord various chapters and assist in creating a excerpts from other scholars throughout more texturized image of global trade the book again reinforce the academic beyond the raw numbers of commerce tenor of the volume. This monograph that many economic historians present. is highly suitable for the academic mar- A number of coloured plates and figures ket, an upper level or graduate course exhibit the fashion and iconography as- in the appropriate history, economics, sociated with the commodities under or other globally oriented studies per- study. haps. Although little ground-breaking This reader found the book a paean information was presented, the copi- to the capitalist sprit. The shadow of ous citations will allow the student or Adam Smith’s “invisible hand”, even in devoted researcher to further delve into the face of government edict, law, sanc- the theory and practice of early global tion and dictate, is apparent throughout. consumerism. Much is made of the alternate economy and the plebes who eschewed sumptu- Michael C. Tuttle ary laws, avoided taxes, defied sartorial Cranston, Rhode Island norms, participated in the underground economy and smuggled. These activ- Alexandra Lohse and Jon Middaugh. ities were to deliver or procure goods Operation Torch: The American Am- to satisfy their desires despite the wish- phibious Assault on French Morocco es of colonial or imperial administra- 1942. Washington, DC: Naval History tions. Lemire highlights the activities and Heritage Command, www.history. of groups such as European women navy.mil, 2018. v+55 pp., illustrations, and children who entered into wage maps, notes, bibliography, US $19.60, work to attain material advantage, as paper; ISBN 978-1-943-604-29-6. well as South Indian weavers migrating to different regions of European influ- Operation Torch was the Second World ence along their coast for better wages War Anglo-American invasion of North and cheaper access to stimulants. Also Africa in November 1942. It was also highlighted are Native American ar- the first Allied amphibious landing and tisans creating indigenous crafts that a key step towards the ultimate victory. were avidly consumed by European In a slim 60-page booklet, authors Al- collectors. The consumption and pro- exandra Lohse and Jon Middaugh pres- duction of global commodities was at ent a good account of one facet of this its base, spurred on by a new and grow- critical military operation. ing class of wage-making consumers. Operation Torch was the result of Resistance was futile in the face of the discussions between the British and aspirations of the people. American military Chiefs of Staff. This book is not for the timid read- Both nations’ military leaders had de- er or merely curious. Global Trade and cided that priority should be given the Transformation of Consumer Cul- to defeating the Germans in Europe. tures is not a light read and most likely There agreement ended. The Ameri- will not find a market with a broad gen- can military leaders wanted to attack eral readership. The publisher, Cam- mainland Europe in 1942; the British, bridge, suggests strongly that the vol- remembering their casualties in the ume is academically oriented or for the First World War, and also well aware specialist in early modern global trade. of both German military prowess and Frequent footnotes and references, and the American military’s complete lack Book Reviews 267 of experience against the German army, the latest American equipment. The pushed for American intervention on Morocco landings for Torch are one of the North African front, where British the few battles in the Second World War and Commonwealth forces had been where significant air, ground and naval fighting since 1940. It must be said combat occurred contemporaneously. that the American military leaders, for In the end, the landings in Moroc- all their good intentions, were in com- co and Algeria were successful. Op- mand of military forces that had not eration Torch contributed to the fall been combat-tested. It was, therefore, of Vichy France; the Germans invad- necessary to find a theatre of war where ed the previously-unoccupied area of both amphibious landing techniques mainland France. Most Vichy forces and the American military could be test- swung to the Allied cause; the Ameri- ed. Further, a landing in French North cans gained military experience, and Africa would force the German and the German-Italian forces in North Af- Italian forces in North Africa to defend rica suddenly faced a two-front theatre against an attack from the rear, threat- of war. Torch was the first step to the en the German-Italian supply line, and final Allied victory in 1945. help the Allies to control the Mediter- This booklet provides a useful in- ranean—which would enable use of the troduction to this critical military op- Suez Canal to supply the Soviet Union eration. The chapters are laid out log- with military materials through Iran, ically, starting with an introduction, and also further supply of military ma- then the strategic setting, French North terials to the Far East. Africa in 1942, Planning Torch, Torch Amphibious landings occurred in logistics, Joint Planning and Prepara- Vichy French-held Morocco and Alge- tions, the Commanders’ Call before ria. Since the French surrender to the crossing, the Atlantic Crossing; and a Germans in June 1940, a myth arose further three chapters, detailing each that the Vichy French forces would of the landings at various points on the not fight; previous British military op- Moroccan coast; ending with a summa- erations at Dakar and in Syria showed ry, and analysis. The authors write well that the Vichy French forces could be and the maps and photographs bring dangerous foes. The Operation Torch perspective to the narrative. Sidebars planners hoped in part that, given the detail the careers of the principals in- long, positive relations between France volved. The authors used excellent pri- and the United States, the Vichy forces mary sources — Eisenhower’s Second would not offer significant, if any, resis- World War memoir, Crusade in Europe, tance to the invasion forces. the memoir of Admiral H. Kent Hewitt This notion was quickly disabused (commander of the Torch naval forces), on 8 November 1942, the date of the the official U.S. Navy history of Opera- Torch landing. Though the Vichy tion Torch written by the historian Sam- French forces had older but still effec- uel Eliot Morison, and excellent sec- tive aircraft and ground equipment, the ondary sources such as Rick Atkinson’s French Navy had several powerful units Army at Dawn and Vincent O’Hara’s present. All three arms of the Vichy Torch: North Africa and the Allied Path French forces — army, navy, and air to Victory (reviewed in TNM/LNM, force —put up fairly stout resistance. XXVII:2.) Opposing them were the US Navy, The ultimate test of any publication Army, and Army Air Force — all with is: Is it worth obtaining? The answer 268 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord in this instance must be a qualified yes. was one of reconnaissance and of mak- The booklet covers the Allied landings ing friends. For all of these reasons, the in Morocco very well and is a useful James Cook voyages to the Pacific had introduction to this subject. The ex- a universality of appeal at the time in pert in this field can use this as a readi- learned and political circles, and this ly-available reference, while the reader story, told again here in this book, is one unfamiliar with this topic will find it for the ages. In short, the reviewing of a good introduction. But alternative such a book as this both a pleasant task accounts of Torch can be found in the and a subject for uncertainly—uncer- many works on the Second World War, tainty by virtue of the fact that so much especially the books listed above. is left out of this book, as such books necessarily must. What is new to say? Robert L. Shoop Treasures of Greenwich hold the secret Colorado Springs, Colorado answer. This handsome work, complete as John McAleer and Nigel Rigby. Cap- it is with illustrations produced in high- tain Cook and the Pacific: Art, Explo- est definition on finest paper, and but- ration & Empire. New Haven and Lon- tressed also by scholarly narratives by don: Yale University Press, National the two authors in happy and balanced Maritime Museum Greenwich, www. partnership, now comes forward to take yalebooks.yale.edu, 2017. 252 pp., il- its rightful place as an essential book lustrations, notes, bibliography, index. for those who read and collect such US $45.00, cloth; ISBN 978-0-300- books, or indeed, treatises and articles 207248. on James Cook. This publication was produced to mark the 250th anniversary The burden of history weighs heavily on of the departure of the explorer’s first any reviewer approaching and apprais- voyage and, commensurate with that, ing this volume. The reasons are clear: the exhibition at the National Maritime the bibliography of works on the famed Museum Greenwich, Fall 2018. This mariner continues to increase rather ex- book confirms what Cook’s patron, ponentially; the subject of exploration Captain Hugh Palliser, Royal Navy, by voyaging retains a popularity that proclaimed (in the inscription on the cannot be stayed; and the life of Cap- monument to Cook at Palliser’s estate tain Cook has universal attraction in the in Chalfont St. Giles) as “The ablest and British Empire-Commonwealth nations most renowned Navigator this or any and in others besides, notably the Unit- other country hath produced.” ed States and France. The subject forms Writing shortly after Cook’s mur- a foundational chapter in the history of der in Hawaii, Andrew Kippis, his ear- oceanic voyaging and navigation: it es- liest biographer, said something similar tablished littoral limits of oceanic spac- to what Palliser had proclaimed. Cook, es and determined many islands—and it indeed, was unequalled as a mariner. opened new trade possibilities. British Perhaps in British naval history only scientific preeminence benefitted from Horatio Lord Nelson has gained such Cook’s naturalists, chart makers, and deserved attention as Cook. Sir Francis statistical gatherers. Further the sub- Drake runs a distant third. We need to ject forms a chapter, or rather chapters, keep in mind that the tradition of great- in cross-cultural interaction. It did not ness—the glory of achievement gained form a chapter in colonization: rather, it by industrious application under the Book Reviews 269 King’s Regulations—did not die with in the early years of the Industrial Rev- these early figures, and Admiral of the olution. The entrepreneurial state was Fleet Andrew Cunningham ranks as the the agency of scientific discovery, and most recent claim to ultimate greatness Cook did its bidding. in a tradition that has given the world The authors and publishers have unbounded examples of British mastery wisely, and in the main, restricted them- on and over the seas in times past, that selves to showcasing the best and the is, times within recent memory of this brightest of the treasures of the Na- reviewer. tional Maritime Museum, Greenwich, Just as Columbus’s voyages to the that bear on the subject. It might be “New World” and Vasco da Gama’s imagined that the authors had a most passage beyond the Cape of Good Hope difficult job picking and choosing from and across the Indian Ocean to Calicut such an abundant collection. Naviga- both quickened the imagination and tional instruments, ship plans, globes, broadened human knowledge, so too charts and maps, rare books and manu- did James Cook’s voyages to the Pacific scripts, coins and medals, ethnographic in the Age of Enlightenment. Astrono- material, and personal effects are rep- my, ethnology and geography acquired resented. From among the illustrations unheard of stores of new data, thereby the curators have chosen wisely, I found correcting previous misinformation. particularly appealing Des Barres’s two Empirical science learned of new natu- charming views of Cape Breton Island, ral worlds, and distant peoples were en- 1777, for these are two vignettes show- countered, and notes taken of them for ing the everyday work of a surveyor which we are now so grateful, as these taking sights using a plane table and the- peoples were illiterate and left no record odolite, and taking soundings and bear- of their own. New fields were open to ings from a small boat. Such was the European navigation and thus to com- work-a-day activity of the hydrograph- mercial enterprise and, in some cases ic explorer—methodically building up for the future, colonial enterprise. From day-by-day that vast store of statistical our cynical and smug age it is hard to data upon which charts were set down imagine how the raw data from Cook’s for mariners so as to make navigation voyages transformed European knowl- safer. Here in miniature was one contri- edge of the world beyond the great bution to navigation, and in larger mea- Capes, but indeed we must not forget to sure, this was probably the most sub- credit the Board of Admiralty, the lead- stantial and lasting legacy of the British ers of science at the Royal Society of Empire. The views themselves also are London (notably Sir Joseph Banks), and representative of Canadian and British the entrepreneurial British government North American subjects that bear on for what began, most simply enough it Cook’s preliminary years as a survey- seems, as a necessary observation of a or and explorer. They are reminiscent scheduled Transit of Venus at Tahiti 3-4 of the fact that the full Canadian story June 1769. Thus was the Pacific fully of James Cook in Canadian waters— opened to British exploration, science from Cape Breton to Newfoundland and art by James Cook’s first voyage. and Labrador, the River St. Lawrence, Not least, these voyages were triumphs Nootka Sound, and even to Icy Cape, of seamanship and shipboard manage- Alaska (at the western entrance to the ment, “moon-shots” in the days of the North West Passage)—awaits many fu- age of fighting sail, and all carried on ture scholars and generalists. We await 270 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord more competent appraisals of this chap- edge.” Bligh may be characteristical- ter in the role of sea power in the his- ly blunt on this point, but undoubtedly tory of the northern Dominion. In this correct in his evaluation. And yet writ- connection, it is disappointing to report ers such as Alan Moorhead in The Fatal that the Government of Canada refused Impact saw in Cook the forerunner of a recent funding application by a power- darker and more ominous change. ful of Canadian scholars who wanted to There is no denying that the authors be part of the international celebration have sought to keep pace with existing Cook 250, marking and honouring the scholarship, the sort of thing that is so birth of the internationally-famous mar- popular, even fashionable, nowadays iner who was so significant in Canada’s that leans to “the other” in history, to history. the examination of deconstruction, to In this connection, too, we find the other side of the frontier, and much a lovely painting, presumably in oil, else. They have not kept clear of the of Captain Nathaniel Portlock, based arguments about the death of Cook and partly on John Webber’s engraving of the raising of the whole to Olympian A Man of Nootka Sound. The artist’s heights. This was, perhaps, a scuffle on name has escaped collectors, but the the beach that went badly wrong, and date given is c. 1788. The Portlock and negligent even indolent naval onlookers Dixon voyages to the Pacific, under- Williamson and Phillips may be blamed taken by vessels owned and managed for giving insufficient protection to by the King George’s Sound Compa- their commanding officer in what was ny, a London firm, related directly to bound to be a tight scrape on a difficult what James Cook had stated about the beach. Little more need be said about Northwest Coast of North America and this unfortunate fracas. Gavin Kenne- the North Pacific: that it offered a great dy unravelled it all long ago. Too much prospect for commercial development, has probably been read into it already. in what became known as the maritime As to the segments of the book fur trade. This line of commerce, the that show originality, the reader will be first trans-Pacific link in higher Pacific charmed with Nigel Rigby’s reconstruc- latitudes, brought Nootka and Cook’s tion of how, over so many years, James Inlet into connection with Russian and Cook has been featured in exhibitions Chinese ports, and in so doing, stimu- at Greenwich—from the very opening lated a whole chapter in the “swing to of the National Maritime Museum. The the East,” that Professor Vincent Har- recounting of the work of directors and low proclaimed as the great evolution heads of department is brilliant “behind of British oceanic trade during the the scenes” material, and as someone reigns of the Hanoverian kings, the four old enough to remember the dedicat- Georges, and as such, actuated older Tu- ed and skilled work of those who were dor ambitions for trade in distant seas. specialists in navigation, astronomy, This reminds us that James Cook never ships’ plans, dress and costume, charts went as a representative of the Crown and views, and archival collections and to carve out empires. His duty, as his library science it is pleasant to see trib- contemporary William Bligh correctly ute duly paid to the work of staff who said, was to undertake voyages to the knew their assignments and ran their Pacific during the reign of George III, departments or sub-departments. All with these intentions: “the advancement museums are subject to unwelcome of science, and the increase of knowl- winds of change and to financial ill for- Book Reviews 271 tunes that beset such institutions, but steamboats heading up river past “over here is the telling point: with subjects 150 miles of unimaginable fairyland, such as James Cook, Horatio Lord Nel- genie-land and world of vision.” The son, and Sir Francis Drake to showcase, national attention the excursion attract- a museum such as the National Mari- ed is evidenced by the description in the time Museum Greenwich has a duty to New Haven Register of traveling party place on public display and advertise as “the largest, longest and most respect- its treasures. And, oh yes, it happily able ever ‘got up’ since the days of Mo- does the same for many another sub- ses and the Children of Israel.” Among ject of interest and importance: Captain the travelers was former President Mil- William Bligh of Bounty fame, and not lard Fillmore. Great events call for least, that most significant “woman be- commemorations and author McCann hind the fleet,” Emma Lady Hamilton. was among the participants in the Ses- quicentennial reenactment of the Great Barry Gough Excursion. Though high waters trapped Victoria British Columbia two scheduled vessels south of bridges, which was not a problem in 1854, five Dennis McCann. This Storied River. smaller craft carried the reenactors past Legend & Lore of the Upper Missis- farms and cities of Iowa, Illinois, Wis- sippi. Milwaukee, WI: Wisconsin His- consin and Minnesota. So what did this torical Society Press, available from tardy explorer report in comparing his Boswell Books, www.boswellbooks. journey to the original? Snags have com, 2017. 200 pp., illustrations, maps, been cleared and a free-flowing riv- bibliography, index. US $20.00, paper; er has been converted into a series of ISBN 978-0-87020-784-6. more than two dozen pools—a stairway of river. Still, the Mississippi runs un- The story of a river is the story of the tamed in our imaginations. It remains people who plied its waters and lived the home of millions of wild fauna and on its banks, and few are more storied flora, scenic bluffs and flood plains and than the Mississippi. This Storied Riv- a route for migratory birds. er is a fascinating collection of legends Before the Mississippi divided and lore drawn from a travel journalist’s states, it was the wide river that united career of exploration of the Upper Mis- the wide land. It served, and serves, as sissippi. Its 24 chapters tell the stories a highway for freight and passengers of ancient mysteries, explorers, excur- on canoes, flat-boats, keelboats, rafts, sions, industrial cities, mines, fisheries and barges, but its Golden Age was the and a smattering of interesting charac- day of the steamboats. The first steam- ters and each concludes with places of boat on the Upper Mississippi was the interest related to the topic. Virginia in the spring of 1823. It took This tome begins with the 1854 this primitive, miniature boat 20 days Grand Excursion of more than a thou- to make its 700-mile trek, including sand participants—investors, bankers, five days stuck on sandbars. Between politicians, scholars, journalists and 1830 and 1840 over 700 steamboats others. After boarding the Chicago joined the river fleet and by 1880, over & Rock Island Railroad in Chicago 1,800 paddle wheelers had been built. and riding to Rock Island, they ferried For all their modern aura of romance, across the Mississippi to Davenport, early boats were frequently crude and Iowa, where they boarded a flotilla of dirty and their crews “of the lowest or- 272 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord der”. Their limitations notwithstand- This work is a compendium of official ing, they enabled commerce to flourish, and personal accounts of the Dunkirk the West to grow and, with improve- evacuation of 1940, grouped by Royal ments, introduced a touch of elegance Navy ship types and classes. Drawing into an otherwise rustic region. As their mainly from six files of reports held by most famous pilot, Mark Twain, put it, the British National Archives at Kew, “Steamboats are like wedding cakes Mace largely allows the accounts to without the complications.” Though speak for themselves, utilizing a stan- Mississippi steamboating rose and died dardized entry format for ease of refer- in about six decades, echoes of its glory ence and comparison. Prior to the main linger aboard modern cruisers such as text is a list of ships by type, list of the American Queen. quoted personnel, glossary and abbre- Other chapters highlight ancient In- viations guide, and map of the primary dian mounds, shore-based lead mines, naval evacuation routes from Dunkirk. Zebulon Pike’s Peak at McGregor, Iowa The ship accounts are grouped in chap- (smaller than the one in Colorado), but- ters based on vessel type, and arranged tons from mussels, one of the many alphabetically within. Midway through tragic fires that began in exploding the work is a photograph section, of- steamboat boilers, the father of water- fering views of some of the involved skiing and several towns with interest- vessels, personnel, and the evacuation ing pasts. itself. The final chapter covers the re- This work is a collection of stories ports of shore personnel assigned to woven together by the river on which Dunkirk, and is followed by the work’s they are set. Running between six and index. ten pages they make for an easy, quick Mace begins with the accounts read that is entertaining, informative of the destroyers, the most numerous and full of travel tips for readers travel- ship type at Dunkirk. This is followed ing in the area. Each chapter has a map by Warships, Auxiliary Craft, Personal to situate its action. Black and white Vessels, and a mix of Dutch Schuits, historic and modern pictures supple- Trawlers, and Coastal Craft. Each en- ment the text. This Storied River is a try is preceded with an information worthwhile read for anyone interested block listing the ship name, type/class in the legends of the mighty river of the of vessel, pennant number (if applica- Upper Midwest. ble), and official rescue total. A few italicized sentences then provide the Jim Gallen background of the ship’s construction St. Louis, Missouri and who authored the transcribed re- port, sometimes augmented with more information regarding the ship’s ac- Martin Mace. The Royal Navy at tivities immediately prior to Dunkirk. Dunkirk: Commanding Officers’ Re- Following these preliminary features ports of British Warships In Action are the ship record entries. Due to dif- During Operation Dynamo. Barnsley, ferences in authorship and whether or S. Yorks: Frontline Books, www.front- not the vessel and her records were line-books.com, 2017. xix+428 pp., lost prior to the issuance of the report, illustrations, maps, glossary, ship list, there are several different formats used. index. UK £30.00, US $44.95, cloth; The most formulaic accounts follow ISBN 978-1-47388-672-8. a “bullet point” approach, with time Book Reviews 273 codes indicating the step-by-step sum- count page number to delineate them mary of the ship’s actions. These are from the other mentions of the vessel’s sometimes followed by additional re- name for quicker reference. marks, often numbered and of a more In terms of possible improvements, detailed nature. Other entries forgo the there are only two that come to mind. minute-by-minute format, with some The first is that the evacuation route map based around an expanded version of could be improved with the inclusion of the numbered remarks style, and others a scale, as only the total distance of the written more as a fully realized narra- winding evacuation routes is currently tive log. Ships that were lost have after noted. The second, more a suggestion, action reports most akin to this latter is that the work could be improved with style, with a large focus on the produc- the addition of a ship information in- ing officer’s recollections regarding the dex. While basic data is given at the damage, sinking, and evacuation of his start of each entry, a compilation of ship more than its preceding actions. technical data at the end, with informa- Mixed in with some of the officer re- tion such as date of manufacture, ton- ports are additions and recollections of nage, loadout, crew compliment, rescue other personnel involved with the dis- numbers, and final disposition would cussed ships actions, gathered by the further increase the work’s value as a author from various sources. Examples research tool by eliminating the need to of these include a medical orderly’s re- search for that data elsewhere. A one- membrance of offloading the wounded or two-page scale profile compilation from HMS Ivanhoe, a personal account of the discussed ships would also be a of the HMS Pangbourne written by helpful addition, so as to give readers an a convalescing sub-lieutenant to his idea of vessel sizes and the difficulty of friend, and an interview with an Ord- transporting troops aboard the smaller nance Corps man who survived the ships. As stated above, these are mere- torpedoing of HMS Grafton (39-40, ly suggestions for future improvement, 161-169, 262-263). Mace occasionally and the lack thereof in no way detracts adds italicized notes within the text to from this edition of Mace’s work. help expand upon the narrative, such as All in all, The Royal Navy at providing the name of a Captain forgot- Dunkirk is a useful compendium of ten by the original author, and offering both official and personal accounts of a short history of said captain’s ship (9). the evacuation of Dunkirk, offering The final chapter consists of accounts perspectives from all Royal Navy ships written by twelve shore personnel, involved and related personnel on the ranging from the highly detailed, such beachhead itself. Mace’s consistent as the 33-page report from Rear-Admi- entry format and helpful editorial inser- ral Wake-Walker, to several one-page tions make for an easy read, with prop- summaries produced by several Beach er illumination shed on points either Officers. All of these offer interesting glossed over or unavailable to the orig- perspectives on the Dunkirk evacua- inal 1940 authors. For those interest- tion, as they showcase the efforts to get ed in the ground level execution of the the men safely aboard outbound ships, Dunkirk evacuation, this is an excellent and how various engagements looked primary source collection. from land. Immediately following the final shore account is the work’s index, Charles Ross Patterson II which helpfully bolds the main ship ac- Yorktown, Virginia 274 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Raoul McLaughlin. The Roman Em- its mounting military expenditures so pire and the Indian Ocean: The Ancient long as it could derive sufficiently large World Economy and the Kingdoms of and cost-effective revenues through Africa, Arabia and India. Barnsley, S. taxes on international trade, the vast Yorks: Pen & Sword Maritime, www. bulk of which was conducted by Ro- pen-and-sword.co.uk, 2018. xix + 276 man trading vessels. The Egyptian pp., illustrations, maps, appendices, grain dole, for instance, was the ideal notes, bibliography, index. UK £14.99, arrangement, whereby half of the Em- US $25.95, paper; ISBN 978-1-52673- pire’s revenues came at the expense 807-3. of committing just two Legions to the region. Rome’s annexation of Egypt To more fully appreciate the story of in the first century opened the way for Rome, its rise and its fall, its glorious Roman trading vessels to access the achievements and its spectacular fail- lands bordering the lucrative Red Sea ures, one must consider the ebb and shipping lanes and beyond. Merging flow of its international commercial several key sites and their connecting and maritime trading networks that lay routes, Rome experienced enormous largely outside of the Mediterranean profit in exchange for a very limited in- Sea. An obvious departure from tradi- vestment of troops, administration and tional treatments of Imperial Rome by bureaucracy. Goods from the eastern Classical historians, particularly those world flooded into Mediterranean mar- studies available in the English lan- kets and import taxes on those goods guage, this splendid examination con- collectively accounted for about a third tends that the economy of the Roman of the income required to finance the Empire was heavily dependent upon the entire Empire. Profits from the eastern continued expansion and health of its trade were redirected into underdevel- trading system, increasingly with parts oped resource-rich territories through of the world not within its immediate the enormous payments Rome made to sphere of influence. As convincingly its large frontier professional armies. related in this book, the cultivation and As McLaughlin demonstrates, maintenance of secure trading relation- however, the system’s finite nature, ships with regimes and kingdoms situ- that is of exchanging bullion and other ated in Africa, Arabia, India and China precious metals derived from Roman became integral to Rome’s success in fi- mines for the renewable eastern com- nancing its increasingly expensive mil- modities, meant that decline was inev- itary apparatus and, therefore, the abil- itable once the imperial mines became ity to sustain its Empire. These costs unproductive. During the third century, were especially weighty in vulnerable the economic and political turmoil en- frontier provinces such as Britain, ex- countered in China, Persia and India acerbated by the size of these areas’ triggered collapsing markets and de- revenues and productivity which were cline for Rome. As military funds dete- comparatively wanting. riorated, and inter-tribal violence esca- The author is well at home here lated, Rome expanded its bureaucratic as he produces his second major study tax structure which served to further to examine the trading patterns of the increase imperial costs and instability Roman Empire beyond its eastern fron- of the entire system. tiers. McLaughlin skillfully reveals Through 16 chapters, McLaughlin how the Empire could only withstand reveals an international economy of Book Reviews 275 tremendous diversity in terms of goods, draws on the full range, albeit limited, cultures and trading relationships. of available English language sources, From Egypt and the African Aksumite as well as a wealth of primary materi- and Meroe Kingdoms to the Nabatae- als that unfortunately do not appear in ans and Kingdoms of Southern Arabia, the bibliography, the abbreviated end- the Indo-Parthians, and the Tamil King- notes making it more challenging for doms of India, to Sri Lanka and China, researchers than should be necessary. Rome’s eastern trading system allowed Nitpicks aside, this book is an import- the Empire to acquire and control a ant and welcome contribution to the greater range of world resources than scholarly community, whether they be ever would have been possible through specialists or students of Roman history military means alone. Though not as or the maritime economy of the Ancient pronounced as it should be throughout World. the book, the system’s absolute reli- ance upon Rome’s maritime capability Michael F. Dove is certainly evident here. In fact, mari- St. Thomas, Ontario time historians will find much value in McLaughlin’s attention to the conduct Allan R. Millett. In Many a Strife: Gen- of trade and commerce at sea in these eral Gerald C. Thomas and the U.S. various parts of the eastern world. The Marine Corps 1917-1956. MD: Naval vessels, ports of call, crews, routes, Institute Press, www.usni.org, 2018. sailing schedules, and of course ships’ xxiv+456 pp., illustrations, maps, notes, cargoes receive serious examination, bibliography, index. US $29.95, paper; as do the continued threats to Roman ISBN 978-1-68247. maritime trade including piracy, the va- garies of weather and hazards to nav- igation. “Chapter Eight: International Allan R. Millett’s examination of the Business”, despite its generic title, is career of General Gerald C. Thomas particularly informative. The design, goes far beyond biography to describe construction and manning of Roman the lengthy and difficult process of vessels sailing to India, as well as the transforming the United States Marine precautions taken to resist Arabian pi- Corps (USMC) into the combined-arms rates, are well-described therein. The expeditionary and amphibious warfare author also usefully underlines the specialists of the modern era. Thom- best available evidence, including the as joined the USMC in the First World Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, a Ro- War, served in the formative interwar man merchant guidebook, which pro- period and held important field and vides scholars tremendous insight into headquarters commands during the the scope and significance of interna- Second World War and the Korean War. tional maritime commerce within the Millett’s analysis uses the career of ancient period. Thomas to illuminate both the wartime A selection of illustrations and experience of marines on the ground maps provide useful aids, as do the ap- and the knotty, politically charged pro- pendices, which attempt to provide rea- cess of reforming large institutions to sonable estimates of the Roman econ- cope with technological and strategic omy’s scale, export and import values, transformation. regional revenues, and the military costs Millett’s acknowledged aim is to of preserving its Empire. McLaughlin “demonstrate how the career of a single 276 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord officer reflected fundamental changes” that each party was honestly striving for in his respective branch of the service, victory. while avoiding an overly teleological Scholars of defence policy will find approach that minimizes the formative that the chapters dealing with Thom- years of an individual’s career (xvii). as’s service as a USMC senior officer Less than a third of the book focuses on in Washington function as an excellent the Second World War. The interwar case study into departmental politics and post-war/Korean War periods take and grand strategy. The Korean War approximately a quarter each, with the and post-war years were vital for the First World War filling out the differ- development of the modern Fleet Ma- ence. The result is a work that properly rine Force, but were also a time when balances the experience of combat with the USMC faced its greatest threats to the important intellectual and policy-re- existence, such as the 1946 effort by the lated work that occurred in times of rel- US Army, including General Dwight D. ative peace. Eisenhower, to have the FMF organized As a retired USMC Reserve of- for small-scale raids, landings and ship- ficer and a military historian with an board duties (249). Thomas was at the extensive interest in military command heart of these debates during two tours and leadership, Millett is well-placed of duty at Headquarters, 1945-47 and to offer a thorough analysis of Thom- 1952-54. For example, as the USMC as’s career without undue hagiography. was working to develop its distinct Thomas played an important part in the strategic role, Thomas contributed to USMC’s development, and Millett bal- the shift toward ‘vertical envelopment’ ances praise for Thomas’s judgment and using helicopters and close air support. progressiveness without diminishing Thomas did not create the operational the role of other leaders in the Corps. concept, but as commander of the First For instance, he is somewhat critical Marine Division in the Korean con- of the leadership of Alexander Archer flict, he employed the new technology, Vandegrift on Gaudalcanal, arguing that pressed hard for more control over close his reliance on Thomas was critical to air support, and supported the re-orien- the success of the operation (184). tation of the USMC to helicopter-based Military history enthusiasts and ac- combat (250-1, 311-3). ademics will find that Millett’s account Readers will be both impressed of Thomas’s wartime service illumi- and intimidated by Millett’s extensive nates valuable aspects of well-known record of all the individuals that inter- campaigns. Thomas was one of the key acted with Thomas. The lengthy list of officers planning operations on Gua- individuals named and described in the dalcanal, and the chapter on Operation book might deter idle readers, but even CACTUS is an excellent window into non-experts will find a close reading the intricacies and complexities inher- of the text very rewarding in its rich- ent in military planning, particularly ness and specificity. Unfortunately, the for demanding amphibious operations maps included in the work have medio- (160-71). Unsurprisingly, interservice cre image resolution. rivalries shaped these operations. Mil- Millett’s work is founded on ex- lett offers judicious criticism of those, tensive primary source evidence, both like Rear-Admiral Richmond Kelly the personal records of Thomas and Turner, who tried to micro-manage interviews with colleagues, as well as USMC operations, while also accepting copious official Marine Corps’ docu- Book Reviews 277 ments. There is an absence of second- pendices, notes, bibliography, index. ary sources from post-1991, possibly UK £45, cloth; ISBN 978-1-90998- because Millett’s study of the Marine 290-1. Corps, Semper Fidelis: The History of the U.S. Marine Corps (1980, 1991) If the axiom is true that wars are won by had been revised to that date. The book the preparation that takes place even be- would be strengthened by references fore they begin, then the fact that Joseph to recent scholarship, such as Aaron B. Moretz’s book is the first book-length O’Connell’s Underdogs: The making study of the Royal Navy’s interwar edu- of the modern Marine Corps, (Harvard cation and training efforts for its senior University Press, 2012). This would officers is a negative judgment on the provide support and elaborate on the historical profession. For in address- use of public and political activism that ing this seemingly mundane topic, the Millett frequently touches on in the author has shed light upon an aspect of career of Thomas, particularly in his the Second World War that was vital to Headquarters service in the post-Sec- the Allied victory. During the two de- ond World War decade. Additional cades that preceded that war, the Royal scholarly sources would not undermine Navy sought to process the lessons of Millett’s impressive scholarly achieve- the First World War and convey them ment, but they would confirm and de- to a generation of men who led the ser- velop the patterns that Millett identifies vice throughout the subsequent conflict. in Thomas’s distinguished career. These intellectual labours may have General Thomas proves to be an ex- been undramatic, but as Moretz demon- cellent subject for an institutional biog- strates, they refined the leadership that raphy, combining battlefield service in emerged triumphant in 1945. key USMC campaigns with headquar- Adopting such a focus would be ters service during some of the most overly deterministic, however, and it is contentious policy-making episodes. to Moretz’s credit that he does not. What Through understanding the course of he has written instead, is a wide-rang- Thomas’s career, Millett navigates his ing examination of the types of officer readers through the broader transfor- education available during the interwar mation of the USMC from shipboard years and its value to both the officers detachments to combined-arms expedi- themselves and the navy overall. His tionary force. Besides USMC enthusi- focus is on the Staff Course and the asts and those interested in the details of Senior Officers’ War Course (SOWC) marines in combat, this book provides offered at the Royal Naval College valuable insight into institutional cul- Greenwich, the Senior Officers’ Tech- ture and reform in the face of techno- nical Course (SOTC) and the Tactical logical, strategic and financial pressure. Course at Portsmouth, and the Imperial Defence College (IDC) in London. All Iain O’Shea of these programs were relatively recent Burnaby, British Columbia in origin (with the last of them, the IDC, founded only in 1927), and it was still Joseph Moretz. Thinking Wisely, Plan- possible in the interwar era for officers ning Boldly: The Higher Education and to attain flag rank without attending any Training of Royal Navy Officers, 1919- one of the available courses. Contrary 39. Solihull, UK: Helion & Company, to popular belief at the time, these of- www.helion.co.uk, 2015. 528 pp., ap- ficers were increasingly the exception 278 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord rather than the rule, as attendance and agrees with Peter Gretton’s judgment receipt of the psc designation became that the tactical courses placed too the norm. much doctrinal emphasis on fleet ac- For all of the value gradually as- tion– but he also describes instructional signed to higher education, numerous programs that engaged with contempo- obstacles had to be surmounted to pro- rary issues to a considerable extent. His vide it. Foremost among them was fi- description of inter-service education is nancing such education at a time of fis- one of the best embodiments of this, as cal austerity. Cuts in defence spending attending the IDC gave officers valu- from its wartime peak forced reductions able exposure to broader defence issues in the number of slots available, while and a better understanding of the prob- enrollment in the courses was seen as lems facing the other services. In terms a way of employing officers in an era of promotion, such an education was no of reduced opportunities for postings substitute for performance in their post- elsewhere. This not only allowed such ings at sea, but Moretz concludes that, officers to continue their careers and for the most part, it provided officers retained them for any future service with valuable training for the demands expansion down the road (provided of the war that followed, as best demon- postings became available for them af- strated by the ultimate result. ter participation), but it also gave them Moretz presents all of this in a se- valuable instruction in advanced topics. ries of chapters dense with details. He The experience of the First World War assumes that his readers have a degree was a dominant topic in naval educa- of familiarity with the interwar Royal tion, with many of the students not only Navy that makes his book better suited able to learn from its lessons but also for scholars than novices to his subject. to apply their own firsthand experiences Yet anyone who reads it will find it rich in the conflict. Here, however, lay the in insights from Moretz’s extensive ar- complicating factor of the post-war bat- chival labours, all of which are detailed tles over credit, blame, and reputation in extensive notes located where they waged by the senior officers involved, belong at the bottom of the page. It is a which shaped the interpretation of such book that nobody interested in the his- controversial episodes as Jutland and tory of the interwar Royal Navy or the the Dardanelles. Moretz describes the history of officer training can afford to influence these clashes had on shaping ignore, with the quality of its analysis the writing of the Royal Navy’s official and its underlying research suggesting history of the war, but he downplays that it may not be just the first book on its impact on officer education by em- its subject, but the last one we will need phasizing the diversity of subjects ad- as well. dressed in the programs. While Jutland may have loomed large in the popular Mark Klobas imagination, Moretz makes clear that it Phoenix, Arizona did not dominate the curriculum of the various courses. Wes Olson. The Last Cruise of a Ger- This is part of Moretz’s generally man Raider—The Destruction of SMS favourable assessment of the education Emden. Barnsley, S. Yorks.: Seaforth senior officers received. Though not un- Publishing, Pen and Sword Books, critical−he notes the flawed deprecation www.seaforthpublishing.com, 2018. of logistics in their training and broadly (Distributed by US Naval Institute Book Reviews 279 Press.) 274 pp., illustrations, maps, many still visible today in Sydney and notes, bibliography, index. US $65.99, Canberra. In a little-known event in cloth; ISBN 978-1-68247-373-3. 1933, the Australian Government re- turned Emden’s name plate to Germany Finally, after 104 years, the definitive where it was formally presented to the history of the action between HMAS German President, Paul von Hinden- Sydney and SMS Emden has been writ- burg, in recognition of the bravery of ten. The first known published account Emden’s ship’s company and the chiv- of the action, in a book, appeared in alry of her commanding officer, Karl July 1918 as a chapter titled ‘How the von Muller. Sydney met the Emden’ in Bennet Cop- The book is well illustrated and plestone’s The Secret of the Navy. Over contains the complete nominal rolls of the next century, books on the action both ships including the often-forgotten have appeared regularly, ranging from civilian canteen staff in Sydney. The the quite good, such as Mike Carlton’s German nominal roll also details the 47 First Victory 1914–HMAS Sydney’s Emden prisoners of war who were held Hunt for the German Raider Emden captive in Australia during the war. published in 2014 through to the bare- If you want to read the complete ly readable and often incorrect Guns in history of the Sydney–Emden action, Paradise–The saga of the cruiser Em- then this is it! den by Fred McClement published in 1968. Greg Swinden Wes Olson has done an outstanding Canberra, Australia job is detailing Emden’s history from her construction during 1906-1908 to Lincoln Paine. Down East: An Illustrat- her final action with HMAS Sydney ed History of Maritime Maine. Thom- on 9 November 1914 off the Cocos Is- aston, ME: Tillbury House, www.till- lands. The final action is dealt with in buryhouse.com, 2018. (Second edition, great depth with several first-hand rec- originally published 2000.) xxii+262 ollections from both sides−but the story pp., illustrations, maps, chronology, does not end there. Olson details the notes, bibliography, index. US $27.95, extensive activity to recover Emden paper; ISBN 978-088448-565-0. survivors and the subsequent medical work done by both RAN and German Maine has a unique topography, his- medical staff to keep the numerous bad- tory, socioeconomic importance, and ly wounded and dehydrated men alive. scenery beloved by countless visitors Emden’s landing party under Kapitan- from around the world. Lincoln Paine, leutnant Helmuth von Mucke and their a meticulous raconteur, weaves a host epic journey in the schooner Ayesha to of facts into a rich tapestry of this en- the neutral Dutch East Indies and then chanting, ever-changing place that is via steamer to the Red Sea, and after- Down East. Using the cliché “a picture wards, overland to Constantinople also is worth a thousand words,” the author receives a thorough analysis. includes an abundance of carefully se- The story of the wreck of Emden lected images of paintings, maps, prints finalises the history of this famous and photographs to supplement his nar- ship. Several of her guns were recov- rative, making this book seem much ered and, along with other artefacts, larger than it actually is. This appealing brought to Australia for display with work is an exceptionally well-illustrat- 280 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ed scholarly chronicle of the history of mainstay of coastal Maine. It spawned Maine. vast varieties of crafts from fishing, The author initially hopscotches lumber and granite schooners, com- around the most northeasterly corner modious Down-Easters, classic lobster of the United States, first focusing on boats, luxury and racing yachts, to the how the geography, ecology and natu- highly regarded naval vessels from ral conditions of place played such an Bath Ironworks. Perhaps the most un- important role in the history of the peo- usual navy ship was the USS Katahdin, ple who first inhabited this land twelve a 251-foot wrought steel defensive ram, thousand years ago and those who im- a resurrection of an archaic maritime migrated there a mere four hundred weapon, with an extremely low free- years ago. The latter were Europeans board that could be flooded when going who originally dreamed of finding into battle. Unfortunately, it had the gold, silver and spices, but learned that reputation of being the most uncom- coastal Maine’s real treasures would fortable warship ever built. When its emanate from the labour of trappers, hatches were closed to protect it from fishermen and loggers. The population the sea only inches away, the tempera- evolved from the indigenous Abenaki, ture below deck could easily exceed Maliseet, Mi’kmaq, Passamaquoddy 100 or more degrees. and Wabanaki to the English and the Politics and socioeconomic oppor- French who traded with England, west- tunity shaped the state. The first naval ern Europe and the West Indies as well battle of the Revolutionary War took as the other more southerly colonies. place off Machias, Maine, and the war’s England and its European neighbours worst naval defeat occurred near what seemed constantly at war and they real- was then Bagaduce and now renamed ized that control of the sea was essential Castine. Maine became an independent for victory. This meant that shipbuild- state as part of the Missouri Compro- ing was strategically important. Their mise in 1820. Maine’s long winters wooden-walled vessels consumed vast gave birth to another industry. The state amounts of timber, but arguably the became the centre of transporting ice most important sailing ship “engine” harvested from its rivers to nations all were masts from which their sails were over the world before refrigeration be- rigged and suspended. As the ship- came ubiquitous. Paine points out that wrights demanded trees once easily Maine, tucked way up in the corner of harvested, it became obvious that it the United States, has had an influence would take many years if not centuries on international business that may not to replace them. It also became evident be well-known. He quotes a magical that Maine, the most forested colony piece written by Harriet Beecher Stowe of North America (then known as the when she lived in Brunswick, Maine, Eastern District of Massachusetts), had with her husband Calvin, then a profes- an abundance of exceptionally straight sor at Bowdoin College, Maine’s oldest grained tall pine trees in close proxim- higher educational institution. The ar- ity to the coast or its many river wa- ticle begins with Mrs. Stowe stopping terways. Therefore, logging and ship- by a bay and noticing from behind a building became essential industries hill, “swan-like, with wings all spread, and, to a lesser and different degree, glides a ship from India or China and continue through today. wakes up the silence, by tumbling her Shipbuilding became a commercial great anchor into the water . . . and Book Reviews 281 that ship connects these piney hills and scenti, we can only express our thanks rocky shores, these spruces and firs, for a job well done. with distant lands of palm and spice, and speaks to you, in these solitudes, of Louis Arthur Norton groves of citron and olive.” (178) One West Simsbury, Connecticut can only imagine that this fictional ves- sel may have passed by Mount Desert Lawrence Paterson. Otto Kretschmer: Rock lighthouse precariously perched The Life of the Third Reich’s Highest on “a shard of dirtless granite 15 miles Scoring U-Boat Commander. Barnsley, offshore, . . . the most exposed light- S. Yorks: Greenhill Books, www.pen- house in the United States.” (128) and-sword.co.uk, 2018. xix+268 pp., Maine’s fishing industry was an illustrations, maps, glossary, notes, ap- economic bulwark for many years, but pendix. UK £25.00, cloth; ISBN 978- over-fishing coupled by climate change 1-78438-192-9. decimated the valuable cod, haddock, herring and sardine stocks. The lobster This work is a biography of famed industry temporarily prospered with the U-boat commander, Otto Kretschmer, loss of cod that thrived by consuming as well as an operational history of his lobster fry. Sadly, even these ubiquitous two wartime submarines, U-23 and shellfish, a Maine icon, are now in de- U-99, mostly between 1939 to 1941. cline. The key to survival was diversifi- Using official records and verifiable cation. Tourism has become a mainstay anecdotes, interviews, and secondary along its picturesque coast, inland lakes materials, while leaving out often-re- and forests. Many wealthy Americans peated legends, apocryphal tales, and from more populous states built sum- other questionable sources so, Pater- mer homes in picturesque places such son offers what he feels would be the as Bar Harbor or in the many lake dis- most accurate portrayal of Kretschmer tricts. Also, some of its ports have be- and his commands. The fore matter come important cruise ship destinations includes a glossary of terms and abbre- during the warmer months. Finally, the viations, a Kreigsmarine map of the At- state has also become the home of many lantic, and Paterson’s foreword. Chap- of the nation’s most renowned artists, ters are arranged chronologically based especially in the summer. The nation’s on key turning points in Kretschmer’s most prestigious art museums feature career. A central photographic section countless samples of their works. showcasing largely wartime images, All of the above are documented illustrates ships and personnel. The by Lincoln Paine and in far greater de- final chapter, entitled “Canada,” offers tail thanks to his penchant for loading an account of his incarceration in North his readers with facts and unusual bits America, followed by a brief summary of minutia. This reviewer, with many of his post-war life. personal connections with Maine, de- The first chapter, “Between the lights in learning new facts about the Wars,” briefly covers Kretschmer’s place that I, like so many others, have pre-navy days, including his childhood watched change. If the reader intends to and schooling in both England and Ger- travel to this idyllic location and wants many, before documenting his 1930s to learn more about it before making a naval career. It details his service on visit, Lincoln Paine’s Down East is an cramped Type IIB U-Boats, whose excellent place to start. For the cogno- lacklustre torpedo capacity inspired 282 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Kretschmer’s ideas regarding subma- with the loss of three men, in extensive rine tactics involving single torpedo detail. The last two chapters cover his firings carried out on the surface. His time as a Prisoner of War. Interroga- performance in Baltic drills earned him tion transcripts provide yet another in- a reputation as the best torpedo shot in teresting insight into Kretschmer and the fleet, and his actions on and off ship how his British opponents viewed both sparked the beginnings of his reputation him and his crew. He left a strong pos- among the public and his peers. The itive impression on many, which would second chapter begins the chronicle of unfortunately be marred by the later Kretschmer’s wartime career and con- “Council of Honor” controversy after stitutes roughly eighty percent of the bi- the capture of U-570. Given that this ography. Paterson describes each of his Council can be seen as a direct link to patrols in detail, discussing each ship the death of U-570’s Bernhard Berndt targeted and often including firsthand in a failed attempt to regain his honour accounts from crewmen about those and possibly led to the post-war suicide vessels that were successfully sunk. of U-501’s Captain Hugo Förster, it is Other submariners and their crews are an unfortunate mark on Kretschmer’s occasionally cited as comparative foils otherwise clean record, with the Brit- to give additional perspectives on Kret- ish labeling him an “ardent militarist” schmer. Captain Günther Prien is the (221, 225-229). The final chapter cov- primary example, as his success re- ers Kretschmer’s imprisonment in cord is similar to Kretschmer’s. Prien, Canada, which was most notable for however, was a more cynical and hard the 1942 extended POW riot known as bitten commander, initially reveling in “the Battle of Bowmanville” and its de- the fame and attention garnered by his scription of Kretschmer’s intricate, but U-boat’s actions. (183-184). Almost the failed, Operation Kiebitz escape plan. opposite in every regard, Kretschmer The chapter concludes with a recount- earned his crews’ respect through his ing of Kretschmer’s slow reparation to calm and methodical command, con- Germany, and a brief summary of Kret- stantly working to assuage their fears schmer’s post-war life and reputation. by giving the appearance of implacabil- One possible improvement would ity even under extreme conditions, and be the inclusion of scaled cross-section shunning the spotlight to the extent that drawings for a Type IIB and a Type VIIB he had a crewmember assigned to deal U-Boat. Paterson describes the internal with the press on his behalf (84, 105- layout of Kretschmer’s submarines, but 106). Contrary to popular belief, Kret- an accompanying drawing would great- schmer’s aversion to media appearanc- ly help with comprehension and quick es was not the origin of the nickname reference, especially given how central “Silent Otto.” Rather, he believed that the two submarine designs are to the the Kreigsmarine’s demand for radio narrative. A second, would be more transmissions from patrolling U-boats coverage of Kretschmer’s post-war life. would reveal their positions to the en- As this is billed as a full biography, the emy and lead to less successful attack period of 1947 to 1998 should warrant runs. Hence, his practice of largely more than roughly five pages. His 23 maintaining radio silence while at sea years in the West German Bundesma- (40). rine alone would provide ample data for Paterson traces Kretschmer’s fi- expansion, and could act as a foil to his nal patrol, in which the U-99 was sunk wartime service. A future edition might Book Reviews 283 include these suggestions, and further chival materials. His focus on Ham- increase the strength of this work. burg has much to do with his primary Otto Kretschmer is a solid retelling source material which is heavily fo- of its namesake’s wartime career. Pa- cused on a massive collection of kam- terson offers blow-by-blow accounts merrechnungen—loosely translated as of each Atlantic patrol, interesting an- financial statements/records or transac- ecdotes of the man and his crew, and tion records beginning 1350. a solid account of his capture and ac- It is from these records that the au- tions while a prisoner. The book flows thor presents a very interesting portrait smoothly from statements of fact to of the period. What stands out imme- first- person accounts of both U-boat diately is the fact that these types of crewmen and victims with ease, mak- records cared little about the details of ing this work both a useful scholarly ships, probably because the transaction resource and an enjoyable read. With was more important than the mode of the expansion of Kretchmer’s post-war transport, but even the listed ship type activities, this book could become one did not necessarily mean much. In of the go-to works regarding Otto Kret- fact, Paulsen shows how little we actu- schmer, the man, as well as the U-boat ally know about what ships of the pe- commander. riod looked like. The examples of the snaikka and crayer, both suspected to Charles Ross Patterson II be smaller vessels, but of the former the Yorktown, Virginia discussion is whether these were small packets or a light escort while the latter Reinhard Paulsen. Schiffahrt, Hanse we have no clear idea at all (106-115). und Europa im Mittelalter. Schiffe am The one ship anyone familiar with Beispiel Hamburgs, europäische En- the topic thinks of immediately, the cog, twicklungslinien und die Forschung is surprisingly not as common within in Deutschland. Köln: Böhlau Verlag, the primary sources as expected. Al- www.boehlau-verlag, 2016. 1079 pp., though there is significant mention of illustrations, maps, tables, notes, bib- the type, due to the nature of the coast- liography, index. Euro 135€, cloth: al trade, Paulsen argues there was no ISBN 978-3-412-50328-4. need for a vessel of this type to be the most numerous. He seriously consid- Northern European history—and espe- ers how this ship and its successor, the cially maritime history during the Mid- hulk or holk, may have co-existed, or dle Ages, is entwined with the history evolved from the former, or even have of the Hanseatic League, a confedera- been the same vessel (187). In terms tion of merchant cities and city states of our physical knowledge, aside from that dominated trade during the period. the few archaeological findings, there is There has been a wealth of study on much interpretation from repair orders, the topic and Reinhard Paulsen’s work material orders, etc. to build an image. seeks out to add to the discourse by fo- Interestingly, even though many of the cusing on Hamburg and the historiogra- towns had cogs depicted in their seals, phy within Germany. the majority are more artistic than sea- Paulsen sets out to cover a lot of worthy and scholars must take a very ground. The lengthy time period, from critical view of these as well. 1350 to 1500, makes one realize the The size of these ships is also hard depth and time covered within the ar- to establish. Given that the physical 284 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord area where the trade occurred can large- one to wonder about the arguments of ly be defined as littoral, large and small the first. as well as ‘ocean-going’ and coasters The book is big, totalling almost were still being defined during the pe- 1100 pages between covers. Constitut- riod, and long-range voyages for trade ing Paulsen’s PhD thesis published as and exploration had not yet become was, a more refined version of the book common. Nor does price comparison would have more appropriate for gen- between the same listed type take us eral consumption. In its current form, farther. Then as now, Paulsen finds that it remains a bit daunting and suitable when it comes to shipbuilding protec- for an interested specialist only. This tionism, jealousy and rackets all have is especially true for the first part, the an impact. product of extensive research, and con- After what this reviewer felt was a taining many important findings that successful first part of the work, the au- add knowledge to the field. Indeed, the thor rather strangely disconnects when sources provided within the book car- he grapples with the historiography ry enough material to be interesting in in the second half. In effect, Paulsen their own regard. This section alone, states that previous research into the refined and polished for publication, Hanseatic League—specifically from would be a fine scholarly work. the German-speaking point of view—is The latter section, however, is not highly problematic and requires a para- only problematic but does not fit well digm shift (664). Paulsen launches into with the rest of the book. Nor is the the argument that German nationalism reader, in the end, entirely convinced has heavily biased research and that that the state of the historical writing on the idea of a Hansekogge or Hanseatic the topic is that poor or misrepresented. cog was a National Socialist invention. The strength in the work is the de- (469). He particularly blames historian cades-long research and its findings Fritz Rörig for completely obeying NS which, aside from the text, account ideology. for over 200 pages of sources, tables, To an extent, the reader accepts this charts filled with all sorts of details that argument. We know that disconnect- the specialist or interested reader in the ing research from national bias can be topic will guaranteed find useful. difficult, especially during times when published research had to fall politi- Christopher Kretzschmar cally into line. The difficulty is that Rusagonis, New Brunswick Paulsen seems to paint all the history since with the same brush and his care- Nathaniel Philbrick. In the Hurricane’s fully constructed historical argument Eye: The Genius of George Washington comes a bit undone. In fact, the author and the Victory at Yorktown. New York, even states that due to the strength of NY: Viking-Penguin Random House, his argument it could be misrepresented www.penguinrandomhouse.com, 2018. as a polemic. Perhaps the strength in xv+366 pp., illustrations, maps, notes, an argument should be its evidence and bibliography, index. US $ 30.00, cloth; not necessarily the tone, and while this ISBN 978-052542-676-9. reviewer would not go so far as to call it a polemic, it has a completely different Nathaniel Philbrick has spent much of feel. This detracts significantly from his life on and by the sea. Currently, the work since the second part leaves he lives on Nantucket and has written Book Reviews 285 many highly acclaimed books related the French naval fleet to sail northward to maritime history. In the Hurricane’s became a deciding factor in the out- Eye is a worthy addition to this pano- come of the American Revolution and ply in which the author deftly describes the metaphor for the book’s title. an aspect of the Revolutionary War that Washington began a series of has received little attention. negotiations with French General General George Washington owned Jean-Baptiste Rochambeau and Ad- a schooner, was an accomplished sailor mirals François de Grasse and Charles and spent much of his youth in Virgin- Destouches to support his overall stra- ia’s Tidewater region where transporta- tegic goal, taking back New York. tion by water was a way of life, largely When that became unfeasible, Wash- out of necessity. Therefore, it is not ington looked south to Virginia. Two surprising that command of the sea was important clashes preceded the ma- such an important factor in Washing- neuvering that would lead to the siege ton’s strategic plans for defeating the at Yorktown, and the battles of Cape British. His understanding of how mar- Henry and the Chesapeake. American itime strategies could possibly affect traitor Benedict Arnold, now a British the outcome of the Revolutionary War general, had landed in Virginia and was would shape American history. wreaking havoc on Richmond. Wash- For most of the American Revolu- ington convinced Admiral Destouches tion, Britain realized the importance of to sail his fleet from Newport, Rhode the navy supporting the army and ex- Island, to assist the Marquis de Lafay- ploited their dominance of the sea to ette in his attempt to defeat Arnold. The their advantage. They controlled the French encountered a British fleet in the coastal regions where they could easily Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the reinforce or rescue their troops by sea. James River. After several hours of In 1780, nature unexpectedly interced- fighting, the British ships gained an ad- ed in the guise of three massive hurri- vantageous position inside the bay and canes that devasted the West Indies. the French withdrew, allowing Arnold The third storm, with estimated winds to retreat down the James River penin- in excess of 200 miles per hour, nearly sula. Though the outcome disappointed destroyed the Spanish fleet while at sea, Washington, the Battle of Cape Henry badly damaged the French fleet based in spurred the French to further action. the Caribbean and foundered a British Washington and Rochambeau moved frigate that was blown ashore on Cuba. their combined land forces south, after After these catastrophic storms, the first feinting toward New York to fool French opted to move their fleet North the British. Meanwhile, Admiral de for the summer and early fall to avoid Grasse began moving his ships north further destruction. That operational from the West Indies into position near shift greatly benefitted George Wash- the Chesapeake for the conclusive clash ington who had solicited the French for between both fleets. naval support in his struggle to take on Surmising that his adversaries were a formidable, better-equipped and well- plotting to reposition their troops to the trained enemy. The French, however, south, British General Charles Corn- were more concerned with protecting wallis moved his army toward York- their valuable Caribbean sugar planta- town, where he could easily escape tions and other possessions in the West across the James River with assistance Indies. The crippling storms that forced from British Admiral Thomas Graves, 286 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord a strategy that had worked many times piece by piece or [they] decided to end and no doubt would once again. During the battle by sailing away.” (186) This these prior conflicts, however, there was is an apt description of the Destouches/ no French fleet with which to contend. Cape Henry mêlée and the subsequent When Graves arrived at the Chesapeake de Grasse/Chesapeake engagement. on 5 September 1781, the British admi- Among the author’s personal observa- ral discovered the enemy fleet had a tions: “The bitter truth was that by the commanding presence in the bay. Both summer of 1781 the American revo- fleets maneuvered for position and the lution had failed. With thousands of battle soon began, largely confined to able-bodied citizens refusing to serve, the vanguards of the two flotillas. The with the thirteen states refusing to fund French made a critical tactical error the meager army . . . and with the Con- upon which the British failed to capi- tinental Congress helpless to effect any talize and suffered a humiliating de- constructive change, the very existence feat. Ships on both sides were heavy of the United States now rested with damaged, but the British surrendered the soldiers of another nation.” (153) control of the Chesapeake to the French “George Washington [evolved] from and ultimately enabled Washington to the brash, forty-three-year-old com- obtain his crucial land victory at York- mander in chief who yearned to burn town. Boston to the ground in the winter of Philbrick recounts many beguil- 1775-1776 to the careful yet cunning ing little-known background stories: strategist capable of holding both the Hamilton and Washington became es- army and the country together through tranged for a long time over an incon- six years of war.” (239) sequential personal slighting incident; Philbrick, an excellent historian Rochambeau and Washington had their and narrator, includes abundant small differences, but the proud self-reliant anecdotes in his work that colourfully American acquiesced to the French chronicle events, but a few alluded to, general because Washington needed the but excluded, could have added to the French troops to win the war; a Spanish story. For example, when Washington emissary in Cuba, Francisco Saavedra, decided to move his troops south, Gen- financed the almost destitute American eral Clinton’s spies were hard at work. troops for the Battle at Yorktown with The general wanted the Tory eavesdrop- 500,000 Spanish pesos collected in Ha- per to think that the French troops were vana. There are many more fascinating still in the Hudson valley encampment details of the events in these closing planning an assault on New York. The months of the Revolutionary War that I British knew that French soldiers insist- leave for the potential reader. ed on having fresh bread each morning, The author provides a detailed de- so to ensure there was that unmistakable scription of the Chesapeake and York- aroma, Washington kept the bakeries town battles giving the reader a deeper busy, even though Rochambeau’s army appreciation of the particulars of these had marched on some days before—a two iconic events. Philbrick notes, clever ploy. Second, Admiral George “The way to win a naval battle in the Rodney invaded the Caribbean Island eighteenth century was to isolate a por- of St. Eustatius to stem the flow of arms tion of the enemy’s fleet and attack it to the Continental Army. Philbrick with a greater number of your own ships mentions that the admiral was deeply in . . . [until] the opponent was defeated debt at that point and spent much of his Book Reviews 287 time pilfering the Dutch colony. While credibility. trying to locate any concealed treasure, In telling the story of various at- he engaged in an anti-Semitic act by tempts to cross the Atlantic Ocean exiling all the Dutch colony’s Sephar- throughout history, Pike describes its dic Jewish men (as opposed to women changing moods in terms of almost and children) employed as the island’s human characteristics; calm, rough, warehouse keepers and magistrates. friendly, hostile and deadly. Ever since Rodney was later rebuked in Parlia- the early explorers first crossed the At- ment for his actions by Edmund Burke. lantic, man has experienced the ocean Preoccupied with this and other issues, in all its forms, shapes, moods and dan- Rodney failed to challenge de Grasse’s gers. To any ship, small sailing boat, fleet that was in the area. Arguably, this super tanker, cargo ship or passenger might have changed the outcome of the liner, crossing the North Atlantic in Yorktown event and the Revolutionary particular, is always a challenge. Once War. Western seafarers had set foot in the In summary, Nathaniel Philbrick’s New World, an exchange of people, latest work illuminates a crucial, but goods and ideas crossed the Atlantic to rarely visited historic event. A brilliant settle a new society. Pike recounts how, and clearly written narrative, In the with the newly- founded colonies, im- Hurricane’s Eye is a not-to-be- missed migration slowly began to bring in new work for any maritime historian and a inhabitants, some eager to make some- broad audience to enjoy. thing of their new lives, others forced to work in the Americas as slaves. Louis Arthur Norton The author follows the trail of nav- West Simsbury, Connecticut igational advances as trade began to flourish, colonial wars were fought, ar- Dag Pike. Taming the Atlantic. The His- chitecture developed, and sail made way tory of Man’s Battle with the World’s for steam. Through each new era, the Toughest Ocean. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Atlantic served as a testing ground for Pen & Sword Books Ltd., www.pen- maritime developments and technolo- and-sword.co.uk, 2017. vi+222 pp., gy. The need for speed was apparent in illustrations, map, bibliography, index. commercial sailing—time was money, UK £25.00, US $ 39.95, cloth; ISBN the faster cargo and passengers crossed 978-1-52670-083-4. the ocean, the better. The contest con- tinued well in to the twentieth century. As if the Atlantic Ocean had a mind of Nor does the author forget the failures. its own, in his first chapter Dag Pike From fishing vessels to passenger liners portrays the elements as intent on the to battle ships, the bottom of the ocean destruction of cargo ship Marjata. The is littered with those that failed to make vessel’s cargo had shifted in bad weath- the crossing. The Atlantic remains a er, causing the ship to list, although the challenge to mankind. crew eventually managed to get the ship Jacob Bart Hak safely into the Liverpool Docks. That Leiden, The Netherlands experience taught the author to respect the ocean. Two shipwrecks, numerous books and a job as Inspector of Life- Phillip J. Potter. Explorers and Their boats for 50 Royal National Lifeboat Quest For North America. Barnsely, S. Institute (RNLI) stations add to his Yorks.: Pen & Sword, www.pen-and- 288 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord sword.co.uk, 2018. 280 pp., illustra- tances with of most of them. I consider tions, maps, notes, bibliography, index. myself to be in the survey category with UK £25.00, US $32.00, cloth; ISBN more detailed understanding in limited 978-1-52672-053-5. (E-book avail- spheres that do not include North Amer- able.) ican exploration. I value this book for broadening my knowledge of the char- Explorers and Their Quest For North acters of the Age of Exploration and America provides quick overviews deepening my appreciation of the mi- of the European exploration of North lieu in which they operated. Unlike the American carried out by adventurers government sponsorship of early stag- from Spain, France, Britain, Russia, the es of space exploration where the goal United States and a nascent Canada. It was primarily scientific knowledge, the provides introductions to the facts and North American explorers were mostly careers of 14 explorers and permits commercial ventures, seeking a return readers to identify their similarities for their investors. I enjoyed learning and distinctiveness in 17 to 24 pag- about people who had long sparked my es. Spain sponsored Christopher Co- curiosity, such as Henry Hudson, Vitus lumbus, Hernan Cortes, Hernando de Bering and Sir Alexander Mackenzie. Soto and Francisco Coronado; Britain, It is eye-opening to realize how many John Cabot, Captain John Smith, Henry of them sailed under foreign flags, such Hudson; and France, Samuel de Cham- as Christopher Columbus (an Italian plain and Réné-Robert Cavelier de La sailing for Spain), John Cabot (an Ital- Salle; Russia, Vitus Bering; the United ian sailing for Britain) and Vitus Ber- States, Daniel Boone and Meriwether ing (a Dane sailing for Russia). Having Lewis; while the northwest of a Canada read and learned about the tradition of aborning was explored by Sir Alexan- United Empire Loyalists during vis- der Mackenzie. its to New Brunswick, I regarded with Readers will see commonalities chagrin that Scottish native, Sir Alexan- as all these men sought to extend their der Mackenzie, lived with his family in sovereigns’ realms and struggled with New York until they joined other Loyal- inconsistent support from their home ists in relocating to Canada. Despite the countries. Many searched for a route to brevity of each chapter, Potter has done the Orient or gold, but, like most gold an excellent job of placing the quests prospectors, few were successful, and associated with each name in the con- we know that the water route was not text of their careers, which often were practicable. Others promoted the gos- interesting in themselves. pel to native peoples they encountered. Rather than offering snippets of Distinctions can be discerned between each explorer, I will summarize the ca- those who were primarily explorers, reer of one of particular interest to me such as Jacques Cartier, and those and, I suppose, to many readers of The whose contributions are more truly de- Northern Mariner, Samuel de Cham- scribed as colonial founders, such as plain. My personal preference for him Samuel de Champlain. is grounded in the fact that he greeted For those with a survey knowledge the boat that brought my earliest an- of history, most of the featured explor- cestors to Canada. A native of south- ers will just be names. Although some western France, Champlain was intro- explorers may be more familiar, only duced to sailing at an early age by his experts will have thorough acquain- father. During the sectarian wars of the Book Reviews 289 sixteenth century in France and Spain, others. I recommend this for anyone Champlain employed his nautical tal- seeking an introduction to the explor- ents in the quartermasters and learned ers of North America. If it whets your leadership skills as an infantry officer. appetite, as it did mine, select more During his service, he acquired a flu- detailed and focused works for further ency in Spanish and traveled to Spain’s reading. possessions in the New World. An in- heritance from an uncle in La Rochelle James M. Gallen brought him home to France and into St. Louis, Missouri his king’s service. Interviews of mar- iners returning from America prepared Russell A. Potter. Finding Franklin. him for inclusion in the expedition The Untold Story of a 165-Year Search. to establish a French colony in Can- Montreal, QC: McGill/Queen’s Uni- ada. His 1603 voyage returned home versity Press, www.mgqup.org, 2016. with fur pelts and cod fish and reports xvi+262 pp., illustrations, appendix, of deposits of copper, iron and silver. notes, bibliography, index. CDN $ The 1604 voyage brought 100 settlers 39.95, cloth; ISBN 987-0-7735-4784-1. and workers who set out in search of a suitable site for a settlement and, after The saga of the lost Franklin expedition trying Cape Cod and Maine, eventually has become embedded in the historical selected Quebec in 1607. Trading re- narrative shared by Canadians. Finding lations were established with Indians Franklin is an elegant summary of 65 and return trips brought more supplies searches in the area where the expe- and reinforcements. Repeated voyages dition disappeared to determine what across the Atlantic facilitated commu- had happened. The venture had been nications between the Quebec colony a well-equipped Royal Navy venture and the mother country. Cordial trading of scientific discovery. It was manned with local indigenous people degener- by competent and seasoned mariners in ated into warfare as the settlers estab- what were, for the time, stout vessels lished alliances with competing tribes that had operated in ice infested waters and stirred up native rivalries. Dividing previously. Russell Potter is a profes- time between Paris and Quebec, Cham- sor of literature in Rhode Island who plain and his wife Hélène enjoyed the has followed the Franklin searches for life of capital courtiers and contended decades and edits a website devoted to with challenges arising out of shifting reviews of books about the Arctic. He sponsorship of the settlement, food is a respected expert on Franklin lore shortages, troubled native relations, the and has visited the area where the ex- institution of the seigneury system to plorers perished. lure more farmers to New France and Finding Franklin went to press be- harsh winters, to name just a few. In tween the finding of the hulls of Ere- 1635, in Quebec, Champlain suffered bus in 2014 and that of Terror in 2016. a stroke and died in the colony he had These developments, exciting as they founded. are, do not lesson the value of Russell The author has crafted a collection Potter’s well-written narrative. It will of narratives that both inform and en- be years before items recovered from tertain. Each story is as fascinating as the two wrecks are analysed in suffi- Champlain’s. Pick the one of greatest cient detail to add to the story of how interest to you, but do not neglect the the expedition ended. Meanwhile this 290 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord book describes what successive search- all other respects, Finding Franklin has es found. been meticulously produced−well-cho- Potter covers the well-known ear- sen photographs clearly reproduced on ly searches for Franklin’s lost expedi- good paper, clear typeface, sturdy bind- tion but his comprehensive coverage ing, and a size and weight that make it of twentieth-century investigators is a pleasure to handle−all a credit to Mc- particularly welcome. He devotes an Gill-Queen’s University Press. A very entire chapter to David Woodman, the useful appendix succinctly covers all modest former naval officer, naval diver the searches between 1854 and 2015. and BC ferries master, who over a 35- The author is a professor of En- year period, made several visits to the glish, which may explain his elegant area where Franklin’s ships vanished. writing style, and which makes this His ground-breaking analysis of Inuit book a pleasure for his readers. Finding oral tradition played a key role in un- Franklin is an authoritative and lucid ravelling the mystery of where the lost account of the searches for the Franklin ships might be found. expedition. Recommended. There is a truly rewarding chapter on maps. It begins with a discussion of Jan Drent the sorts of charts supplied to the Frank- Victoria, British Columbia lin expedition and moves on to a fasci- nating examination of Inuit sketch maps Warren C. Riess with Sheli O. Smith. collected by various search and explo- The Ship that Held Up Wall Street. Col- ration expeditions. This is followed by lege Station, TX; Texas A&M Press, a marvellous section on Rupert Thomas www.tamupress.com, 2014. xi+100 Gould, an early-twentieth- century hy- pp., illustrations, maps, notes, glossa- drographer with a deep interest in the ry, index. US $29.00, hardback; ISBM Franklin mystery. Gould produced the 978-1-62349-188-8. celebrated 1927 Admiralty chart which crams virtually all that was then under- Contrary to popular imagination, not all stood about where the expedition might sunken ships are avatars of naval her- have gone onto a map. He followed this oism, technological innovation, mari- marvellous visual guide with imagina- time lawlessness, or the romance of the tive maps representing how much of sea. Some just end up as landfill along the Canadian Arctic was known when the Manhattan waterfront. That doesn’t Franklin sailed and how much was mean they don’t have a story worth tell- uncovered by the several search expe- ing, however, and archaeologists Riess ditions. These were produced for R.J. and Smith have taken on that challenge Cyriax’s book Sir John Franklin’s Last with The Ship that Held Up Wall Street. Arctic Expedition (1939), which Russell While excavating the construction site Potter describes as “magisterial” (79). for a Financial District high-rise in Unfortunately, the maps reproduced 1982, the ground crew stumbled into in this chapter are the only ones in the an unexpected discovery—the intact book and fall short of helping a read- hull of an eighteenth-century colonial er trying to work out where the various merchantman buried under several feet search expeditions looked. This is a real of mud and debris. What followed was weakness in a book which describes a month of extensive and labour-inten- events in locations whose names will sive site documentation, and three de- be new to all but Arctic aficionados. In cades of subsequent research into the physical remains of the ship, its historic Book Reviews 291 context, and possible identification. mistakes and mishaps, and how the This slim volume presents a brief, consequences affected the long-term but engaging account of the so-called analysis of the site. Taken together, Ronson ship (named after the proj- this material provides a useful roadmap ect’s benefactor), both of the ship it- for other archaeologists undertaking self and of the lived experience of the a challenging shipwreck excavation archaeological team as they undertook and reconstruction. It also provides a the grueling excavation and tenacious, window into the painstaking effort and years-long work of piecing together the dedication required at all stages to see a archaeological and archival clues. The project of this scale to its completion— book begins with an introductory chap- from the initial excavation through to ter outlining the vessel’s discovery and the conservation, research, and analysis early determination of its significance, of the combined, and sometimes con- the initial reconnaissance excavation, flicting, data. and the formulation of the plan to fully Those looking for a more techni- document the site ahead of its pending cal examination of ship construction, demolition. Next is a brief history of naval architecture, artifact analysis, Manhattan Island and its early devel- and even shipworm biology, however, opment as a colonial entrepôt, followed will also find plenty of interest in these by a chapter dedicated to a detailed de- pages. After a detailed description of scription of the methods employed to the ship’s hull remains and construc- record and excavate the hull remains. tion characteristics, particularly of the Subsequent chapters document the con- bow (the only section of the ship that servation of the Ronson ship’s remains, was preserved), Riess presents a con- its hull construction characteristics, the vincing geometric analysis of how research into determining the ship’s the ship was designed, using several identity, and a historical sketch of Re- seventeenth- and eighteenth-century iss’s leading candidate for that iden- shipwright treatises as his guides. The tification. The final chapter traces the authors also provide an informative development history of the waterfront discussion on design variations in eigh- block where the ship was found, plac- teenth-century European merchantmen, ing both the vessel hull and the landfill ultimately concluding that the Ronson material excavated from within it in ship is an American-built hybrid—pos- their proper archaeological context. sibly unique—that blended the sailing The Ship that Held Up Wall Street is capabilities of a British frigate with the as much about the hard and professional increased cargo capacity of a Dutch work put in behind the scenes by the re- flyboat. They further deduce from the search team as it is about the ship itself. archaeological evidence that the ship Much of the first half of the book reads last sailed with a British crew, visited as a day-in-the-archaeologists’-life an- a warm water port outside of North ecdotal narrative documenting how America near the end of its career, and the project came together (complete was buried in the East River between with Molotov cocktails and marauding the late 1740s and 1760s. This evi- street gangs!), combined with detailed dence creates an entry point to detailing descriptions about methods used and the history of the Charleston-built Prin- decisions made in the field and in the cess Carolina, which provides an illus- conservation lab. To their credit, the trative historical context for the Ronson authors are frank about identifying their ship, even if its correlation to Princess 292 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Carolina is ultimately inconclusive. L. H. Roper. Advancing Empire. En- This broadly targeted presentation glish Interests and Overseas Expan- of information does lead to inconsis- sion, 1613–1688. Cambridge, UK: tencies in tone, however. Reiss and Cambridge University Press, www. Smith frequently take the time to define cambridge.org, 2017. 312 pp., bibli- ship terms and archaeological concepts ography, notes on sources, index. US for the layperson (and a glossary is in- $37.95, paper; ISBN 978-1-107-54505- cluded), while also, and often without 2. (E-book available.) transition, presenting more complex and technical information that would In Advancing Empire, Roper‘s main ar- presumably better suit the interests and gument is that individuals with commer- aptitudes of a more specialized reader. cial interests were largely responsible And though several photographs and for the creation, conception and execu- drawings are provided, additional il- tion of English Empire during the sev- lustrations accompanying the more in- enteenth century. Further, he deliber- depth descriptions of hull construction ately views historical narrative from the would have been useful. perspective of “How did they go from Nevertheless, the story of the Ron- then”, rather than the more common son ship provides an instructive exam- “How did we get to now”. Although ple of eighteenth-century shipbuilding the former isn’t entirely ground-break- techniques to add to a relatively mea- ing (naval historians studying the cen- gre archaeological and historical record tury have addressed this, notably Elaine from that time period. Reiss fondly re- Murphy in her research on the British counts this story as an example of emer- Civil Wars of the 1630s and 1640s), gency salvage archaeology, in contrast Roper does clearly have an excellent to what had been the typical approach of grasp of the archival sources and is, academic archaeologists taking months, therefore, able to draw on a much larger if not years, to meticulously document number of commerce-centric examples a site. This is undoubtedly true, but is to make his argument. somewhat belied by the fact that Reiss The book is divided chronological- has been able to continue studying the ly and geographically. The introduction site for almost 30 years, which is a tes- contains some discussion about the the- tament to the exemplary work that he oretical and historiographical perspec- and his team did in recording and ex- tive, while the second chapter examines cavating the ship under the spectre of the foundations of English conceptions impatiently rumbling backhoe engines of empire. The following three chap- and decidedly less than ideal field con- ters examine English interests in Amer- ditions. Despite its humble fate, this is ica, Guinea and Asia, respectively. This a compelling and archaeologically sig- is followed by a discussion of the Civ- nificant site worthy of the effort, and il Wars that reverberated in England’s worth the attention of readers interested overseas colonies and interests, and it in colonial-era merchantmen and the ar- is followed by a discussion of the New chaeologists who study them. Modelers specifically, and addresses both the First Anglo-Dutch War, as well Douglas Jones as the Commonwealth’s campaigns in New Orleans, Louisiana the Caribbean during the 1650s. The next two chapters discuss the restoration and the period of the Second and Third Book Reviews 293 Anglo-Dutch Wars. The final chapter, distinct conclusion where Roper could in lieu of a conclusion, considers events have clearly laid out useful similarities from the period 1675-1688, and then and differences between case studies very quickly draws some extrapolations they discussed. Likewise, readers are through to the middle of the eighteenth not provided with any maps to situate century. the discussions. These would have been I certainly admire Roper’s grasp of particularly useful for the chapters that the original sources, and they balance discussed Guinea, Asia, and America. discussion of the merchant adventures This book does have a solid core companies and of individuals well. of good research, but this is very much Likewise, they do a fair job of putting outweighed by how difficult it is to en- state and individual interests in context. gage with it. People who are already While I commend the research and the subject matter experts will likely find analysis that went into this book, I ac- this book the most useful. The foot- tually found reading it extremely frus- notes are a treasure trove of interesting trating. primary sources but I regret that I can- The author includes a literature re- not recommend Advancing Empire: En- view of sorts in the introduction, and glish Interests and Overseas Expansion even discusses some of the theoretical 1613-1688 for a wide audience. contexts for the creation of this book, something that should be included in Sam McLean more academic history. He also men- Toronto, Ontario tions several important trends, for ex- ample, the ‘now fashionable rubric of Laura Rowe. Morale and Discipline Atlantic History’, and attempts to re- in the RN during the First World War move the traditional triumphalism of Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univer- American history, but in such a way sity Press, www.cambridge.org, 2018. that could be read as either dismissive, xii+266 pp., illustrations, tables, notes, or not actually interested in properly bibliography, index. CDN $114.95, discussing the context. For example, cloth; ISBN 978-1-108- 41905- 5. general statements about certain trends in history are supported by rather short Laura Rowe’s book, published by the quotes (ranging from three words to a Cambridge University Press, is one of a sentence or two) that are footnoted col- series of Studies in the Social and Cul- lectively rather than individually, and tural History of Modern Warfare – de- with their extended commentary, should signed to bring together the fields of tra- probably have been placed in the text ditional military and naval studies with itself. In addition, in both the text and social and cultural history. The two the footnotes, concepts and terms are should never have sundered, of course, placed within double quotes. The effect but without much doubt both have ex- is that I as a reader was unsure if it was isted in their separate spheres for far too way to highlight the terms, or whether long. This particular volume examines it indicated skepticism regarding those the questions inherent in the title and concepts. seeks to shed light on a relatively ne- It is rather disappointing that that glected corner of the Great War’s naval the team behind this book has really historiography – work in this field from done very little to make it accessible the perspective of the military is much to non-experts. For example, it lacks a richer. 294 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord The Royal Navy expanded enor- is the question of the navy as a profes- mously from a large foundation as the sion and that of, in effect, a simple job Great War progressed. Notwithstand- involving contractual relations akin to ing the immense pressures on the Ser- what obtained in civil society. vice and officers and men who served In a short review there is no space at sea, discipline held and in contrast to visit this discussion, but there are with the Imperial German Navy, there two immediate observations to perhaps was no breakdown let alone any revo- note. The first is whether this archi- lutionary sentiments expressed as the tecture of analysis, briefly and inad- war wound down in 1918. There were, equately described above, needlessly however, a number of incidents of ‘un- introduces terminology that could be rest’ during the war on individual ships replaced by ‘quarterdeck’ and ‘lower and significant discipline problems in deck’ as instantly recognisable distinc- the immediate post-war period in the tions within the naval community. The force despatched to the Baltic that en- unfolding of the analysis and discussion deavoured to impose order on a chaot- in this fine book would not be hampered ic period in both Germany and Russia. with this simplification. The second is Rowe examines why there were these that the division of the Royal Navy into relatively few discipline problems in a permanent, long service force, supple- the Royal Navy despite the immense mented in time of war by reserves and pressures of the war. ‘hostilities only’ personnel inevitably Inevitably for a study examining introduced a tension between those two issues from a social sciences lens there groups in terms of world view and ex- is the need to develop a framework pectations. The latter, quite predictably, for the analysis and to provide an ac- brought with them norms and standards companying vocabulary. Rowe iden- from civil environments and awkwardly tifies two discourses that she suggests adjusted such norms to fit Service life. helps to explain the questions of dis- The former sought, equally predictably, cipline and morale and that these were to force fit their new comrades into the at odds with each other. The first she mould of sound Royal Navy customs labels ‘paternalism’, which is essen- and traditions in the interests of cohe- tially the top-down, officer side of the sion, discipline and fighting efficiency. naval community. The second term is This division is well understood and by ‘democratism’, a neologism that incor- no means a new insight. porates the lower deck element. The That said, Rowe explores the topic ‘discourse’ between these two worlds in a series of chapters that lay out the involved a defensive, status-quo orient- analysis in five chapters, not including ed naval hierarchy determined to main- an introduction and conclusion. The tain the traditions and customs of the first lays out what she means by ‘pater- Royal Navy and their own role within nalism’ and ‘democratism’ by explor- it (i.e. paternalistic) in contrast with oft ing the origins of each group in social ill-expressed desire of the lower deck background terms, their training and in- for greater autonomy and self-deter- duction into the navy, and what a career mination, with a more egalitarian and meant. Importantly she notes the criti- liberal outlook (i.e. democratic). The cal role played by the petty officers that latter was perhaps more reflective of bridged the gap between the lower deck the zeitgeist of the pre-war period than and quarterdeck, as well as doing most the former. Wrapped up in the analysis of the quotidian supervisory tasks nec- Book Reviews 295 essary to run a ship successfully. The let alone widespread mutiny of a kind role the petty officers filled in maintain- that afflicted the German High Seas ing discipline is well described. The Fleet. Rowe does explore a number of second explores discipline and how it episodes of ‘unrest’ and agreed with the was imposed and how it underpinned accepted conclusion that these repre- morale. A well-disciplined ship was sented particularly egregious missteps usually a happy one and effective in op- by commanders, and were essentially erational terms. Maintaining discipline ‘strikes’ and nothing like the common involved the often arbitrary and hu- image of ‘mutiny’. This near industrial miliating nature of punishment via the approach to dispute resolution indeed mechanism of summary trials. Howev- reflected a trade union mindset that er, she is quite clear that the judgement undoubtedly informed the thinking of of the presiding officers was critical the lower deck in poorly run warships. and if assessed as fair by the lower deck This lesson remains important in any would deliver a happy ship. If other- modern context. wise, the opposite result would inevita- This is a well written book and it bly follow. The third chapter touches addresses an aspect of the Royal Navy’s on pay and conditions of service. Here Great War that is not often examined. Rowe delves into the mare’s nest of The social sciences nomenclature will bureaucratic rules, regulations, allow- not appeal to all, but Rowe lays out ances and their often bewildering appli- her framework clearly and the analysis cation. The accretion of rules covering flows logically from there. She also is various dimensions of personal (e.g. blessed with a dry wit that is deployed marriage allowances) and professional sparingly but skillfully throughout the attributes (e.g. skill and conduct bonus- narrative. Sources are replete with the es) were confusing, often illogical, and anecdotes of individual officers and uneven in application. None of this as- men of all backgrounds, notably via sisted in building morale. Grievances the Imperial War Museum’s Sound Ar- were inevitable and how these played chives. These latter were recorded in out is explored in some depth. The the 1970’s, some sixty years after the fourth chapter looks into the growth of war, and add a real touch of verisimil- naval societies by the lower deck for itude to analysis. This is a useful vol- welfare reasons. This gave rise to the ume for anyone interested in the peri- fear of ‘combinations’ of a potentially od and certainly fills a gap. The chief mutinous caste, which was to be depre- drawback is cost at over $100. It also cated to state the obvious. Dealing with suggests a wide field of potential re- the underlying impetus for such entities search into the human side of the naval was a principal occupation of those in- experience. I am very happy to strongly habiting the upper corridors of power in recommend it. the Royal Navy and was often poorly done. The final chapter looks to exam- Ian Yeates, ples of ‘unrest’ by a statistical analysis Regina, Saskatchewan of court-martials for various offenses. The conclusion drawn is that there were Matthew S. Seligmann. Rum, Sodomy, amazingly few such trials and that it Prayers, and the Lash Revisited? Win- is evident that by and large the Royal ston Churchill and Social Reform in the Navy’s Great War was not overly trou- Royal Navy, 1900-1915. Oxford, UK: bled by serious episodes of indiscipline Oxford University Press, www.oup. 296 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord com, 2018. 180 pp., illustrations, notes, steel ship, coal dust was pervasive, un- bibliography, index. US $78.00, cloth; sanctioned violence common, and pay ISBN 978-0-19-875997-3. inadequate. The Royal Navy may have needed a new class of specialist sailor, Prior to the mid-nineteenth century, but it was slow to make terms of service British sailors drifted in and out of the attractive to potential recruits, many of ranks of the Royal Navy, joining the whom were skilled workers who could service in times of war and returning find better pay and better conditions in to the merchant marine after the fight- civilian trades. ing was over. It was not until warships Each of Seligmann’s five chapters were transformed by steam power, iron offers an interesting discussion of the and steel that the need for a professional Navy’s response to Britain’s changing and permanent class of naval rating was social values and expectations. He deemed necessary. While the ‘jolly jack shows how the Navy, as a major arm of tars’ of the age of sail have become the the state and ‘shield’ of the British Em- stuff of folklore and a favourite subject pire, was under constant pressure to set of naval historians, the industrialized a national example. Temperance cam- lower-deck ratings of the Victorian and paigners wanted to see the Navy abol- Edwardian period remain understudied. ish the historic daily allowance of rum, Matthew Seligmann’s Rum, Sodomy, a demand that was too far for serious Prayers, and the Lash Revisited ad- Admiralty consideration but resulted in dresses this lacuna with a study of five efforts to destigmatize abstaining sail- areas of lower-deck life that came under ors at sea. Corporal punishment, par- the increased attention of naval admin- ticularly of boy sailors, and reports of istrators as well as the nation in the final “gunroom honour” beatings of junior decades before the First World War: pay midshipmen, embarrassed the Navy and promotion; alcohol; homosexual- and led to reforms more consistent with ity; religion; and corporal punishment. “modern views on the subject,” as one Seligmann adds to a small but Admiralty Secretary noted (155). valuable body of work examining low- Seligmann also examines social er-deck life in the Victorian and Ed- aspects of the Anglo-German naval wardian Royal Navy which includes race that remain largely hidden. The Anthony Carew’s The Lower Deck and rapid growth in the number of capital the Royal Navy 1900 to 1939: The In- ships, for example, created a shortage vergordon Mutiny in Perspective, Bri- of qualified lieutenants that could only an Lavery’s Able Seamen: The Lower be met in the short term by promoting Deck in the Royal Navy, 1850-1939 and lower-deck warrant officers, men of Christopher McKee’s Sober Men and working-class backgrounds contemptu- True: Sailor Lives in the Royal Navy. ously described by Prince Louis of Bat- Like much of the British working-class tenberg, Second Sea Lord, “as a some- experience at the turn of the century, life what inferior article” (38). Moving the for the Royal Navy’s lower-deck sailors main battle fleet north to Scotland also was one of unremitting toil and poverty separated Roman Catholic and Noncon- performed, as Seligmann writes, “un- formist sailors from the churches and der strict discipline in the closed and chapels of the Navy’s southern dock- unhealthy environment of an armoured yards and dockyard towns. Denied warship” (10). Tuberculosis thrived in their own priests and ministers at sea, a the damp and crowded conditions of a domain of the Church of England alone, Book Reviews 297 these shore establishments were essen- Board of Trade and Home Secretary tial to the spiritual well-being of 30,000 under the ‘New Liberal’ government non-Anglican sailors. of Herbert Asquith and David Lloyd Indeed, before the war, the Irish Gorge, Churchill helped introduce new bishops became so concerned about regulations in the coal mines, a labour the lack of sea-going priests that they exchange, and statutory wage boards, convinced John Redmond, leader of and Seligmann argues that Churchill’s the Irish Nationalist Party, to bring the reforming ambitions did not end upon issue to Parliament, and threatened to his arrival at the Admiralty. While boycott naval recruitment in Ireland if Churchill’s influence was decisive in priests were not granted wider access to securing better pay and promotional op- Catholic sailors at sea. With the com- portunities for the lower-deck, as well ing of war, the Navy reluctantly agreed, as expanding access to naval colleges to on the wishful understanding that the a broader segment of the British pop- measure was a wartime expedience. In ulation, his significance elsewhere is reality, the “absolute monopoly of the unclear. Church of England having once been Despite the questionable value of breached,” it was never fully restored Churchill as an organizing device, how- again (136). ever, Seligmann effectively demon- The strongest chapter in Revisited, strates that the British public’s interest however, concerns the Navy’s attempt in the Royal Navy extended beyond to suppress homosexuality in its ranks. dreadnought ratios with Germany. As Victorian and Edwardian society, as a highly visible, public institution and Seligmann notes, “widely despised” the primary weapon of the British homosexuality and deployed its legal, state, the condition and behaviour of judicial and policing systems against it the lower-deck sailor was a matter of (63). The hostile attitude “was not just great interest to the nation, and unlike duplicated in the Royal Navy,” Selig- the swashbuckling figure of the eigh- mann writes, “it was taken to an even teenth-century, the modern Jack Tar greater degree of severity” (63). Naval was expected to conform to the values historians have largely failed to con- of a modern industrial society. sider homosexuality in the Royal Navy and Nicholas Rodger’s pioneering so- John Matchim cial history of the Georgian navy, The Fredericton, New Brunswick Wooden World, references it only twice. Seligmann’s research is therefore vital Paul W. Simpson. Neptune’s Car. An and long overdue, and he shows how American Legend. Adelaide, South the Navy constructed a disturbing med- Australia: Clippership Press, paulsi- ical-legal system of surveillance and [email protected], 2018. 216pp., punishment to stamp out ‘unnatural illustrations, bibliography, index. AU vice’ and ‘crimes against morality,’ fore- $15 US $8.99, paper; ISBN 978-0-244- shadowing the role of twentieth-century 30542-0. medicine as a coercive instrument. Unlike the subject of pay and pro- Paul Simpson has written another book motion, however, Churchill’s role in about ships, life and voyages in the suppressing homosexuality is unclear, great days of sail. (The last was Around and Churchill himself is hardly refer- Cape Horn Once More, reviewed in enced here at all. As President of the NM Vol XXVI No.1). This time he 298 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord tells the story of the clipper Neptune’s by burning, the fleet of beautiful -clip Car, built at Gosport, now part of Ports- pers that flew the Union flag. Then, mouth, Virginia, not far from Norfolk, like many other Union merchant ships, and completed in 1853. It was ordered Neptune’s Car was sent to England and by the New York firm of Page and Al- sold. It was not a financial success for len to a design by the famous builder the British owners as it was deteriorat- Donald MacKay and when the hull was ing and needed frequent repairs. Fol- complete, it was towed to New York for lowing one successful voyage and in fitting out. The figurehead of the sea the midst of the second in 1869, the ship god in his “car”, made of a giant scallop was abandoned as a hulk in Hong Kong. shell drawn by sea-horses, sailed the Simpson has done a valuable ser- seven seas for 16 years, about par for a vice with his spirited descriptions of softwood clipper. The ship was even- gales encountered, battles against head- tually abandoned, worn out, in Hong winds trying to round Cape Horn, and Kong harbour in 1869. the clipper’s speed in favourable winds. The new clipper’s first captain was My generation was brought up on these the notorious “Bully” Forbes, the most tales but today our population is woe- ruthless of hard-case American ship- fully ignorant of our maritime heritage. masters. He sailed it to San Francisco, The research that went into the descrip- across the Pacific to Hong Kong, then, tions of voyages is remarkable: the as no tea cargo was on offer, to Calcut- names of shipping agents, cargoes and ta for jute and back to New York. He their value, repairs needed, are all spec- was replaced for the second voyage by ified. One might think the author had the capable and respected Joshua Pat- access to the original logbooks and led- ten, who took his wife Mary Ann Pat- gers but that information was probably ten along, but it was on the third voy- gleaned from the Shipping News pages age that Neptune’s Car became famous of contemporary newspapers. (There when Captain Patten fell seriously ill. are 12 pages of bibliography). The nu- With a mutinous and treacherous first merous illustration−photographs and mate locked in his cabin, the young and reproductions of contemporary engrav- pregnant Mrs. Patten took command ings and lithographs−are very clear, and and, with the aid of an illiterate sec- well chosen. They do a lot to evoke the ond mate, brought the ship round Cape flavour of the times. Horn and onward to San Francisco. She Nevertheless, there are problems. became quite a celebrity at the time, but Some of Simpson’s descriptions be- the Pattens were treated rather shabbily come rather repetitive: the ship is of- by the owners. ten rocketing along−well, she was fast. Between 1853 and 1862 the clipper Some slangy terms grate a bit from made six very long voyages under var- overuse: Cape Horn is ‘Cape Stiff’ the ious captains. Forbes came back again anchor is the ‘mudhook’, the pilot boat at one point, his mates ruling with be- is ‘farewelled’. After introduction, the laying pins and brass knuckles, which ship’s masters are referred to by their provoked a mutiny in Singapore. In first names rather than their last. (I find 1862 came the Civil War. Neptune’s it difficult to think of Bully Forbes as Car was in San Francisco but made it David). And there are the typos and mi- back to New York without encountering nor nautical errors, lots of them: about any of the Confederate commerce raid- one every six pages or so. And numer- ers which were deliberately destroying, ical errors−a lot of zeros seem to have Book Reviews 299 spontaneously arisen. San Francisco is tuated with references to contemporary not 24000 miles from the equator but newspapers and other periodicals. For 2400, and the given value of the car- some reason the author (and publish- goes often seem to have gathered extra ers?) have chosen to treat the Official zeros as well. These problems were not Records of the War of the Rebellion so apparent in Around Cape Horn Once (and of the Union and Confederate More. What this otherwise wonderful Navies in the War of the Rebellion) as book needed, before it went to print, original citations, which then follow as was a knowledgeable editor. abbreviations, at the start of each chap- ter. There are also quite a number of C. Douglas Maginley. punctuation and editing mistakes; one Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia illustration caption, for example, notes the Union naval assault upon Confed- Myron J. Smith, Jr., Joseph Brown erate Island Number Ten on the Missis- and His Civil War Ironclads: The USS sippi commencing on April 16 [1862] Chillicothe, Indianola and Tuscumbia. and ‘successfully concluded on April Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Compa- 7’ (59). The accepted dates are Febru- ny, Inc., www.mcfarlandpublishing. ary 28 – April 8). Often the narrative com, 2017. 396 pp., illustrations, maps, switches between first-, second- and notes, bibliography, index. US $39.95, third-person. In all, the research is paper; ISBN: 978-0-7864-9576-4. mostly a compendium review of pub- lished works and primary sources with Professor Smith is a fairly prolific au- some references to personal paper col- thor on a relatively unexplored cor- lections, but no reference to U.S. archi- ner of the American Civil War by sea val sources, namely the Record Groups and river, the Brown Water ironclads (and especially RG 19, Records of the of the Union Navy (and Army) which Bureau of Construction, Equipment, fought in the western theatre. This lat- and Repair); something which distin- est effort represents in many ways his guished Donald Canney’s study from best effort so far, incorporating many 1993, The Old Steam Navy (Vol. 2, years of background research and The Ironclads, 1842-1885). In Febru- publications. As the title promises, it ary 1863, for example, the chiefs of the is a biography of both Scottish-born Bureau of Construction and Repair and shipbuilder and entrepreneur Joseph of Yards and Docks responded to Secre- Brown and his three ironclad-gunboats tary of the Navy, Gideon Welles, wheth- built for service along the Mississippi, er more gunboats would be needed in Chillicothe, Indianola and Tuscumbia ‘Western Waters’, and if so, wouldn’t from 1863. Other vessels are left for a permanent government navy yard fa- previous works, but neither is there a cilitate their creation and maintenance larger discussion of naval warfare of better than private contractors? At that the mid-nineteenth century nor Union stage, the navy had contracted some 16 strategy and tactics in riverine warfare; wood- and iron-hulled ironclads and so students of all ages will have to look all were built by private contract on elsewhere. the Mississippi and its tributaries. A Endnote-citations, like the narrative government yard, in their estimation, itself, are dense and filled with many in- would indeed produce men-of-war teresting trails of inquiry for readers to which would cost no more than those explore, and they are especially punc- built by private shipbuilders, and yet 300 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ‘with proper superintendence…the Gauging the actual ‘success’ of work would be better done’. To build these three vessels—and their build- and equip such a site, however, would er—thus remains difficult, despite this take at least “$500,000”, and this goes a addition to the literature. The author long way towards explaining the nature tells a good, straightforward narrative, of many of the ironclad-gunboats and with a wide range of photos, illus- ‘tinclads’ built by the North during the trations and maps. Often the story is Civil War and their subsequent careers more about how they avoided disasters (see 5 February 1863, Lenthall and (or not, in the case of the Indianola, or Smith to Welles, US National Archives, the Red River Campaign of 1864) than Washington, D.C., Record Group 45, inflicted real damage upon Confed- ‘Letters Received by the Secretary of erate forces. In that sense, they were the Navy from Chiefs of Navy Bureaus, perhaps symbolic of problems which 1842-1885’). plagued all Union forces in at least the As Canney observed, ‘the western first years of the Civil War. But their river vessels present considerable frus- ultimate significance is also made plain: tration: few documents or plans have they were built by private enterprise in been found, insufficient to give a com- haste, deep within the continent at plac- plete picture of these unusual war boats’ es like Cincinnati, Ohio, and success- (Old Steam Navy, 95). Smith also notes fully launched within months of their his three ironclads were built quite ex- initial contract date. The South, by temporaneously, with very beamy scow contrast, could only dream of such ca- hulls, drawing only four-feet of water pabilities, and more often burned their in the case of the Chillicothe, and un- incomplete ironclads upon the stocks to wieldy. Known as the ‘Broad Giant’, avoid capture. The three gunboats also Tuscumbia’s width of over 75-feet was managed to support the Union Army as extraordinarily 42% her length and re- need be, and provided a grim, inexora- quired a centre-line paddle-box along ble presence wherever they could float. with two screws which were more for This was in many respects the essence manoeuvring power than propulsion. of gunboat, Brown Water or littoral But in addition to shallow draught, the warfare; for as shoddy as many of these U.S. Navy stipulated the ability to car- naval productions were—as hellish as it ry very heavy naval ordnance such as was to serve aboard them in inhospita- the 11-inch Dahlgren gun, weighing ble, disease-ridden climates—actually 7½ tons and mounted to allow for fire responding to the threat they posed was straight across the bow (of which the even more problematic. Tuscumbia carried three in her forward casemate, behind three-inches of slop- Howard Fuller ing iron plate.) This was partially in Wolverhampton (UK) response to the threat posed by heavily armed and armoured Confederate iron- Ian Speller. Understanding Naval War- clad-rams, such as the CSS Arkansas, fare. London, UK: Routledge (Taylor which so surprised daring Union naval & Francis Group) www.routledge.com, commanders such as Porter and Far- 2014. xiv + 218pp., figures, tables, ragut in the summer of 1862. The ex- appendices, bibliography, index. US tended range of the shell-firing 11-inch $43.95, paper; ISBN 978-0-415-52345- Dahlgrens also made them valuable for 5 shore bombardment. Book Reviews 301 In writing Understanding Naval War- war. An excellent resource on this par- fare, Ian Speller set for himself the task ticular issue may be found in Nicholas of creating a book which would ensure Tracy’s A Two-Edged Sword: The Navy that readers would be as prepared as as an Instrument of Canadian Foreign possible when entering the realm of na- Policy (Montreal & Kingston: Mc- val warfare studies. Modern maritime Gill-Queen’s University Press, 2012). warfare is influenced heavily by ever Part Two discusses the act of con- more complex and specialized tech- ducting naval warfare itself. In Part nology, tactical reforms, and political Two, Speller seeks to determine the influence. The last 120 years have argu- validity of established naval theories, ably seen more revolutionary progress and what has changed, and what has in naval warfare than at any other time, not. With this in mind, Part Two be- and as tactile reforms occur, so too does gins with an assessment of how navies naval theory. It is with this in mind that have tried to control the sea (sea lines of Speller prefaces his book. Understand- communication, or SLOCs are relevant ing Naval Warfare is laid out with that here); the exploitation of the sea in the exact goal in mind: he explores the role contexts of sealift, blockades and em- of navies in the modern period, falling bargos in both in the particular realm of broadly between 1900 and the present, civilian maritime shipping and the mil- and how theory has affected change and itary; how navies have projected power stagnation in naval circles. Specifically, from the sea onto the land; and finally Part One discusses the theory of naval the myriad ways navies can police the warfare; while Part Two discusses the world’s oceans. Speller also address- act of conducting maritime warfare. es how navies and naval practice may Speller works from the premise that change in aspect and in execution in the naval warfare is delineated by the na- future. This last discussion, appearing ture of the sea, and therefore acts on the in chapter nine, is of particular interest sea influences what occurs on land, and for it discusses the capability and effi- that these two desiderata influence both cacy of navies to meet the goals they theory and technology. Chapters one are assigned as military, economic, and through four address how the nature of socio-political changes occur globally. the sea impacts maritime strategy, the While understandable consid- dominant theories extant from the mid- ering the language gap, Ian Speller’s 1800s, to the present day. He illustrates greatest error in Understanding Naval the development of the predominate Warfare is that he does not address the “Anglo-American” maritime tradition naval theory and practices of the occi- became central to modern naval war- dent: attention to Chinese, Japanese, fare. Further, Part One discusses tradi- and Indian approaches to maritime tions that lie outside the Anglo-Ameri- warfare, for instance, are conspicu- can tradition, and the use of it and those ously absent. As an example, Japan is outlying traditions’ effect on the inter- mentioned on one occasion, on a single pretation and analysis of the maritime page. While this can be mitigated to a components of the First and Second low degree with supplemental reading World Wars. Tying these components (such as Vincent O’Hara and Richard together, Speller illustrates how navies Worth’s eighth chapter, “Other Navies,” have been and are used as instruments in Vincent O’Hara and W. David Dick- of national policy – and of agents of son [eds.], To Crown the Waves: The international policy – in peacetime and Great Navies of the First World War, 302 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord [Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, as a detective story. Each page offers 2013]), readers are in fact receiving yet another fascinating fact or anecdote only the abridged version of modern na- in prose that is accessible but informed val warfare primary studies: the West- by solid research. ern edition, as it were. Irrespective of its The public is often intrigued by deliberate or accidental omission from women who went to sea in disguise Speller’s book, contexts in which analy- and Stark provides ample material on ses of East Asian methods of naval war- them through case studies, such as that fare in the twenty-first century became of “The Gentlewoman Anne Cham- overt only as Speller’s primer went to berlyne” who joined her brother’s ship press: issues of state-sponsored piracy, in 1690 and went into battle against the and the Spratly Islands affair, inclusive French. Another woman at sea, Hannah of the free-transit debate attached to the Snell, a marine, remained undiscovered islands, are only now budding academic even through her post-battle stay in hos- analyses: surely military assessments of pital in Cuddalore, India in 1748-49. East Asian naval policies existed before The question on all our minds is: how they became important publically, but was this possible? Stark cites the casual these resources are seldom easily ac- and cursory nature of everything in the cessible contemporaneously to civilian navy, from recruitment to medical treat- researchers. ment, which facilitated such impostur- With that caveat, Understanding ing. Interestingly, there was some sym- Naval Warfare should be considered pathy for these female sailors whenever a valuable aid for researchers seeking they were discovered. Charles Waddell a starting point for their work into is- was about to be punished for desertion sues of modern naval warfare. Speller until ‘he’ was unmasked as a woman discusses the predominant theories un- and then spared a flogging. In addition, derpinning modern naval warfare, and female transvestites were long tolerat- their development and place in Western ed−in contrast to male homosexuality naval warfare. He presents, explains, which, from the Middle Ages, was pun- and initiates the reader to the jargon ishable by death. of the field, and finally shows how all Most of the individual stories in- of these components are entwined. Ian cluded in Female Tars are short, but Speller set for himself the task of creat- Stark’s final chapter includes the autobi- ing a primer to naval studies, and he has ography of servant girl Mary Lacy, alias clearly succeeded. William Chandler, who served in the Royal Navy for 12 years. This account Ambjörn L. Adomeit was published in 1773 as The History London, Ontario of the Female Shipwright; to Whom the Government has Granted a Super- Suzanne J. Stark. Female Tars. Women annuated Pension of Twenty Pounds Aboard Ship in the Age of Sail. Annap- per Annum, during Her Life; Written olis, MD: Naval Institute Press, www. by Herself, and then almost forgotten. usni.org, 2017. (Originally published Lacy was small in stature and boyish in 1996.) ix+ 207 pp., illustrations, notes, appearance; she was literate, a lesbian, index. US $18.95, paper; ISBN 978-1- and a fully qualified shipwright, having 59114-572-1. (E-book available.) trained for seven years at Portsmouth Dockyard. Lacy described how she Suzanne Stark’s history of women in lived in fear of being found out: “[One Britain’s Royal Navy is as compelling Book Reviews 303 morning when] I went to the dock it ships’ officers by sending large num- was whispered about that I was a wom- bers of female slaves to their ships to be an, which threw me into a most terrible used sexually. fright, believing that some of the boys Despite its obvious hazards, like were going to search me” (158). Lacy disease, the Admiralty deliberately ig- wrote that she married a Mr. Slade after nored prostitution on board ship for her time at sea, but a lot of uncertainty centuries. Sexual activity was one of surrounds this claim, which would have the few pleasures available to seamen in been out of character, as Stark explains; the Royal Navy; most men were press- indeed, Mr. Slade has never been iden- ganged into service, disease on board tified. ship was rife, the lower decks were Women in disguise in naval crews filthy and airless, and discipline was were not the only women on board ship. harsh. Clean and dry quarters were not In 1666, Admiral John Mennes com- provided until the early 1800s when na- plained to Samuel Pepys that there were val reform took hold. This reform, and as many petticoats as breeches on board the cessation of conflict with France af- (5). Horatio Nelson wrote in 1801 that ter 1815, meant that there were fewer he looked forward to getting rid of all women on board ship. the women, dogs, and pigeons on board Prostitutes on British naval vessels (7). Besides women sailors, two other might live alongside seamen’s wives categories of women on ships appear in and entire families, the result being pan- Stark’s book: prostitutes and seamen’s demonium and not the cleanliness and wives; and women of the lower deck. order with which we associate modern The British Navy was considered the navies. The line between being a wife country’s strongest exclusively male and a prostitute was thin at times, as a preserve, based on the ancient belief wife might turn to prostitution when that the sea was no place for a woman her husband was at sea. There was, of and that a female presence on board course, a hierarchy among seamen’s ship brought bad luck. Yet women have wives and the women’s names were not been going to sea since at least 1377, recorded; nor were the women given when a British fleet set out to attack the rations, which made for a desperate ex- Spanish (49). There were many women istence. Writing over twenty years ago, aboard British naval ships through the Stark asserts that sexual harassment late-seventeenth century to the middle was rare, given the presence of male of the nineteenth century, representing protectors and the lack of reports. This a nearly 300-year tradition. conclusion seems naïve now, especially According to Stark, most of these as the author herself notes that homo- women were prostitutes who lived with sexuality occurred, despite its prohibi- crew members below decks whenever a tion. ship was in port. Although the practice In the main, though, Stark has was not unknown, these women rare- successfully provided us with a rich ly went to sea. Many of these women glimpse into a fascinating era and this were very young teenagers. Harken- material is presented in an engaging ing back to Biblical times, a poor Brit- manner. This book has wide appeal for ish woman without a man to support anyone with an interest in marine histo- her was an outcast with few economic ry and/or gender studies. choices, save prostitution. In the West Indies, plantation owners often obliged Maura Hanrahan Lethbridge, Alberta 304 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Robert C. Stern. The Battleship Hol- preceded in Italy by Vittorio Cuniberti’s iday: The Naval Treaties and Capital innovative design of the Regina Elena Ship Design. Barnsley, S. Yorks.: Sea- class, which was only eclipsed by the forth Publishing, www.pen-and-sword. Dreadnought because of the political co.uk, 2017. 272 pp., illustrations, and economic constraints Italy faced in maps, tables appendix, notes, bibliogra- building capital ships. phy, index. UK £35, cloth; ISBN 978-1- While navies continued with bat- 84832-344-5. (E-book available.) tleship construction even after the start of the war in August 1914, operational performance quickly took over as the This is a book with a greater ambit than dominant force shaping capital ship de- its title might suggest. Rather than just sign. Here, the Battle of Jutland takes focusing on the impact of the post-First centre stage in Stern’s narrative, as it World War naval limitations treaties on served for all sides as the best test of battleship development, Robert Stern the contesting concepts that determined provides his readers with “a discussion how the technologies were applied to of the evolution of the design of capital such vessels. Yet, while the British ships . . . in the first half of the twentieth deliberately suspended work on HMS century.”(10) Though Stern concen- Hood in the aftermath of the battle or- trates on the interwar period, he goes der to incorporate its lessons, growing beyond even his stated coverage by demands on men and materiel gradual- starting with the emergence of ironclad ly slowed construction on all sides, thus warships during the 1860s and their delaying the implementation of any impact upon the development of capi- changes. Once peace eliminated these tal ships in the subsequent decades of constraints, the naval construction pro- the nineteenth century. He analyzes the gram of the United States threatened to process of change by detailing the inter- initiate a new naval arms race that the action of three factors: technology, di- British, in particular, could ill afford. plomacy, and operational performance, This factor, coupled with the belief that all of which played significant roles in the last arms race had contributed to the the process of warship development. debilitating conflict recently ended, left The influence these factors exert- all sides amenable to the idea of a naval ed was neither equal nor consistent. In arms agreement. the decades before the First World War, With the start of naval arms control technology was the dominant factor talks, diplomacy now became the key driving capital ship design, as advance- factor in battleship design. Stern’s de- ments in metallurgy and propulsion scription of the 1921-2 Washington Na- made possible dramatic improvements val Conference forms the heart of the in warship development. At times, war- book, and his summary of the proceed- ships under construction would be al- ings captures the ebb and flow of nego- tered on the slip as plans were altered in tiations that subsequently shaped the order to take into account the latest in- world’s major navies. While he focuses novations. Yet even this could not pre- on the exchanges between the primary vent already obsolete ships from being powers of the United States, Great Brit- launched. As Stern states, no one na- ain, and Japan, he also takes the space tion drove this, as many advances were to cover the French and Italian posi- adopted simultaneously by different tions. Once the treaty limitations were countries. Even the eponymous Brit- established, the three main powers set ish battleship HMS Dreadnought was Book Reviews 305 about cancelling orders and conduct- his interest will find much to enjoy with ing live-fire exercises on incomplete this book, which offers a new way of hulls to test protection schemes. Yet considering the often intricate dynam- the system of naval arms control quick- ics that shaped the design of battleships ly came under stress, with the Germans during their era of dominance. straining against the Versailles-imposed restrictions on warship construction Mark Klobas and a follow-up conference in Geneva Phoenix, Arizona in 1927 ending in failure. Though the London Conference three years later Adrian Stewart. The War with Hitler’s achieved its more modest limitation Navy. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen and goals, the pressure to replace aging Sword Maritime, www.pen-and-sword. battleships ensured that there was no co.uk, 2018. 212 pp., illustrations, extension of the Washington Treaty’s maps, notes, bibliography, index. UK construction “holiday” when it expired £19.99, US $34.95, cloth; ISBN 978-1- in 1936. Now with only the constraints 5267-1057-4. on tonnage as a limit—and even those ignored by the Japanese—the signa- It was with some interest that I read tories proceeded with construction on Adrian Stewart’s The War With Hitler’s new designs that embodied the lessons Navy—a surprisingly slender volume, assimilated the decade before. Stern’s considering the comprehensiveness of regret that these post-treaty battleships its title and the thousands upon thou- never really faced off against each oth- sands of pages previously written about er in combat is palpable, yet the loss of the topic. Stewart’s British publisher, so many interwar capital ships to air Pen & Sword, lists at least 24 directly power underscored the reality that by related books in its current catalogue, the 1940s, technology had superseded including one with a very similar title, diplomacy to render the battleship ob- Hitler’s Navy! The appetite for the top- solete. ic seems inexhaustible. So why would By adopting a method that avoids one want to read Cambridge-educated the standard nationally-defined ap- Stewart’s version, in particular? proach towards studying battleship As a post-war baby boomer, I even- design in favour of one that considers tually developed a deep sense of that the broader factors involved, Stern pro- dreadful struggle against Nazi and Fas- vides his readers with an interesting cist totalitarianism. Three uncles served overview of capital ship development in the Royal Canadian Air Force; one in the twentieth century. His text is was shot down and killed in 1944. In accessible, with technical details often an early 1960s Grade Eight mandatory supplemented by pictures and diagrams creativity project, I sang a duo with my that help convey the point. Yet Stern’s similarly nerdy, history-enthused buddy writing possesses a degree of informal- Andy, a rousing performance of coun- ity that can distract from his focus, es- try and western artist Johnny Horton’s pecially when he deviates from the nar- great hit, Sink the Bismarck. rative for almost conversational asides. “In May of nineteen forty-one the war had Occasionally this works, occasionally just begun it does not, but it never fails to convey The Germans had the biggest ship, they had a sense of the passion Stern so clearly the biggest guns has for his subject. Those who share The Bismarck was the fastest ship that ever sailed the sea 306 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord On her deck were guns as big as steers and of his ability that in such a slim volume shells as big as trees …” he combines overall strategic views [Sink the Bismarck lyrics © Universal Music and sharp political perceptions with Publishing Group] specific battle descriptions, technical While I am not an expert on the discussions and personal (sometimes Kriegsmarine, Nazi Germany’s succes- amusing) anecdotes that tie everything sor to the Imperial German Navy of the together in a neat package. Direct First World War, as a young man I read quotes are end-noted in each chapter. voraciously about Bismarck, Scharn- The book has a decent selection of horst, the armed merchant raider At- photographs including both ships and lantis and U-boat ‘Aces,’ such as Jost individuals, and their captions general- Metzler, with La Vache Qui Rit (The ly add value, though there are a couple Laughing Cow) painted on the conning of errors misidentifying ships. Grat- tower of U-69. Whenever I buy cheese ifying to me in a more parochial way, I am still reminded of the horrific Battle was Stewart’s reasonably even-handed of the Atlantic and twelve doughty little description of the RCN’s important, if corvettes built in my hometown, Kings- initially somewhat ham-fisted contribu- ton, Ontario, which went to war in the tions to winning the Battle of the Atlan- Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Two tic. I do quibble with his statement that would not return. Canadians “tended to allow themselves The book will not interest histo- to be diverted from their main duty of rians who are already experts on the sticking close to the merchantmen … topic. Its nine chapters are organized instead embarking on vain hunts for chronologically, beginning with a brief submarines that had been reported in discussion of the limitations on German their vicinity.”(130) In one of the more naval power in the 1919 Treaty of Ver- notorious incidents of that sort, U-69 sailles and how various violations of it torpedoed Newfoundland ferry SS Car- that allowed the Kriegsmarine to begin ibou in 1942 and the commander of to build up a new fleet. Grand Admi- escorting Bangor-class minesweeper, ral Raeder had planned sufficient naval HMCS Grandmère, was criticized for construction, including aircraft carriers, attempting to ram the surfaced U-boat to allow Germany to challenge Britain and then spending two hours hunting it in 1944, but it was not to be. Stewart instead of stopping to pick up survivors. describes well the resulting piecemeal, Indeed, the Flag Officer of the New- sometimes tentative, deployment and foundland Force noted that attacking destruction of Germany’s small but still U-boats in such situations was normal formidable surface fleet, battle by bat- operational doctrine. Stewart levels tle, beginning with Admiral Graf Spee rather more reasonable criticism (he is in 1939. The U-boat war, the only thing not alone) at the inexperienced RCN “that ever really frightened” Churchill, corvette commander who notoriously has two chapters to itself. abandoned convoy SC 42 to save a pre- Stewart writes smoothly and profes- cious torpedoed tanker by towing it to sionally, befitting an author with more Iceland. than a half-dozen war-related books on In spite of these being well- an eclectic variety of subjects. In this ploughed historical waters, some of case, he also has the good sense not to the anecdotes were intriguingly new to reinvent the wheel, judiciously deploy- me, such as the Royal Air Force con- ing quotes from other well-known texts sidering battle cruisers Scharnhorst and rather than redo these. It is a measure Book Reviews 307 Gneisenau the “Ugly Sisters” of the Stewart’s lively narrative cap- Kriegsmarine (108). My own view is tures readers by pulling them through that many of the modern German war- events as they take place. It recreates ships were rather elegantly designed, the unfolding drama of a ship carrying particularly compared to Washington hundreds of people being ripped apart Treaty-truncated British battleships during its unexpected collision with such as HMS Rodney. The final chapter the punishing waves and wind which on Baltic actions near the end of the war accompanied the Great Hurricane of was also relatively new and interesting. 1853. In the equally gripping after- One thing unfortunately absent was math, heroic acts by individuals, such anything of an epilogue stating the au- as Captain James T. Watkins, are sil- thor’s overall conclusions about how houetted against the slothful cowardice the Kriegsmarine had been deployed, and ignorance of others. though such observations are to some Stewart enhances this genre of extent woven through the book’s fab- nautical history with his accumulated ric. Overall, I think Shepherd’s book knowledge of American shipbuilding well worth reading; the drama, horror during the nineteenth century. He ex- and heroism of the times are evoked in plains various ship and engine struc- an understated way, as are the effects of tures simply, to give novice readers a Hitler’s personal direction of his war, sense of surroundings and an under- which helped to sink his vainglorious standing of mechanisms at work. His dream of a Thousand Year Reich in just detailed descriptions of various engine six catastrophically bloody years. parts illustrate why the ship could not be repaired and then he adds to it with David More eyewitness testimony and speculation Kingston, Ontario regarding the seaworthiness of this ves- sel as it departed New York harbour. John Stewart. The Wreck of the San Court testimony and safety reports give Francisco. Disaster and Aftermath additional credibility to Stewart’s de- in the Great Hurricane of December scriptions. 1853. Jefferson, NC: McFarland Pub- The author devotes a chapter to lishing, www.mcfarlandbooks.com, each day within the storyline, begin- 2018. v+250 pp., appendix, notes, bib- ning on 22 December 1853 with the liography, index. US $39.95, paper; steamship’s maiden voyage out of New ISBN 978-1-4766-7410-0. (E-book York and ending with the return of sur- available.) vivors to this same harbour on 14 Jan- uary 1854. By means of this day-by- day style, Stewart describes the public Author John Stewart brings to life the court-martial proceedings against Colo- narrative experiences of men, women nel William Gates, accused of coward- and children traveling aboard the steam- ice and failure to organize and lead his ship San Francisco as they encounter a men. He describes the arrival of pas- deadly hurricane. The Wreck of the San sengers with press releases, which were Francisco, which retells this disaster at full of speculation regarding the fate of sea, pieces together newspaper reports, the San Francisco passengers, as each memoirs, ship logs, court testimony, group of rescued individuals arrived and other preserved documentation to in port. For this reason, the chapters form a historically accurate nautical ac- are predominantly short, resembling a count. 308 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord memoir account rather than a tradition- the mid-1800s. The author’s use of al history. Within these chapters, the comfortable adjectives such as “half- author describes rescue attempts, ship’s baked” and “big player” keep the nar- condition as viewed by rescuers, and rative flow enjoyable. But references to the deaths of the victims. mechanisms used on steamships of that During the violent hurricane a wave era and complications involved in the lifted up and demolished 24 staterooms, transition from sail to steam power on carrying the entire structure and an es- the open sea reveal the author’s schol- timated 150 travelers overboard. The arly research. Stewart also provides a death toll, however, increased substan- frightening description of cholera and tially during the days following this its ability to kill many confined individ- storm. Hunger and thirst accompanied uals within a short period of time. The a cholera epidemic, which further ter- inclusion of a deadly disease within the rorized the exhausted individuals on story serves to highlight the dangers board the San Francisco, killing an ad- of sea travel while providing a realis- ditional 60 passengers. Many military tic evaluation of the risks involved in recruits were traveling on the San Fran- settling the west via travel by sea. One cisco when disaster struck. They man- can understand the context surrounding aged to escape this disaster and then, decisions to desert the military rather within weeks, were ordered to board than risk an extended sea voyage. The the Falcon, a vessel which also experi- Wreck of the San Francisco. Disaster enced engine failure while at sea. and Aftermath in the Great Hurricane Characters come to life, their of December 1853 joins a series of non- desperation vividly revealed in this fiction books by Stewart which span a page-turning tale. Thanks to Stew- variety of topics, including historic fig- art’s sharp physical descriptions of ures, places and events. His engaging the passengers and a summary of their style paired with an excellent research backgrounds, he enables his readers to criterion naturally welcomes the expan- empathize with the characters as each sion of Stewart’s audience. traumatic detail is revealed. Readers learn about several historically import- Diana Ritzie ant individuals who narrowly missed Pensacola, Florida being part of the passenger list, such as John Bell Hood, a future Confederate General in the Civil War, and future U. William Stewart. Admirals of the World. S. Secretary of War, William T. Sher- A Bibliographical Dictionary, 1500 to man. Finally, the author provides clo- the Present. Jefferson, NC: McFarland sure by presenting a research epilogue & Co. Inc., www.mcfarlandpub.com, that follows up on the stories of some 2018. ix+335 pp., appendices, sources, of the survivors. Several were veterans index. US $55.00, paper; ISBN 978-1- of the Civil War while many others be- 7864-3809-9. (E-book available.) gan families and settled in New York or California. The inclusion of such William Stewart’s Admirals of the World personal information adds a welcome is a comprehensive introductory guide depth to this narrative. to numerous admirals, from 22 coun- Overall, the book presents an ex- tries, and a very useful first stepping cellent introduction to nautical disas- stone to further research. Each admi- ter and the dangers of sea travel during ral is introduced with basic background Book Reviews 309 information concerning his/her career, the careers of the admirals. He assesses with additional sources catalogued for their contributions to their communities further research. Stewart includes only along with other notable achievements, admirals who achieved their rank while and even actions that were not favour- in the reserves or on active service, able at the time. The work is incredibly omitting those who were granted the user friendly, as it uses minimal mari- rank upon retirement or death. time-specific vocabulary. The admirals The information on each admiral are listed in two different formats; by varies in depth, based on the amount of nationality in Appendix A, and then by information available. Topics covered their year of birth in Appendix B. Both for all admirals include the different ca- appendices then guide the reader to the pacity each filled, the years they served, appropriate pages. and in which positions; basic individ- The book’s foreword notes that ual information includes their signifi- countries that were previously part of cant contributions during their career other nations may not be called by their and how they ascended through the modern name; for instance, depending ranks. Each admiral’s short biography on the time-frame, Irish admirals may- acknowledges any substantial actions, be listed as British, or admirals from success or failures during his/her career. the Ottoman Empire listed as Turkish. Further, the work details an admi- Stewart’s attention to detail and ac- ral’s relationship with others, including knowledgement reveals his intention other contemporaneous admirals. For from the outset; he admits upfront that instance, the book lists three genera- quite a few of his sources are websites, tions of Cochrane men, Sir Alexander justifying it by noting that he vetted Forrester Inglis, Sir Thomas John Co- each website. He also notes where the chrane, and Thomas Cochrane, Tenth websites conflict, listing each site and Earl of Dundonald, two of whom held allowing the reader to further investi- Royal Navy commands in the Atlantic gate any disparity. His goal is clearly to theatre during the early years of the be as accurate as possible. It is import- American Republic. During the An- ant to realize that although some of his glo-American War of 1812, Sir George records date from the 1500’s, they were Cockburn carried on the plan origi- not necessarily dutifully kept. There- nally implemented by Sir Alexander fore, any disparity is more likely due to Cochrane, to recruit members of the the record-keeping of the era than the maroon community (former slaves and author’s conscientiousness. their descendants) in Spanish Florida to This book is a welcome addition attack the southern region of the United to maritime literature, helping readers States. gain a primary understanding of differ- The author’s introduction lays out ent admirals throughout the ages and an the parameters of the book, explain- appreciation for the career commitment ing it would be impossible to list all and service positions that were gener- admirals from every nation, although ally required prior to advancing to the he diligently tries to include as many rank of admiral. He also successfully countries as possible and both male navigates political waters, acknowledg- and female admirals. He clarifies that ing both the triumphs and failures of although admirals are involved in war- certain admirals. By not focusing solely fare, this book is not devoted to war, on warfare, the author allows readers to rather it concentrates on the lives and obtain a fundamental understanding of 310 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord naval hierarchy without being weighed destinations. Moreover, the RM forced down by the politics of war. British shipping to avoid the short- er Mediterranean route and go around Jane Plummer the Cape of Good Hope and through Pensacola, Florida the Suez Canal. Finally, RM cruisers saw action in the naval battles of Ca- Mark Stille. Italian Cruisers of World labria, Cape Spada, Cape Spartiviento, War II. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publish- Matapan, the First and Second Battles ing, www.ospreypublishing.com, 2018. of Sirte, Pantelleria and other actions. 48 pp., illustrations, tables, bibliog- This is far from a record of non-combat. raphy, index. UK £10.99; US $18.00, Balancing this record were oth- CDN $24.00, paper; ISBN 978-1-4728- er faults—the heavy cruisers were not 2535-3. well-armoured and were subject to battle damage; for example, not one of During the Second World War, Brit- the RM’s heavy cruisers withstood a ish radio often broadcast the following torpedo strike. The light cruisers were statement: “While the United States similarly under-armoured; two classes Navy drinks whiskey and the British of light cruisers, the Condottieri cruis- Navy prefers rum, the Italian Navy ers, were poorly designed and disliked sticks to port.” Of the three Italian by the RM from the very beginning of armed forces, army, air force, and navy, the war. Three subsequent light cruiser Mussolini’s navy, the Regia Marina, classes—Montecuccoli, Duca d’Aos- (Royal Navy—RM) was the best pre- ta, and Garibaldi—were improved de- pared to enter the war but has been the signs and generally were equal to light least studied in English. Mark Stille’s cruisers of any other navy. Of the six Italian Cruisers of World War II helps cruisers of these classes built, five of to remove that omission. them survived the war. Another strange The RM lacked two vital compo- feature of RM ships was that the guns nents in the Second World War: aircraft of twin-gun turrets were mounted so carriers and ship-mounted radar until closely together that when fired, the 1943. Furthermore, oil was not in great shells interfered with each other caus- supply in Fascist Italy, so the combi- ing salvo dispersion and inaccuracies. nation of these factors put the RM at a While the weapons and fire control sys- great disadvantage when facing Brit- tems themselves were of excellent qual- ain’s Royal Navy. ity and reliability, RM gunners had little When Italy entered the war in June, chance to practice gunnery and their hit 1940, the RM possessed seven heavy rate was fairly low when compared to cruisers and twelve modern light cruis- the British Royal Navy. ers, as well as two ex-German Navy Stille’s book is a very good intro- First World War cruisers which had duction to the story of RM cruisers in been modernized. An additional three the First World War. Following the light cruisers were added to the RM standard Osprey New Vanguard format, fleet during the war, for an overall total the author relates the background of the of 24 cruisers. Contrary to British pro- RM, and its strategy, then moves on to paganda, these vessels saw much active cruiser design, then weapons and fire service in the Mediterranean; almost all control systems. Thirteen pages occu- Axis convoys from Italy to Axis forces py narratives of the RM cruisers which in North Africa arrived at their intended show that the RM was not in the least Book Reviews 311 a passive force, but part of an actual previous book on RM battleships in this fleet-in-being. The book then contains series (Osprey New Vanguard #182, sections on RM heavy and light cruis- Italian Battleships of World War II) and ers. Within each section, each class of is recommended. This reviewer hopes cruiser is discussed with construction that Stille will continue his study of the dates and specifications, which include Second World War RM with successor displacement, armament, dimensions, volumes on RM destroyers, torpedo propulsion, range, and crew, and then boats, and submarines. each cruiser class’s operational history is revealed along with the eventual fate Robert L. Shoop of each ship within that class. Colorado Springs, Colorado The book is heavily illustrated with photographs of each cruiser accompa- Jeremy Stöhs. The Decline of European nied by good captions. Side-view co- Naval Forces. Challenges to Sea Power lour plates show the cruisers at various in an Age of Fiscal Austerity and Po- stages of their service and the camou- litical Uncertainty. Annapolis, MD: flage patterns applied during the war. Naval Institute Press, www.usni.org, Two plates depict RM cruisers in action 2018. xix+290 pp., tables, notes, bibli- and a cutaway of heavy cruiser Pola ography, index. US $36.95, cloth; ISBN provides excellent detail. The plates 978-1-68247-308-5. and photographs will assist modelers and historians. The impression left by these illustrations is that RM cruisers Jeremy Stöhs and his publisher have were very good-looking, giving the im- produced a most timely book with an pression of speed and balanced design. extremely accurate title. The Decline The integration of textual and visual ma- of European Naval Forces begins with terial—photographs and plates—adds an irrefutable explanation of the impor- much to the book and gives the reader tance of sea power in the modern world; a clear image of RM cruisers. The book namely, we live in a global environment is sufficiently detailed to provide an ex- where 70 percent of the planet is water, cellent introduction to this subject for and 90 percent of commerce and trade those unfamiliar with RM cruisers and moves over that water. Sea power has an excellent reference work for those been crucial historically, as Stöhs refers more knowledgeable. to The Influence of Sea Power Upon Stille is a retired U.S. Navy offi- History, 1660–1783 by American schol- cer and knows his material. He writes ar-admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, who well, gets right to the point, and is an- recognized the immense importance of alytical in his approach, identifying the naval strength to a nation’s standing and strengths and weaknesses of the RM security as far back as 1890. The turn cruiser fleet. And he makes one final of the twentieth century was the zenith point—while the Nazi German and Im- of the “New Navalism” as the European perial Japanese Navies were extinct at naval powers raced to strengthen their the end of the Second World War, the respective fleets and protect their global RM had ten of its 24 cruisers still in ex- empires. istence in 1945—enough to provide the The book traces the steep decline of nucleus of a fleet for a post-war Italian European naval power over the last 25 Navy. years, essentially since the end of the This book complements Stille’s Cold War. Stöhs concentrates on Brit- 312 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ish, French, Italian, and Spanish navies, pean power. Cutting-edge ship designs reviewing smaller European naval pow- and shipbuilding are strong national as- ers in much less detail. sets for Italy. The British Royal Navy (RN) comes The last substantial naval power to under heavy criticism for its sharp de- be examined is Spain, which has abdi- cline from its former premier global na- cated her once-strong naval ambitions val and commercial ranking. Since the over a long period of time and is no end of the Cold War, the RN has been longer a global naval power. A close reduced by 60 percent and Britain’s NATO ally of the United States, Spain merchant fleet now ranks twentieth in has benefited from the strong naval the world. Yet the United Kingdom cooperation between the two nations. continues to be a major trading nation For example, the United States main- with worldwide interests to protect and tains important naval installations on defend. The author contends that these Spanish soil. Until very recently, the naval reductions have undermined Spanish economy has performed poor- Britain’s global political standing with ly, which has had a negative impact on unforeseen consequences; namely, fu- Spain’s defence spending. ture difficulties in enforcing its global At the far eastern end of the Medi- and historic role as a protector of free- terranean Sea are the navies of Greece dom of the seas. One bright spot for and Turkey, both considered regional the Royal Navy is the building of the naval powers, although Stöhs considers Queen Elizabeth–class aircraft carriers Turkey the more robust military force coming into service in the 2020s, which of the two, and notes Turkey’s consid- will improve capabilities for the Roy- erable geopolitical ambitions. Greece al Navy. Only aircraft carriers allow a has suffered from her extremely weak nation to deploy and project its power economic condition and, like Italy, has globally. had to contend with major migrant chal- Stöhs’ review of the French Navy is lenges. more generous, esteeming it a force to German naval power is unique. be recognized despite cutbacks over the Once a global naval threat, Germa- last 20 years. France has maintained a ny now has little interest or appetite balanced force in three oceans and has for military expansion. Defeat in two projected its force when necessary— World Wars has left a scar on German such as its antiterrorism efforts in Libya military ambitions, despite its past and in the Middle East. France has also strong submarine tradition. Though maintained an aircraft carrier to help Germany is now a wealthy nation, the project this force. author is very critical of Germany’s low Though Italy is not considered in defence spending and its unwillingness the same naval tier with the U.K. and to participate in high-risk NATO opera- France, she maintains a credible force tions, such as the 2011 conflict in Libya. for her European needs and does not The book also discusses Dutch and seek a global reach as do the other two Baltic naval powers, but at best, these powers. The recent migrant crisis, nations are regional powers with limit- making Italy’s ports a main entry point ed capabilities. Sweden, in particular, for African and Middle Eastern mi- is concerned with Russian naval expan- grants traveling to Europe by sea, has sion, according to Stöhs, and is taking stretched Italian naval power in a way new defensive measures, especially re- that it has not done to any other Euro- garding Russian submarine violations Book Reviews 313 of Swedish territorial waters. Peter Stone. The History of the Port Stöhs notes that the substantial of London: A Vast Emporium of All shift in naval and commercial power Nations. Barnsley, S. Yorks.: Pen & to the Asia-Pacific area—and the U.S. Sword History, www.pen-and-sword. military pivot to that region—is an im- co.uk, 2017. xiii+250 pp., illustrations, portant one. Total Pacific commercial maps, bibliography, index. UK £19.99, traffic now exceeds that in the Atlantic. US $39.95, cloth; ISBN 978-1-47386- China’s naval ambitions are rapidly ex- 037-7. panding as well, to the discomfort of its Asian neighbours, yet only Britain and Few would challenge the assertion that France are able to project limited naval the Port of London has been crucial to European forces into the region. the growth and prosperity of England’s This book is not for the general capital. The River Thames, and the reader but rather for the defence special- multifaceted apparatus that developed ist. The author is generous with specific along its shores as it winds between information and data on the European present-day Teddington Lock and the naval fleets and detailed defence-spend- Thames Estuary to the wider world be- ing graphs. He also provides helpful yond, sustained and continues to pro- chapter notes and a bibliography. An mote the port as a centre of activity and Austrian-American defence analyst at trade within both the country and the the Institute for Security Policy at Ger- global commercial, financial, political many’s Kiel University (ISPK) and its and cultural community. Though lim- adjunct Center for Maritime Strategy ited in its scholarly appeal, this excep- & Security, Stöhs is also a nonresident tionally readable history chronicles just fellow of the Austrian Center for Intel- how this occurred, making it a must- ligence, Propaganda & Security Studies have guide for those drawn to London’s (ACIPSS). His credentials make him maritime and industrial heritage. well-suited to criticize and comment on The author structures his story each naval power’s future needs given of the rise, fall and revival of the port the goals and naval responsibilities of around eight comfortably-sized, engag- each. The book makes a good case for ingly-written chapters, most of which a European re-evaluation of its naval contain a well-crafted map and are as- strength and increased naval spending. sociated with several of the book’s ex- Ultimately, the book is a sad com- cellent black and white photographs. mentary on how Europe has allowed its The study begins with a reminder that naval power to fall to such low levels, London was a port long before it be- especially in the face of new global de- came England’s capital and one of the fence challenges. Hopefully, the alarm world’s greatest cities. Established as bells are ringing loud enough to bring a the Roman Empire reached its zenith change in the years ahead. In the mean- in the first century CE, the port of Lon- time, the U.S. Navy will have to bear dinium matured on what would be the the chief responsibility of being the westernmost extremity of the Empire world’s premier naval force and protec- for the following three hundred years. tor of the freedom of the seas. Its initial decline, as a major conse- quence of Rome’s weakening influence W. Mark Hamilton over the Continent, eventually saw the Alexandria, Virginia Saxons assume control. The market trading town of Lundenwic, while a 314 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord fraction of the size and population of its nals and railway lines in the nineteenth earlier self, thrived until the ninth cen- century effectively accommodated the tury as perhaps the largest Saxon settle- enormous growth in cargos, maritime ment in England. Though abandoned in industries and ship types, and made the the face of Viking invasions, London’s port the world’s largest dock complex. significance as ‘an emporium of many Dedicated sections to the formation of nations’ had been duly noted by the his- trade unions and the Great Dock Strike torian Bede. of 1889 are particularly well composed. It would be re-founded by Alfred Chapter Six focuses on the creation the Great. Between the late ninth cen- of the Port of London Authority, which tury and the fourteenth century, the me- in 1909 began the process of nation- dieval port of Lundenburg transitioned alizing the docks, thereby achieving from a strategic fortified border town important administrative and financial to the leading port and financial cen- efficiencies. The effects of the world tre known as London. Private wharves wars, the latter being particularly dev- lined the riverbanks to accommodate astating, are covered here. Stone de- the increased volume and size of sea- votes the last two chapters to the port’s going ships, while a steady introduction post-war history, describing the shift of of regulations pertaining to trade, mer- industry and population away from the chants and ships’ captains began in the East End, and the effects of mechani- early twelfth century. England’s wool zation and containerization as well as and cloth exports and wine imports Britain’s declining merchant fleet on greatly fueled London’s growth, as did the port and its workers, all of which the influx of foreign merchants and trad- chiefly resulted in the closure of the up- ers. Remarkably absent is any serious per port and the development of Dock- attention to the dozens of plague out- lands by the 1980s. The modern port of breaks between 1348 and 1665, which London, dominated by the Port of Til- the author passingly mentions were di- bury and DP World London Gateway rectly responsible for later major river- shipping complex, retains several com- front construction developments. petitive advantages though faces much Chapter Three nicely chronicles the uncertainty in the post-Brexit world. events beginning during the reigns of A longtime city resident, writer of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I that eventu- popular history and creator of a web- ally place London at “the centre of the site dedicated to the history of Lon- world” by the late eighteenth century. don, Stone is clearly well-versed on his The increase in Thames-based ship- city’s past. Of particular interest to this building, opening of new trade routes, journal’s subscribers is his attention to establishment of a financial exchange, the types of vessels plying the River, formation of chartered trading compa- the wonderful variety of cargoes they nies, development of the Legal Quays, carried, the significant archaeological Wet Docks, Custom House and Trinity finds attesting to this, ships’ navigation House, and expansion of the riverside of the Thames, and the development hamlets are among the chief events of the port’s supporting infrastructure identified in this, the lengthiest chapter, including supply roads and wharves. for the rise of England as a financial and Though his book is replete with fasci- commercial superpower with London at nating material, including statistics and its heart. Chapters Four and Five relate significant observations relating to the how construction of new docks, ca- port’s usage over time and features a Book Reviews 315 three-page selective bibliography, it is Braudel’s sense of uniformity of econ- completely absent of citations. This omy in Europe was not correct, and the severely weakens the book as a use- great historian’s rating of Livorno as ful resource for students and schol- insignificant, was grossly flawed. The ars researching London’s port history, building of a port at Livorno was the which is a real shame due to its breadth idea of Cosimo d’ Medici (r. 1537-74), of coverage and the appearance of in- but it really began to flourish under the formed discussion. Favouring conver- rule of Ferdinando I (r. 1587-1609). In sational style prose, unencumbered by Cosimo’s time, ports worked like a mo- footnotes, Stone has consciously for- nopoly for the political state that con- gone on traditional academic conven- trolled them. They were to export in- tion. Nonetheless, the final product is ternal production (agriculture or wares) a well-written, widely accessible book and import needed, or desired goods. which will appeal to the general reader Who could use the port was restricted to and those wishing for an overview of those of the nation, and possibly select the rich and remarkable history of this allies. Multiple levels of tariffs, and an- fascinating port. chorage fees were used to gain wealth for the state. The Medici’s cast some of Michael F. Dove the old ideas aside, allowing any mer- St. Thomas, Ontario chant, shipper or trade representative, to do business in the port, or even live Corey Tazzara. The Free Port of Livor- there. Duties were reduced, or aban- no & the Transformation of the Mediter- doned, to allow for the transshipment of ranean World 1574-1790. Oxford; Ox- goods through the port, to other areas of ford University Press, www.oup.com, Italy, and around the Mediterranean, not 2017. xvi+346 pp., illustrations, maps, just Tuscany. Becoming a neutral port, tables, appendices, notes, bibliography, Livorno thrived as different nations fell index. US $97.50, cloth; ISBN 978-0- into conflict with each other, but con- 19-879158-4. (E-book available.) tinued to do business there. Money was made by the port on storage and anchorage fees, and with tariffs when The origin of free trade in the Medi- the final distribution of goods in- stor terranean Sea and its roots in the port age was made. The goods were held, of Livorno is the focus of Corey Taz- in a sense by the port, until their final zara’s first book. It is a bold and inno- buyer came to move them from the port. vative examination of the development While other ports remained economi- of a free port, from its creation through cally closed, Livorno enjoyed fantastic its evolving management. His use of economic and demographic growth, statistics, plus the archival evidence, beginning in the 1590s. Its expansion makes for a very convincing argument was financed by Florentine capital, into for Livorno’s unacknowledged impor- the early 1620s. The openness of the tance. It places the trading centre, the seas, the instability on the continent, all political intent for its creation, and its helped to build up Livorno. operating rules, as the creator of the The key to much of the port’s long- idea and movement towards other free term prosperity was the realization of trade ports, rather than the philosophers its importance as a grain port, for both and economic writers of the era. transhipping and storage. Foreign mer- Tazzara begins by stating that chants were attracted to the port, setting 316 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord up businesses and enclaves. Goods des- regulations. tined for other places began to be stored Over the course of the time period at Livorno, until passage to the other under study, there was a near constant port could be arranged. Over time, a tinkering with the tariff rates. In 1643, set of relationships were established the rates were adjusted to take advan- forming important trade links across the tage of the global commerce, without Mediterranean and Europe. running afoul of the Medici institution- By the mid-seventeenth cen- al structures, while at the same time in- tury, a free port came to mean that all creasing the state’s profit from the port. who did business there did so on an In 1676, reform simplified the tariff sys- even field, with few bureaucratic hoops tem, taxing goods only when they ar- to jump through, and maximum protec- rived in port, and no more, unless they tion of goods in storage. The ways of passed inland. This allowed the state handling activity in the port was shaped to gain control of the problematic local by both supplications and procedural customs and duties (the corruption) that justice. The legislation for the port, laid were irritating business people. It left out in the Livornina, 1591/93, and vari- taxes on storage and anchorage fees, ous legislated reforms, were determined but most agreed with their necessity to by rulers. Around these laws formed a raise funds for repairs. This reform in- body of “decrees and memoranda” (85), troduced the idea of paying per package largely the result of supplications, from for storage, rather than simply on the merchants and shippers. Together they worth of the item. Thus, merchants be- determined how business was done gan to package together larger amounts within the port. Central authority was and different items, to reduce their tariff remote from daily activity in the port, rate. In 1779, the stillage fee was re- allowing local authorities to develop duced to weight rather than number of how regulations were implemented, packages. creating a place of “formal and informal The end of the seventeenth and practices.” beginning of the eighteenth centuries As the port grew so did the bureau- were difficult for the Medici family as cracy that managed it. With that growth war drained the coffers, and lack of an came the corruption and bribery inher- heir led to Austria assuming control ent in a complex system involving little over the port in 1737. Rather telling is oversight. Taxes were imposed to pay the decision by the new rulers to keep for the expansion and upkeep of the all the rules of the free port of Livor- port. Tax farms on various items, in- no in place. The commercial and state cluding tobacco, were established. In financial benefits of the free port had the case of tobacco, that meant having been clearly noted by many rulers, in- more than a small amount necessitat- cluding Austrian. But new leadership ed the owner selling it (and then it was always needs to leave its own mark, taxed) or locking it in Livorno until sold. and so change did come to the port. Unpopular taxes created popular unrest Austria altered the taxation of trade among merchants and shippers who un- in the port, creating the General Tax derstood the advantages of the free port Farm, and eliminated portions of the but wanted to reduce their costs. The traditional bureaucracy. The changes drive for more profit encouraged them reduced the number of taxes and fees to negotiate with those running the port, paid by merchants. As Tazzara notes, for concessions and adjustments to the this transitioned the port “into a modern Book Reviews 317 administration of laissez-faire” (204). statistical analysis. This analysis re- Emperor Peter Leopold played a cen- veals that merchants dominated the use tral role in the effort at modernization, of supplications, that different subject brining the Enlightenment to Livorno. matters were sent to different offices Part of this development was the rise (governors received judicial requests, of the economic philosopher, or expert, custom officers received requests for who gave advice to the ruler, on issues exemptions). In terms of acceptance of trade. rates, there were more for license issues Livorno grew to be connected to ar- and far fewer for requests around con- eas throughout Italy, and into Northern tract enforcement. The author reveals Europe. In the mid- eighteenth century changes over time to the type of sup- its Levant connections were shrinking plications sent to the governor’s office. (lost to the British and Dutch), while its Apart from contributing to his case, the role as the Mediterranean harbour for use of the supplications demonstrates coastal and regional trade expanded. It the importance of these often-neglected never developed direct ties with North sources, as historians have relied more American or Asian markets, gaining ac- on printed works, to determine the de- cess to these places only through trade velopment of political economic think- with other continental ports. As the po- ing. litical and economic developments (in- The book holds nine images and cluding a spread of free ports) evolved three maps, to enhance the reader’s throughout the eighteenth century, sense of who the key players were and Livorno’s uniqueness was rivalled and where the activity took place. Twen- ultimately checked. ty-two figures and ten tables hold the The author states that the rise of results of Tazzara’s statistical anal- national tariff protectionism, and the ysis. The figures and tables are read- steam ship, rendered the free port (not able and discussed in the surrounding only Livorno, but all free ports) as no text. Almost all figures and tables have longer requisite for economic devel- sub-notes explaining how they were opment. The state itself was the trade constructed. Footnotes are extensive area, not just the port. Steam allowed throughout the text. Twenty appendi- ships to haul goods between allied na- ces hold more tables of data, to supple- tions, eliminating the need for transfer ment the text. A thorough bibliography and storage spots. is provided; the only issue here is the This book’s argument is wonder- lack of standard separation into type of fully woven from archival manuscripts, source, which might be a bit more help- contemporary printed texts, secondary ful to future researchers. The index is sources, and statistics. Tazzara makes certainly workable. good use of statistical evidence on The book changes our thinking on trade, economic, and demographic de- Livorno, and its place in the develop- velopment throughout the book. A wide ment of free trade. It demonstrates the range of contemporary printed text on essential need for the study of single political economy, governance, and locations (given some contextual place- legal documents is deftly employed. ment) to advance our understanding of This reviewer is particularly impressed the role of ports in the economic, trade, by Tazzara’s use of supplication man- political and social development of the uscripts. He takes the data from the larger state. It also examines the role supplications and performs a detailed of changing economic activity in shap- 318 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord ing the economic philosophy that was other arguments and data. This is un- produced. Livorno provides a perfect fortunate, for what he has to say about example of practice driving theory. But the freeing of heavy methane deposits Tazzara is clear; Livorno was a unique from their currently frozen emplace- free port, whose example could not eas- ment on the Arctic seabed and adjacent ily be transferred to other locations, due permafrost soils ashore is truly frighten- to its contextual peculiarities. ing. Should there be no substantial re- This book will appeal to those duction in global greenhouse gas emis- studying the history of free trade, the sions over the next quarter century, the development of economic ideas be- resultant warming of Arctic skies and tween 1570 and 1790, in Italy, across waters will lead to a massive release the Mediterranean and throughout Eu- of methane stocks resulting in an ex- rope. For people examining the inter- tra “0.6C” rise in global temperatures. face of ship and sailor with port, the The escalation “would speed up all the book offers insight from the shore side. other global warming effects and there would be nothing that we could do to Thomas Malcomson shut off the methane except for cooling Toronto, Ontario the [Arctic] water column (i.e. bringing back the sea ice),” a clear impossibility Peter Wadhams. A Farewell to Ice. A in such a short time. “This would be a Report From the Arctic. London, UK: catastrophe for mankind, partly because Penguin, Allen Lane, www.penguin- it is so quick.” (125-26). group.com, 2018. xv+240pp., illustra- Admitting that no feasible solution tions, maps, tables, bibliography, index. to the global warming crisis currently UK £9.99, CDN $25.00, paper; ISBN exists, Wadhams assumes an accusatory 978-0-241-00943-7. tone: the “parasitic” capitalist system which has ensnared the world, includ- Peter Wadhams, a noted polar explorer ing China, has numbed popular feeling and former director of the Scott Polar to the point of paralysis. “Voters of all Research Institute at Cambridge Uni- ages, corporations and government bod- versity has written an impassioned and ies show a lack of concern with build- uneven book about Arctic sea ice and ing a sustainable planet.” (173). What its critical importance in global climate targets, methods and processes exist change. He begins with what he clearly reveal a frustrating lack of solutions, hopes will be a bewitching discussion of while “an insidious opposition to taking the formation, dissolution and beauty of action on climate change is now being sea ice. Unfortunately, his exhaustive fomented by well-financed groups of treatise left this reader, who has some malevolent people and organizations.” acquaintance with the phenomenon, (198-99) with a serious case of system overload. Wadhams’ own solution is dis- While the progressive retreat of the tressingly predictable. The global pub- Arctic summertime pack ice is already lic must stand up to “the sewage flow having important positive (opening of lies and deceit emitted by climate of the north-east and west passages to change deniers” (203) while embrac- commercial shipping) and negative ef- ing all forms of alternative energies, fects (rising sea levels among them), the from bicycles to solar panels, in order author arrives at his major point rather to ameliorate the effects of widespread too far along, tending to bury it among atmospheric pollution until effective Book Reviews 319 forms of cleansing can be devised. dia attention through radio and televi- As a former polar sailor and polar/ sion, for instance, the reality TV series climate diplomat, I harbour great sym- Cold Water Cowboys, which featured pathy for the author’s dilemma while six fishing boat crews from Newfound- deploring his language. The impending land over several seasons on the Dis- fate of New Orleans, Miami and other covery Channel and created a wave of great cities on the coasts of the earth publicity for the fishing industry. Of indicates how heavy industrialism, in- course, food is one of the main high- cluding its products like the automobile lights, since that is what fishing is all and airplane, have set mankind on an about. The stories refer to seafood, cod irreversible path. The drastic sacrifices fishing and finally, a fitting tale about a entailed in returning the international fish and chip shop. Fishing labour or- community to an essentially agrarian ganizations have also left their mark on lifestyle of bicycles and light industry is the industry, although their future seems unachievable. Whatever hard, indeed, somewhat bleak, given the rising demo- brutal choices future generations will graphic. Can you imagine an industry have to make must be unburdened by powered by labourers with an average the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that age of 55? The social perspective of regrettably is the legacy of a book that this book addresses not only the call would have been better as an article or of the ocean that captivated the fisher- op-ed piece focusing on the dire conse- men and women it presents, but it also quences of methane gas release. serves as a showcase of what life is, and can be once one is involved in this salt- Lisle A. Rose water-based industry. The Call of the Edmonds, Washington Ocean is a sign of the times, sometimes personal, and on occasion, painted with Jim Wellman. The Call of the Ocean. a broader brush. It is tribute to the sea St. John’s, NL: Flanker Press Ltd., and the people of the coast of Eastern www.flankerpress.com, 2016. viii+225 Canada. pp., illustrations, index. CDN $1f9.95, Jacob Bart Hak paper; ISBN 978-1-77117-481-7. Leiden, The Netherlands The Call of the Ocean is voiced in 28 stories about a wide array of men and J. Michael Wenger, Robert J. Cressman, women who live on the shores and wa- and John F. DiVirgilio. This Is No Drill. ters of Atlantic Canada and answer the The History of NAS Pearl Harbor and call of the ocean with heart and soul. the Japanese Attacks of 7 December The main focus is the Canadian North 1941. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Atlantic fishery. Its impact on society Press, www.nip.org, 2018. xiii+261 unfolds through the accounts of fisher- pp., illustrations, notes, bibliography, men, of miracles on board, accidents at index. US $44.95, cloth; ISBN 978-1- sea, a fisherman falling overboard on 68247-181-4. (E-book available.) his final voyage, bird hunters in need of saving in a storm. Some stories read This Is No Drill is an extraordinary like obituaries; for example, the death book primarily focused on the Hawai- of the youngest Canadian Coast Guard ian Island of O’ahu (the author’s spell- captain who passed away at the age of ing) and the myriad of incidents that led fifty. The industry also gets a bit of me- up to the Japanese bombings of Pearl 320 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord Harbor and the events themselves in Vice Admiral William F. Halsey, Rear great detail. The trio of authors have Admirals John S. McCain and Claude collected a vast number of photographs C. Bloch, and Brigadier General Fred- of people, places, official papers, plans erick L. Martin, commander of what and charts to make this work a picto- was then called the Hawaiian Air Force. rial and a narrative history. It begins The authors narrate the story of the at- with a brief history of Ford Island, the tack exquisitely from the point of view piece of land that would be developed of both the Japanese attackers and the into the famed naval air station. Orig- American defenders, a story that is both inally a small, scrub-covered island in compelling and thought-provoking. It O’ahu’s Pearl River, it was inhabited by is particularly unexpected to read what a vast number of goats, hogs and espe- went awry during the planned Japanese cially, rabbits. The first section of the bombing, strafing and torpedo attacks. book describes how this unlikely loca- There are a host of mini-stories in- tion evolved into an iconic landmark, volving officers and men of junior ranks explaining in detail how its airfield was who operated American aircraft and built and the various support structures ships as they participated in the events were used and why they were needed. of that day. Many might be considered The authors introduce a vast array of rather mundane, but taken in the ag- American and Japanese service person- gregate, they were either exasperating nel; most of those pictured either played or heroic from a historical perspec- major roles in the bombing events or tive. Numerous charts show where the were greatly affected by its outcome. events took place, illustrated by graphic The chronicle displays evidence before and after photographs of the na- that the American commander, Admi- val air station at Pearl Harbor. These ral Husband E. Kimmel, was aware images, accompanied by the many short that a conflict with Japan was a strong human-interest accounts, leaving the likelihood. This was part of a dispatch reader with an enduring impression: 7 (162203) he received on 16 October December 1941 “was a day that none of 1941 regarding the implications of the the individuals present on Ford Island Konoe government’s collapse. In a would forget—memories etched into subsequent dispatch (272337) dated 27 their souls as words graven into stone. November, Kimmel was informed of a In the succeeding months, years, and “war warning.” An “aggressive move by generations, the survivors needed no Japan is expected in the next few days.” prompting to ‘Remember Pearl Harbor.’ The admiral bolstered the readiness of The experiences of the day have be- those under his command to various come a part of their lives forever.” (210) degrees, but he assumed that the Jap- This Is No Drill combines a de- anese would attack Wake and/or Mid- tailed description of one of the great way Islands, and likely the Philippines, episodes of the Second World War with where General Douglas MacArthur had an extraordinarily varied collection of an advance base. He assumed that the photographs surrounding the event. Its vast stretch of Pacific Ocean protected large size (8 ½ x 11) and plentiful pho- Pearl Harbor from a surreptitious attack tographs almost bring it into the realm and he dispatched a variety of aircraft of a coffee-table book. The recounting to surveil the surrounding waters. A of numerous facts concerning the ser- number of Second World War notables vicemen make the book seem like a were under his command, such as then- carefully assembled collage. The multi- Book Reviews 321 ple vignettes, some in great depth, con- is arranged in 15 largely chronological cerning the naval aviators, sailors and chapters, tracing events from the arriv- marines, as well as some enemy pilots al of the first American ship in the re- and commanders, render this historic gion in 1784 onwards. The penultimate day more vivid and therefore, more un- chapter details the operations of groups forgettable. December 7, 1941 has long attached to the Asiatic Fleet, such as been remembered, perhaps partly due to Patrol Wings and PT Boats. The final Franklin Delano Roosevelt who called chapter, entitled “Irish Pennants” (a it “a date which will live in infamy”—a piece of ethnic nautical slang rough- day that disrupted so many lives in ly simplified to ‘Loose Ends’) covers ever so many ways. The book affords certain post-fleet dissolution operations a far-reaching array of notes and a use- through to the modern fates of some ful bibliography for scholars who wish key ship and aircraft wrecks. to delve further into specific aspects The initial seven chapters of the of this topic. I recommend This Is No work focus on the period prior to the at- Drill to all those who wish to enhance tack on Pearl Harbor. The first of these their knowledge of the seminal event is largely a primer of pre-First World that brought the United States into the War American involvement in the key Second World War. regions of the future Asiatic Fleet. The next six chapters chart the buildup to Louis Arthur Norton war, covering Japanese expansionism, West Simsbury, Connecticut American reactions, and the U.S. Na- vy’s disposition just prior to the Decem- Greg H. Williams. The Last Days of the ber 1941 attacks. The seventh chapter, United States Asiatic Fleet: The Fates “Who Knew What?”, is particularly in- of the Ships and Those Aboard, Decem- teresting in its examination of how var- ber 8, 1941-February 5, 1942. Jeffer- ious Asiatic Fleet members and civilian son, NC: McFarland Publishing, www. figures in the region became aware of mcfarlandpub.com, 2018. viii+421 pp., an impending attack. The in-depth an- illustrations, bibliography, index. US ecdote of reporter Clark Lee being in- $49.95, paper; ISBN 978-1-4766-7248- formed of the coming offensive by his 9. (E-book available.) Japanese friends Colonel Akiyama and his attaché Sergeant Hajime “Jimmy” This work is “an attempt to shed some Matsui provides a fascinating insight light on the sailors who bore the brunt into the ground-level restlessness and of Japanese aggression… suffered… paranoia on the streets of Shanghai and who were murdered or died of dis- amidst the looming threat of war (71- ease and starvation in the prison camps” 72). (1). Using official and unofficial re- Pearl Harbor is almost a footnote cords alongside the contemporary re- at the beginning of chapter eight, as ports of war correspondents, Williams Williams dives immediately into the not only seeks to provide an account of Japanese strikes and American respons- the Asiatic Fleet’s demise and the fall of es. From this point forward, the book key areas early in the Pacific War, but recounts, essentially step-by-step, the to also bring a humanizing factor to the Asiatic Fleet’s retreat and rearguard known combat chronologies by adding action, focusing heavily on each vessel names and personal details of crew- and Patrol Wing as they met their final men, along with their fates. The work fate within the timeline. Major events, 322 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord command changes, and the actions of in particular, would also be beneficial, war correspondents are also covered, as they could be used as quick reference presenting a larger picture of the theatre guides when dealing with the numerous as a whole. Williams discusses not only places Williams mentions throughout Japanese actions, but the involvement the work, thus increasing reader com- of Dutch, British, and Commonwealth prehension of distances and locations forces as well. While the Asiatic Fleet likely unfamiliar to many. Research- was officially disbanded and reorga- ers would appreciate the inclusion of nized into the Southwest Pacific Force footnotes or endnotes, especially since on 5 February 1942, Williams contin- there is so much personal data on ships’ ues to follow the men and machines crews. Finally, the work seems to lack past their unit’s dissolution. Chapter a proper scholarly conclusion, with the Eleven, “The Fleet’s Last Year,” tracks final few paragraphs briefly touching on former Asiatic Fleet members on the re- the looting of Dutch wrecks by scaven- treat south towards Australia, with large gers and the recovery of Ensign Rob- swaths of text devoted to documenting ert G. Tills’ remains. A few pages dis- lost crews, most notably that of the cussing the author’s final thoughts or a Huston (217-263). The twelfth chapter smoother linking of the various subjects covers the last gasps of those trapped in discussed in the final chapter would be the Philippines as of March 1942, cul- appreciated. minating in a recounting of the loss of The Last Days of the Asiatic Fleet is the USS Quail, her scuttling after the an excellent addition to scholarship of fall of Corregidor, and the subsequent the early Pacific War. Williams’ chron- escape of some of her crew to Port Dar- icling of the names, personal informa- win, Australia. A separate chapter ad- tion, and final dispositions of the men dresses the actions of PT Boats, subma- so often forgotten amidst the focus on rines, and Patrol Wing 10, followed by ships and planes is an admirable under- an eight-page listing of the final dispo- taking, and offers a wealth of informa- sitions of the 84 vessels which had been tion for historians, statisticians, and ge- on the comprising the Asiatic Fleet nealogists. Given the tendency of most (389-396). The final chapter is more of academic works to reduce past wars to an errata section, covering prisoner lib- bare statistics and large, faceless mili- erations, late- or post-war actions, naval tary units, it is refreshing to see history ratings, and modern wreck discoveries/ preserved at the most basic level possi- lootings. While interesting, some of ble, that of the individuals whose lives these final points seem more appropri- and deaths helped shape the events of ate for appendices than in a concluding the 1930s through 1942. chapter. In terms of possible improvements, Charles Ross Patterson II there are a few that come to mind. Some Yorktown, Virginia of the language reads as more colloquial than scholarly, which breaks the flow of Rif Winfield and Stephen S. Roberts. reading. One would not expect phrases French Warships in the Age of Sail like “why the heck” outside of a quote 1626-1786. Design, Construction, Ca- in such a work, and redressing these reers and Fates. Barnsley, S. Yorks: might improve future editions (13). Seaforth Publishing, www.seaforthpub- The inclusion of maps for the South lishing.com, 2017. viii+438 pp., illus- China Sea region, and the Philippines trations, tables, appendices, index to Book Reviews 323 named vessels. UK £60.00, cloth; ISBN characteristics. There follows addition- 978-1-4738-9351-1. al information on each ship that was in service during the period; the dimen- With French Warships in the Age of Sail sions of the vessel, in addition to tech- 1626-1786 the authors have produced a nology employed, advancements when well-researched, developed, and com- applicable, and any weapons onboard. prehensive book, that provides readers Excellent images clearly illustrate the with specific information on each of differences between ships. the French vessels in service between Ships of other nations, namely the 1626-1786. Each design was a work of English and Spanish, are used to con- craftsmanship unique to its purpose. trast and compare each nation’s choic- Every vessel is described in com- es in style and design. The authors plete detail, from the top rated, most successfully use this technique again prestigious vessels in the French Navy to exhibit the difference in ranking of to the lowly cargo, supply and patrol vessels. Even though the book covers a vessels. Beautiful illustrations present large number of individual vessels, the the reader with an in-depth overview of information about them is linked to pre- France’s activities on its own coastline vious sections, so the reader is not con- as well as internationally during this pe- fused by the extensive detail provided. riod. The book is well labeled and orga- The writing is clear from the first nized. Maritime vernacular is effective- page to the last. Different sections are ly explained. If the reader is in need held together by the common theme, of further clarification, the book also while each section identifies the indi- includes a glossary and abbreviation vidual type of vessel under discussion. section where items are further expand- All sections are well labeled and, for ed upon. This work is comprehensive most, there is a brief overview for fur- and the extensive bibliography section ther clarification. provides academics a foundation of re- Winfield and Roberts are clearly de- search. voted to their task of sharing a compre- French-built ships differed from hensive knowledge of seventeenth- and their international competitors in mul- eighteenth-century French warships. tiple aspects, including design, weap- For those wishing to know even more, ons carried on board and building tech- there is an extensive bibliography and niques. French naval vessels tended sources section. Throughout the work, to be generally larger, but lighter in the authors demonstrate their points by construction, than their international means of specific examples and indicate counterparts; consequently, they were how the vessels and the system of rating also generally faster. Another trend that them developed over time. This book developed in this period was the use of is user-friendly, accessible to both early same-calibre weapons on each deck of career academics and general readers, the vessel. Prior to this, guns of differ- especially due to the additional resourc- ent calibres had been used on the same es it provides. deck. Standardizing the usage of simi- The book is organized by ship type lar-sized ammunition resulted in less based on the rating system used by the chaos during the pivotal points in battle. French Navy. Each section begins with As with many different aspects of an overview of the vessel along with his reign, Louis XIV of France promot- its design, purpose and distinguishing ed the advancement of ship design to 324 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord the point that warships became gran- diose works of art. The king primarily focused on painting and adding struc- tures to the sterns of his naval vessels using the same artists to design the non-structural elements of vessels as he employed on his grand estates, such as at Versailles. His royal successors also tried to upscale the adornments. For- tunately, naval officials were able to prevail against this since the structures served no tactical advantage and were actually a potential fire hazard during times of action. Although this book covers 160 years of ship design, the authors also include trends from previous eras and how those developments evolved during 1626-1786. They do a tremen- dous job reminding readers that these vessels were not simply machines; they were the home of the ship’s crew. Their passion for French vessels is un- mistakable and contagious as the work develops. While illustrations are used effectively throughout the book, a few maps would have been helpful in the historic overview section to specifically pinpoint where the French vessels were involved around the world. French Warships is a valuable tool for all those interested in French naval vessels between 1626-1786, regardless of their previous knowledge of maritime history, while the extensive sources will please readers who wish for more de- tail. Winfield’s and Roberts’ work is a superb addition to maritime resources. Jane Plummer Pensacola, Florida