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Inside Bernard Cornwell Steven Maffeo The Real Jack Tar Celebrating Nautical & Historical Fiction January 2013 Quarterdeck
InsideBernard CornwellSteven MaffeoThe Real Jack Tar
Celebrating Nautical & Historical Fiction
January 2013
Quarterdeck
JANUARY 2012
FEATURES
05 BERNARD CORNWELLThe creator of the Richard Sharpe series
looks back on three decades as a novelist.
08 STEVEN MAFFEOAmerican naval historian and novelist
Steven Maffeo discusses his career and transition to writing fiction.
12 THE REAL JACK TARJulian Stockwin profiles the men of the
the fo’c’sle.
REGULARS03 SCUTTLEBUTT
News from the nautical and historical book trade and related history
04 BY GEORGE!In Bolitho’s Footsteps
11 REVIEWThe Perfect Wreck by Steven Maffeo
15 BOOKSHELFCatch up on US and UK titles in nautical and
historical fiction and related history
Quarterdeck is published monthly byTall Ships Communications
6952 Cypress Bay DriveKalamazoo, MI 49009
EDITORGeorge D. JepsonTel 269-372-4673
McBOOKS pressQuarterdeck is distributed by
McBooks Press, Inc.ID Booth Building
520 North Meadow StreetIthaca, NY 14850
PUBLISHERAlexander Skutt
ART DIRECTORPanda Musgrove
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EMERITUSJackie Swift
© Tall Ships Communications
TALL SHIPSCOMMUNICATIONS
ON THE COVER – Detailfrom English marine artistGeoffrey Huband’s oilpainting of Second to Nonefrom the book of the sametitle by Alexander Kent.© Geoffrey Huband
Contents
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Geoffrey Huband
Quarterdeck
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QUARTERDECK | JANUARY 2013
Scuttlebutt
New BookLaunch Dates
2013
US (United States)UK (United Kingdom)
TPB (Trade Paperback)PB (Paperback)HC (Hardcover)
JANUARY
1356 (USHC)by Bernard Cornwell
FEBRUARY
Hostile Shores (USHC)by Dewey Lambdin
MARCH
Ripples in the Sand (USTPB)by Helen Hollick
The Blast that Tears the Skies (USHC)by J. D. Davies
MAY
Take, Burn or Destroy (USHC)by S. Thomas Russell
Note: This was titled A Ship of Warin the United Kingdom edition
AUGUST
Jane Austen’s England (USHC)by Roy and Lesley Adkins
HMS VICTORYHMS Victory is currently under-going a 10-year restoration inPortsmouth, England. Visitors toPortsmouth Historic Dockyard havethe unique opportunity to witnessthe process taking place on theoldest commissioned warship inthe world; they will also have thechance to see how the great sailingwarship of the 18th century wasbuilt and maintained at battlereadiness in a brand new exhibitionat the National Museum of theRoyal Navy (NMRN). Theexhibition, Bones of Oak & Iron –Beneath Victory’s Skin, exploreshow Victory was originally built in1759 at Chatham Dockyard, howshe was preserved and cared for inwar and peace..
ROY AND LESLEY ADKINSJane Austen’sEngland by Royand LesleyAdkins will bepublished in theUS in August2013 by VikingPenguin in theUnited States.The Adkinsconsider the
book a companion to their earlierwork, Jack Tar. For more details,visit the Adkins online at:
adkinshistory.com.
WILLIAM C. HAMMONDThe United StateNaval InstitutePress willpublish HowDark the Night,the fifth title inthe CutlerFamily Chron-icles by WilliamC. Hammond, in2013. The bookwill cover the
Cutler family in the years leadingup to the War of 1812, and willprovide the backdrop for volumesix. It will follow A Call to Arms.
V. E. ULETTCalifornia-based novelist V. E.Ulett, author of Captain Blackwell’sPrize (see page 15), which ispublished by Fireship Press, willlaunch book two in the Blackwelltrilogy, in 2013.
OnlineBook Sources
McBooks Presswww.mcbooks.com
Independent Publisher’s Group (IPG)www.ipgbook.comTel 800-888-4741
Fireship Presswww.fireshippress.com
Amazonwww.amazon.com orwww.amazon.co.uk
Barnes & Noblewww.barnesandnoble.com
The Book Depositorywww.bookdepository.com
ABE Bookswww.abebooks.com
COMING IN FEBRUARY
Interviews withDewey Lambdin and hisThomas Dunne editor
Peter Joseph
William C. Hammon
HMS Victory’s Figurehead(Photo by George D. Jepson)
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In Bolitho’s Footsteps
By George!
our first visits to England, we met Douglasand Kim Reeman and learned firsthand thestory behind Richard Bolitho and hisCornish roots. During an ensuing busman’sholiday, we traveled by rail to Marazion,Cornwall, to visit marine artist GeoffreyHuband, who has created cover art for all ofthe McBooks editions of the Bolitho stories,and his wife, Jacqui. Walking the streets in Penzance, and inparticular the Georgian section of the town,was a trip back in time to Richard Bolitho’sworld. And when Geoffrey suggested a visitto Falmouth, home seat for the Bolithofamily, I leaped at the chance. So on a bright autumn afternoon, underan azure sky, Geoffrey’s vintage Jaguarraced across the Cornish countryside, boundfor Falmouth. Behind the wheel, Geoffreychatted about his work, while answering
ON BITTER WINTERevenings, with acrackling fire in the
grate, and a glass of port athand, opening an AlexanderKent novel is like greeting anold and valued friend. It wasthe author, after all, thatmany years ago introducedme to England’s “woodenwalls” and Captain RichardBolitho. At least once a year,generally on a dark nightwith wind whipping aboutthe eaves, I crack open mycopy of To Glory We Steer,the first novel published inthe Bolitho saga, which waslaunched in 1968. The opening lines never fail to quickenmy pulse: “The New Year of 1782 was onlythree days old but already the weather hadmade a decided change for the worse.Steady drizzle, pushed by a fresheningsoutherly wind, explored the narrow streetsof Portsmouth Point …” As Captain Bolithopushes open the door of the George Inn, Iam beside him, allowing “the drowsy heat toenfold” us. The wonderfully descriptive passageswritten by our friend Douglas Reeman, whoauthors the Bolitho novels under the penname Alexander Kent, paint vivid images inwords for the reader. Whether aboard a shipat sea or strolling the streets of Portsmouthor Falmouth, there is a sense of being there. After Amy and I assumed the helm ofTall Ships Books in 1997, we frequentlytraveled to the United Kingdom. On one of
Detail from To Glory We Steer by English marine artist Geoffrey Huband,which serves as cover art for the McBooks Press editions of the Bolithonovels. © Geoffrey Huband
Continued on page 15
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Bernard Cornwell is one of the mostprosperous contemporary novelists in anygenre, with more than twenty millionbooks in print. The English-born author,
who now resides in America, launches his latestnovel, 1356 (see page 8), in the United States thismonth. Cornwell plunged into fiction in 1981 with thepublication of Sharpe’s Eagle, the first title in a 24-book series, which captured the imagination ofreaders around the world, setting in motion aflourishing profession that continues today. Over the past thirty-plus years, the affable authorhas written novels about the American Civil War(four), Arthur’s Britain (three), the Hundred Years’War (three), Saxon Britain (six), contemporarythrillers (five), as well as seven standalone titles,including his latest, 1356. Cornwell and his wife, Judy, and Whiskey, a RubyKing Charles Spaniel, split their time between homeson Cape Cod and Charleston, South Carolina, wherethey winter. I recently interviewed the author abouthis career and approach to writing.
What led you to writing in the first place?
Love, or more specifically falling in love with anAmerican who, for family reasons, couldn’t move toBritain (where I had a perfectly respectable job as atelevision producer). So I decided (airily) to move tothe US upon which the US Government refused me awork permit. If the course of true love was to runsmooth I needed an income, so I told Judy (airily)that I’d write a book … an activity that didn’t needthe government’s permission. And that was it. I did, Istill am, and we’re still married thirty-four years later.
Was the Sharpe series your first foray into writing
“If the course of true love was to run smooth I neededan income, so I told Judy (airily) that I’d write a book …”
BY GEORGE JEPSON | INTERVIEW
fiction? What was the genesis for Sharpe?
He was my first foray, yes, and his genesis lies solelywith C.S. Forester’s Hornblower series, which I readand loved as a teenager. There are only elevenHornblower adventures so I ran out of readingmaterial fairly quickly and moved onto the non-fiction histories of the Napoleonic Wars and sodiscovered the huge seam of land-based stories. Iwanted someone to write a Hornblower-on-Landseries, and no one did, so that was an obvious genre
Bernard Cornwell
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to attempt.
The Sharpe series is a well-knownsuccess story. Was it immediatelyembraced by publishers?
It was, yes. I had an immediateoffer from a UK publisher, but itwould never have kept me alive towrite the second, but luckily I metan agent who, within two weeks,had negotiated a seven-bookcontract from HarperCollins. Thatwas way back in 1980 and I stillhave the same agent and publisher.
At what point in your early careerdid you realize that writing novelswould be your vocation?
Well it was a hope, I suppose, andone that I never thought I wouldrealize. I suspectI thought myvocation was tobe a televisionproducer and thatthe thought ofwriting novelswould remain adream. Is it a vocation? I don’tknow. I love doing it, and I’munbelievably lucky to be allowed todo it. Once I started I found itrather strange to put “writer” onforms that asked my occupation.I’ve got used to that now.
Over the past decade, your workhas focused on early Englishhistory with the Grail Quest andSaxon novels. What inspired you toconcentrate on these earlierperiods?
A love of the period! You have towrite about periods you like, Icould never set a novel in, say, theCrimean War, because it bores meto death. I’ve been fascinated bySaxon England for ever and itoccurred to me that no-one seems
to know how England was formed,and that is a very dramatic story, soit seemed an obvious one to write!
Your new novel, 1356, followsthe further exploits of Thomas ofHookton, is this part of the GrailQuest series or, possibly, a one-offtitle?
I suspect it’s a one-off. I’d alwaysmeant to write about the battle ofPoitiers and Thomas asconveniently to hand … it couldeasily have been another character,I suppose, but I rather like him. Itmeans it’s now a four book trilogy.
Your novels are wonderfullydescriptive, capturing thesurroundings in which you placeyour characters. What inspirations
do you use to create these splendidmoments?
I always used to answer “themortgage” to that question, butthat’s probably no longer true. Ihave no idea! You sit down everyday and let the imagination work onthe story and characters. It’s nice ofyou to ask the question, but I’m notsure I know the answer.
Do you have a particular approachto researching your novels? Do youmaintain a research library?
I have a vast library! And researchis a lifelong activity, by which Imean that I’ve been reading historysince I was a child and it’s still myfavorite reading. Very broadlyspeaking there are two areas of
research, lifestyle and events. Thelatter is fairly easy, the former isimpossibly hard and does take alifetime. You can plan onresearching events and find theright sources very quickly, butresearch into lifestyle can be verycapricious, but all you can do isread and read more and then readmore still!
Please describe your approach tocreating your novels. Once started,do you review a previous day’swork and re-write? Do you write acertain number of words per day? Isthere generally more than onecomplete draft?
I start at page one and keep going. Idon’t have a set number of wordsper day, some days are terrific,
while others arelike swimmingthrough treacle. Inever knowwhere the story isgoing (though Imight have adestination in
mind). I knew Thomas would endup at the battle of Poitiers, but I hadno idea how he would get there andthe joy of writing (for me) isdiscovering the story as you goalong. It always seems to me thatwriting a novel is a bit like climbingan unconquered mountain – youknow you’re aiming for the peak,but aren’t sure how to get there. Iusually get a third of the way up,look back and see a better route, sothat’s when you start again andhope the better route gives you theimpetus to get halfway up,whereupon you look back and see abetter route, and so on and so on.That means the earlier chapters getrewritten a lot more than the laterones, and the advent of word-processing really has got rid of theideas of a “draft.” I’d guess, and it
“You sit down every day and letthe imagination work on the story
and characters.”
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is just a guess, that I do theequivalent of five or six drafts?
What have been the greatestinfluences in your writing career?
Meeting Judy and the desperateneed to make a living in a countrythat didn’t want to make that easyfor me!
What comes next in your writing?
Immediately? Another of the Saxonbooks which I’ve just started, sohave no idea where it’s going, andnext year? I want to write the firstbook in a series that I’ve wanted towrite forever, but won’t tell youwhat that is! Someone might nickthe idea and I’d be pissed aboutthat.
Please describe where you write.
In two places. When I’m in CapeCod I have a “barn” that is mylibrary and has a vast desk andwhere no one disturbs me or bitchesabout the smell of cigar smoke. Iwinter in Charleston, SC, and thereI work in a spare bedroom, whichhas very few bookshelves, a muchsmaller desk, and a complicatedexhaust system so that no-one canbitch at me about the smell ofcigars. Both places work well.
When you’re not researching, whatdo you like to read for pleasure?What are your other avocations?
I read what I can’t write! I lovehistory and read a lot. I love “policeprocedurals” and read those a lot. Iread other novels, but find itincredibly hard to read historicalnovels, because I’ve spent thirty-plus years writing them. Right nowI’ve just finished Ben Fountain’snovel Bill Lynn’s Long Half TimeWalk, and am totally jealous of his
talent. It’s a superb book. My otheravocation is acting. I used to writetwo books a year, but gave up thesecond because I fell among actorsand spend most of my summermaking an idiot of myself at theMonomoy Theatre on Cape Cod. Iwas in four productions thissummer, which was three monthsof rehearsing and performing, andI’m hoping to be doing as muchnext year.
Do you ever read your own workafter it is published? Do you have afavorite book or series?
I don’t. Sometimes I have to (if it’sa series), but I don’t particularlyenjoy doing it – you always thinkwhat could have been done better!I guess my favorite series is theArthurian trilogy, mainly becausethey were so much joy to write.One day I’ll re-read them.
What do you think about e-books
and electronic readers like Kindleor Nook?
I love them! We travel a lot and youcan carry a library with you. Judyreads on a Kindle and I use an iPad.The only problem is that peoplenever see the cover of the bookthey’re reading! I had an angrymessage on Facebook fromsomeone who said he’d loved allmy books, but my new one wasdisgusting, and it turned out he onlythought he was reading one of mybooks, it was actually written bysomeone else.
Is there anything else you wouldlike to share with our readers?
I guess the hope that they’ll all beas lucky as I have been! Truly, it’sbeen a career of good luck!
Visit Bernard Cornwell online atwww.bernardcornwell.net.
(HarperCollins, $28.99, US Hardcover /$16.99 Kindle and NOOK) September 1356… All over France, towns are closing theirgates. Crops are burning, and throughoutthe countryside people are on the alert fordanger. The English army – led by the heirto the throne, the Black Prince – is set toinvade, while the French, along with theirScottish allies, are ready to hunt them down.But what if there was a weapon that coulddecide the outcome of the imminent war?Thomas of Hookton (the Grail QuestSeries), known as le Batard, has orders touncover the lost sword of Saint Peter, ablade with mystical powers said to grantcertain victory to whoever possesses her.The French seek the weapon, too, and soThomas’s quest will be thwarted at every
turn by battle and betrayal, by promises made and oaths broken. As theoutnumbered English army becomes trapped near Poitiers, Thomas, histroop of archers and men-at-arms, his enemies, and the fate of the swordconverge in a maelstrom of violence, action, and heroism.
1356by Bernard Cornwell
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BY GEORGE JEPSON | INTERVIEW
Were books an important part of your world growingup? Were there particular authors and genres thatwere your favorites?
Yes indeed. Both my parents were public schoolteachers, and in those days my mother taught inelementary school, so the house was full of books,
STEVEN MAFFEO crosses the line fromhistorian to novelist in his latest book, ThePerfect Wreck: “Old Ironsides” and HMSJava – A Story of 1812 (see review on page
14), an engaging narrative of events leading up to themomentous battle between two proud ships. Maffeo is the author of two acclaimed navalhistories – Most Secret and Confidential: Intelligencein the Age of Nelson (2000) and Seize, Burn, or Sink:The Thoughts and Words of Admiral Lord HoratioNelson (2006). The author lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado,with his wife Rhonda and son Micah, where he is theAssociate Library Director at the United States AirForce Academy. He responded to my questionsabout his career and writing fiction in this recentinterview:
Where did your interest in the sea originate?
It’s a very challenging question for a guy born andraised in Denver – about 1,000 miles from anythingresembling an ocean. I guess you could ask the samequestion of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz (fromFredericksburg, Texas) or Admiral Arleigh Burke(from Boulder, Colorado). I certainly can’t speak forthose distinguished officers, and I hardly even knowthe answer for myself. I think it might be that those ofus not used to the sea when young sometimes developa fascination for it for just that reason. I know that Ihad it early, say by five years of age. I also some-times jokingly say that it’s all because my parentstook me to see the Marlon Brando/Trevor Howardversion of Mutiny on the Bounty when I was eight,and from then on I was hooked – not only interestedin the sea, but in the great Age of Sail in particular.
Captain Steven Maffeo, USN (Ret.)
A Naval Historian Turns Novelist, Bringing to Lifethe Battle Between USS Constitution and HMS Java
and reading was a central activity.Of course, in the early and mid-1960s there were no computers,video games, at-home movies, etc.– and the television only had fourchannels – so there were limiteddistractions and thus books werepretty important to both educationand entertainment. I read prettywidely, but I have to tell you thatmy mother bought me a very nicehardbound copy of Captain HoratioHornblower when I was in thefourth grade, and that pretty muchcemented my interest in the age ofsail (that book had the marvelousN.C. Wyeth dust jacket; a poster ofthat jacket looks down on me frommy office wall right now). So, earlyon, I read all the Hornblowerbooks, then of course those ofAlexander Kent and Dudley Pope.In addition, Ideveloped aprofound likingfor history andhistorical fictionin general.
When did youbegin writing?
In high school I was in accelerated(now called “honors”) and thenadvanced-placement Englishclasses, and I majored in English incollege, so I think it’s fair to saythat I had a lot of small-scalepractice throughout those years.Most of those papers were seriousessays on various topics, but somewere exercises in creative fiction.In the tenth grade I wrote a ten-page piece of dramatic fiction on aneighteenth century sea battle, whichends much like Ambrose Bierce’sOccurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.My first huge term paper, in theeleventh grade – involving trips to alarge research library and all therest of the formal trappings – wason the mutiny on the Bounty and its
possible relevance to the Rhyme ofthe Ancient Mariner. I also publish-ed a few professional articles invarious library science journals inmy early career, and later a fewjournal and encyclopedia articles onnaval history. One of those was“Trafalgar,” published in TheFighting Top: A Journal ofNautical Literature and Art.
After completing two successfulworks of naval history, what drewyou to write The Perfect Wreck asfiction?
After I finished those books, Ivowed that I would stop writinguntil I either retired from the NavalReserve, or retired from my full-time job – or both. Writing wasvery difficult to do with the other
draws on my time and energy. Butthen I came upon an articledescribing a true event involvingOld Ironsides visiting Singapore in1845 – with a huge connection tothe War of 1812. It was an epi-phany, and I was off to the races.At first I considered writing thebook as strictly history, but after awhile it seemed to me that I mighttry to do two things at once (whichmilitary people know is dicey; oneshould never try to split themission!) I thought that I wouldattempt to tell this not-very-well-known story, an incredible seaadventure. It is fiction, but all theplayers, facts, and events areaccurate. Even much of thedialogue is taken from actualcorrespondence. I’ve tried to ensurethat those words closely fit the facts
and the personality and character ofthose people as I’ve come to knowthem.
How did you research The PerfectWreck?
The logbooks of the Constitutionand the Hornet (microfilmed duringthe Great Depression) were thebeginnings. I made copies (alongwith other key documents) at theNaval History and HeritageCommand in Washington. I found atreasure of information at the USSConstitution Museum inCharlestown, Massachusetts. Thosefolks kindly put me in touch with adescendent of Henry Chads, whowas the first lieutenant of HMSJava. David Chads, a retired Britishgentleman, shared documents that
had been passeddown through thefamily. He alsoventured into theBritish nationalarchives for meand copied theJava’s logbook.
Using approximate dates I sent him,he found copies of severalAdmiralty orders to the Java’scaptain. The published journal ofthe Constitution’s surgeon was arich find. I also made some use ofCaptain Cook’s, Captain Bligh’s,and Lieutenant Charles Wilkes’documents, as well as the iconicworks of British historians Clowesand James.
Do you write the sort of story youwould like to read, or do you writestrictly for readers?
I write things that I would like toread. But at the same time I makethe enormous (and perhapsunwarranted) assumption that therewill be a goodly number of otherpeople who will also want to read
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“... I came upon an article describing a trueevent involving “Old Ironsides” visiting
Singapore in 1845 …”
it. As you know, there are a fairlylarge group of readers who arecard-carrying Age of Sailaficionados, myself included, sowhat draws me I’m hoping willdraw them as well.
How do you name your characters?
To date, my only attempt at fictionhas been The Perfect Wreck, and asdiscussed earlier I have tried to bescrupulously faithful to thehistorical record, the slightfictionalization notwithstanding.So, every single person (save one)really existed and has a name thatcan be confirmed in primary sourcedocuments. The only one I made upwas the wicked old Gosport wine-seller, named after an old friend(Captain Robin Clements, USN).
Did you plot outthe novel beforebeginning towrite?
Fortunately, thisproject affordedme an embarrassingly easytransition from my non-fiction,because of my intent to keepclosely bound to the historicalrecord. History plotted out mystory, sparing me the incrediblestress and strain that weighs uponmost novelists. I began to write nothaving to worry about where I wasgoing.
At what point in the process didyou begin writing?
Immediately, once I hadexperienced the overwhelming pullof the 1845 scene in Singapore. Itook the article on that incident, andsome other data, and fleshed it out.Then, I jumped to the opening ofthe battle scene, framing it during aflight from Dallas/Ft. Worth to
Washington, DC. At that point Istopped writing and feverishly wentabout collecting documents,searching out secondary sources,and reading everything relevant thatI could get my hands on. I spent aconsiderable amount of time“translating” and transcribing therelevant five months ofConstitution’s log-book entries. Ifaced the same challenge withdocuments from England and,finally, the Java’s logbook. Then Ibegan writing in earnest, using thelogbooks as the centerpieces. Thewonderful thing about writing witha computer is that nothing need belost nor totally redone; so, oncethere, things can be modified,moved, and otherwise polished andrearranged. I’m old enough to tellyou that I did my first big high
school and college papers on myfather’s 1923 L.C. Smith manualtypewriter (which I still have). It’sso easy and efficient now. Howanyone wrote lengthy books in thegood old days is beyond me!
Please describe where you write?
Anywhere I can! I’ve used quite avariety of places. I don’t composeon the computer; I generally writethings out in longhand, withrevisions made on the computer.I’ve written at the dining roomtable at home, at work after hours,in airliners, on board our time-sharehouseboat, and in hotel rooms.Perhaps the most wonderful placewas three nights in the captain’scabin of Old Ironsides herself. Thelighting was good and it was
delightfully quiet, with not anothersoul on board. The watch-standersand security guards were on thepier. The ship made little noises asthe current gently moved aroundher. I left the cabin a few times,once to reenact CommodoreBainbridge falling and rollingaround the quarterdeck when hewas wounded during the Javabattle. I’m pretty sure the watch-standers couldn’t see me. I bet Ilooked pretty strange – a captain inuniform acting as if possessed.Now that I’ve completed threebooks using various ad hoc placesto write, I’ve recently establishedan office in our house, which forcesme to attempt a fourth book to seewhether I can write in a normalsetting.
What’s next foryou?
Back to history,I’m afraid, aswell as a shift intime. Anothergreat interest of
mine is World War II in the Pacificand particularly the lead-up andbeginning of the war. I’ve alreadystarted a new book, a study of thelinguists, cultural experts, code-breakers, and intelligence analysts,who were critical to our operationsbefore and during the early part ofthe war. A spectacular biographycame out last year on Captain JoeRochefort, who personifies the kindof people I’m looking at.Rochefort, who helped unravel theJapanese code leading to America’svictory at Midway, has finallyreceived recognition, but there areothers who have not, and I intend toremedy that.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
“I don’t compose on the computer; Igenerally write things out in longhand,with
revisions made on the computer.”
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I salute those fellow spirits who areinterested in history and historicalfiction! My teenager sometimescalls me Captain Obvious, for hethinks I too often point out theobvious. To me a real obvious truthis that whatever we are today is inlarge measure connected to whathas happened in the past. Readingabout history and reading abouthistory as vividly brought alive bygood historical fiction is a wonder-ful thing. Anyone else who thinksthat – in particular about naval andnautical subjects – is a right, trueshipmate of mine. Another salute: to the RoyalNavy! One of The PerfectWreck’s major charactersrecollects visiting a friend inthe Naval Hospital Haslar,which for some 300 years stoodjust west of Gosport in thegreater Portsmouth area. InFebruary 1918, my maternalgrandfather, Arthur Miller, was asoldier in the Wisconsin ArmyNational Guard, and survivedbeing sunk by a German U-boatwhile on board the Britishsteamship Tuscania. Most of thetroops were saved (260 were lostout of 2,179), and they cameashore along the north Irish coast.Many, including my grandfather,were shortly moved to Haslar. Hespent considerable time there, andmy mother told me that for the restof his life he often spoke about thewonderful care he received. Thus, itgoes without saying that if itweren’t for the Royal Navy Iwouldn’t be here. They pulled mygrandfather out of the freezingNorth Atlantic and ensured hisrecovery at Haslar. So, here’s toyou, mates!
Visit Steven Maffeo online atwww.stevenmaffeo.com.
Fireship Press, $19.95, US Trade Paperback
Naval historian Steven Maffeo brings his talent for research tohis first novel, The Perfect Wreck, the story of the battle be-tween HMS Java and USS Constitution.
Commodore Henry Chads, HMS Cambrian, Singapore station,boards a shabby old American ship to offer medical assistance to herailing crew. The ship’s captain, John Percival, ill and on crutches,accepts his offer. Chads recalls the last time he was aboard the USS
Constitution thirty-three years earlier, asfirst lieutenant of HMS Java, surrenderingto another American on crutches, Commo-dore William Bainbridge, after a horrificthree-hour action. Offered from both the British and Ameri-can perspectives, Maffeo masterfully leadsthe reader through an involved and intri-cate account of how and why the battleended as it did. A month after Constitu-tion’s devastating defeat of HMS Guerri-ère, the ship and her crack crew arehanded over to Commodore WilliamBainbridge, an unlucky and disliked offi-cer. His mission is to cruise with the Es-sex and the Hornet, and capture Britishshipping. At Portsmouth, the Java, for-
merly the French ship Renommée, is being fitted out by Cap-tain Henry Lambert, an esteemed officer already distinguished inseveral single ship actions. Lambert, however, has been forced toship a number of inexperienced and potentially mutinous men,which puts him at a distinct disadvantage. His mission is to conveyseveral East Indiamen and four ranking army officers to India.
The Perfect Wreck doesn’t just describe the Java at the end of herencounter with the Constitution; rather, it is the perfect descriptionof all that led up to that fateful battle. Although the outcome isknown from the start, it doesn’t detract from the story. Indeed, Ma-ffeo’s impeccably balanced account leaves the reader wondering ifthe best captain did actually win. The details are superlative, and thecharacterization admirable. Much appreciated also are the historian’stouch of character list, glossary, epilogue, and appendices. Whethertaken as history or a tale well-told, The Perfect Wreck makes for ahighly satisfying read.
B. N. PEACOCK
ReviewThe Perfect Wreck
by Steven Maffeo
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The Real Jack Tar
of brutalized jailbirds have operated a ship-of-the-line, the most complex machine onthe planet at the time? Why would “merecyphers” fight like tigers for such a way oflife? With such brutal conditions, who thenwould volunteer for a life on the oceanwave, as the majority did? The renewed attention this period ofmaritime history is receiving is throwingfresh light on these conundrums andilluminating a fascinating sea world. To appreciate the real Jack Tar you haveto understand who he was not. He was notthe landlubber, the quota-man, the jailbird –they came mainly from ill-conceivedpolitical measures to meet the chronicshortage of men, and were shipped aboardwith no training whatsoever to be heartilydespised by all true seamen. Their presencewas primarily to provide brute labor for thedecks of guns that gave a man-o’-war her
Heaving the lead – a Jack Tar aboard a BritishRoyal Navy ship during Nelson’s time.
BY JULIAN STOCKWIN | NAVAL HISTORY
The zenith of the Age of Sail (1793-1815) coincides with themonumental struggle for empirebetween Britain and Napoleonic
France. From as early as the Battle of theNile in 1798, Napoleon was confined to thecontinent of Europe until he was forced tosurrender by the Royal Navy’s dominationat sea, where they won all the major battlesand most of the minor. The legendaryheroes of the quarterdeck – Nelson, Howeand Pellew – are deservedly famous, butwhat of the men of the fo’c’sle? Why is itthat 99 percent of every ship’s company hasbeen overlooked to such a degree that todayit is exceptional to be able to bring to mindthe name of any of that band of heroeshailing from before the mast? And why isthe common sailor such a universally onedimensional walk-on stereotype in moderncinema and other treatments? Jolly Jack Tar has been a stock figure intheatre since before Johnson’s day, knownfor his over-the-top salty wit and directspeaking, loved by all and instantlyrecognizable with his pigtail and sea rig,including those exotic “trousers.” Thegeneral populace, grateful for theirdeliverance from the French and others,sentimentalized him, transforming him intoa quaint caricature – not that this stoppedthem at the end of the wars turning him bythe thousands onto the streets to starve. Only single figure numbers of autobio-graphical works have survived, but thesemust be taken with caution; many wereedited by polemics for reform, and fed theearly Victorian appetite for moralizing andscandal. To put it kindly, most were losers,who did not take to the life and remainedlowly and bitter – but all have beenaccepted unquestioningly as an authenticpicture of mainstream life at sea. This viewraises awkward questions. How can a crew
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purpose. Few did well; they hadlittle to offer and there was littleincentive to rise above themselvesto break into the larger community.In store for them, therefore, wouldbe a life of unremitting anduncomprehending misery. A pressed man was a differentmatter. Legally the only ones whocould be pressed off the street werethose “who used the sea.” Thisreflected the notion that merchantships were a kind of floatingreserve for the Navy, for a skilledseaman could easily pass betweenthem and often did, but even so thepress-gang was loathed. There wereoften spirited fights ashore beforesympathetic bystanders, andmagistrates could convict thelieutenant of a press-gang if injuriesresulted. However, before wecondemn, it is worth consideringhow unfair is this really, comparedto more recent times when whole-sale conscription and the lottery ofthe draft were tolerated. It is true that many Navy mendeserted, but this was probably notso much as a result of brutalconditions as a desire to see if thegrass was greener, and the simplefact that the odds against recapturewere so low. Moreover, savagepenalties were usually set aside in acaptain’s eagerness to retain theseaman’s services. The merchantservice paid wages up to four timesthose on offer in the Navy andwithout the prospect of a battle, butthere was a down-side; ship-ownerswere tight-fisted and with smallcrews sailors had to work harder,and if ever they came up against apredator they were virtuallydefenseless. It is important as well to takeaccount of the historical context inwhich Jar Tar lived. Conditionsaboard were hard, but for the timesby no means extreme. On the landthere was no real security for the
working man; a full belly at the endof a hard day was never certain, andfood was generally of poor quality.At sea, the meanest hand could relyon three square meals a dayregularly and grog twice – and freeof charge, something a ploughmanin the field or redcoat on the marchcould only dream about. Accommodation at sea was farcleaner than the crowded bothiesand stews of the city and with halfthe men on watch it has beenremarked that the 28 inches ofhammock space per man comparesfavorably with that of a moderndouble bed. While in absolute termsit is not a life we could toleratetoday, for the eighteenth century ingeneral it was not horrific – and asmodern ocean yachtsmen andmountaineers have found, a lot ofhardships can be borne if youbelieve you are achievingsomething. Brutality in discipline is oftencited to imply a cowed crew; but inreality the captain was like acountry justice-of-the-peace at sea,and had broadly similar powers –never life and death. Ashore therewere the stocks and the local bride-
well, but at sea there was noprovision for the idleness ofincarceration – the punishmentmust deter, but also be summary ineffect; the man must be quicklyreturned to duty. At a time when awoman could be “whipped at thecart’s tail” up the town’s High Streetfor a misdemeanor, flogging wasthe sea alternative. Captains variedin its use; statistical examinationshows both extremes, but if repeatoffenders and hard-case quota menare excluded it is clear that thelarger majority of seamen never didreceive a “red checked shirt at thegangway.”
One thing is emerging; the menof the fo’c’sle were not facelessnonentities going through rotedrills, as on a parade ground. A 74gun ship-of-the-line at sea had onlya single commissioned officer onwatch; the whole subsequentcomplexity of operations withhundreds of men could only bepossible if the men had theinitiative and intelligence to workindividually out there on the yard orany one of the huge number ofeveryday technical tasks. Under thetiny officer corps, a well-tried
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A cutting-out party from HMS Surprise retakes HMS Hermione, after it had been taken bymutineers in 1797 and turned over to the Spanish.
QUARTERDECK | JANUARY 2012
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hierarchy of merit existed – thepetty officers and warrant officers –who were “the backbone of theNavy.” It was highly successful,and it remains effective to this day.It ensured work-place excellence atall levels, and could only beachieved with sea skills won in aculture of pride and work satis-faction. In general, officers were no fools– they knew that in managementterms it was better to lead a well-conditioned and motivated teamthan drive a sullen and unreliablerabble. A recently discovered RoyalNavy ship’s order-book dating fromthe desperate situation of the later1790s shows well over half theentries concerned measures for thewelfare of ship’s companies. Thiswas appreciated by the seamen,who, as any serviceman will testify,can put up with much if officers areseen to be trying their best. It isworth pointing out that the grie-vances of the great fleet mutiny of1797 at Spithead were not about thesystem, but abuses. The world of the lower deck wasa unique, colorful and deeplytraditional way of life, carryingcustoms and attitudes hallowedover the centuries. A young sailorlearned many things along with hissea skills: handicrafts ranging fromscrimshaw to ships-in-a-bottle,well-honed yarns whose ancestry islost in mists of superstition, andmost valuable, the social aptitudesto get on with his fellow man undersustained hard conditions. Individualism – a trait shared byall nations in a universal sea ethos –made for strong characters andsturdy views and makes a nonsenseof portrayals that have themotherwise. There could be nodoubts about the man next to youon the yard or standing by your sideto repel boarders, they were yourshipmates, and a tight and
supportive sense of communityarose which only deepened on along com-mission, far waters andshared danger. Then, as now, thesea was a place to find resourcesof courage and endurance fromwithin yourself, to discover thelimits, both in you and in others. Prize money was an obviousincentive to Jack Tar, and withreason – all seamen would havebefore them the example of thecapture of the Spanish Hermione,which left the humblest seamanwith forty years’ pay for just afew hours work. In 1779 Lieu-tenant Trollope was in commandof the cutter Kite when he tooktwo enemy prizes laden withseasoned ship timber. He wasawarded 3/8ths – £30,000 – so inone hour he had earned the equi-valent of 300 years’ worth of pay.As no other ship was present and hewas not a member of any particularAdmiral’s Fleet he was able tosecure the full amount. Such richeswere rare, but by no meansunknown – yet this does notexplain why the blockading squad-rons, storm-tossed and lonely withnever a chance of a prize, stillperformed their sea duties to a levelthat has rarely been seen, leaguesout to sea and out of sight, exe-cuting complex maneuvers withoutever an admiring audience. A moreuniversal reason is perhaps the factthat there was a simple and sturdypatriotism at work; in the yearssince Drake, the seamen hadevolved a contempt for thoseforeigners who dared a challenge atsea, and in the years of success thatfollowed, it became a given that theRoyal Navy would prevail, what-ever the odds. In the century up toNelson this became a ‘habit ofvictory’ that gave an unshakeableconfidence in battle, every manaware that he was a member of anelite with a splendid past that it
would be unthinkable to betray, aspirit that in truth has endured tothis day. This habit of victoryproduced some incredible results.I’ll mention just one extraordinaryfact. In the whole 22 years of warthe Navy lost 166 ships to theenemy. In the same period no lessthan 1204 of the enemy hauleddown their colors in return – seventimes their number! The men on the lower deck whohelped achieve these odds wereexceptional seamen, tough andloyal characters who have contri-buted to a sea culture that hasflowered and endured over thecenturies. But there is still much wedo not know about Jack Tar. It istime for the real men to step outfrom the shadows and take theirplace among the heroes of the age.Nelson was adamant, and I have hiswords as the dedication to my firstbook, speaking of the officers aft onthe quarterdeck and the menforward in the fo’c’sle; “Aft themore honour, forward the betterman!”
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson
Visit Juliam Stockwin online atwww.julianstcokwin.com.
QUARTERDECK | JANUARY 2013
Booksh elf
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The Tainted Prizeby M. C. Muir
(Lulu.com, $14.60, TradePaperback / $2.99 Kindle) Theyear is 1803 and Captain OliverQuintrell is summoned to Londonby the First Lord of the Admiralty,John Jervis, where he receives anew commission in command ofthe frigate HMS Perpetual, whichawaits him in Gibraltar. Boundfor the Southern Ocean,Quintrell’s orders are to find amissing Royal Navy ship, even ifit means sailing all the way toPeru. But in order to completehis mission, he must face the
challenges of the Horn, an unnerving discovery, Frenchprivateers, political intrigue and even deception and unrestamongst his own crew. The Tainted Prize is a classic age-of-sail nautical fiction adventure and the second in theseries following Floating Gold.
Also Available …Floating Gold
Lulu.com, $16.00, Trade Paperback / $2.99 Kindle
Captain Blackwell’s Prizeby V. E. Ulett
(Fireship Press, $19.95, USTrade Paperback) A romanticadventure from the days ofwooden ships and iron men.Captain Blackwell’s Prize is astory of honor,duty, social classand the bond of sexual love. Asmall audacious British frigatedoes battle against a large butungainly Spanish ship. BritishCaptain James Blackwellintercepts the Spanish LaTrinidad and outmaneuvers andoutguns the treasure ship thenboards her. Fighting alongside
the Spanish captain sword in hand is a beautiful womanThe battle is quickly over. The Spanish captain is killed inthe fray and his ship damaged beyond repair. Its survivorsand treasure are taken aboard the British ship, Inconstant.Captain Blackwell’s Prize features exciting sword fights andsea battles alongside the manners, ideas and prejudices ofmen and women from the time of Nelson and Napoleon.
Lewrie and the Hogsheadsby Dewey Lambdin
($1.99 Kindle and NOOK) DeweyLambdin presents a new shortstory starring the most colorfulcaptain of the Royal Navy, AlanLewrie of the HMS Reliant, whohas been stuck in NassauHarbor, biding his time afterferreting out pirates on the coastof Spanish Florida. Until, that is,one of his brig sloops comes intoharbor with an unexpected cargoof survivors from an Americanbrig. Their ship, the Santee out ofCharleston, South Carolina, hasbeen taken by a Spanish
privateer far down in the Bahamas near the Crooked Islandpassage. With this news of more pirates at large, Lewriehas a chance to get out of Dodge, have some fun, andmaybe even capture a prize. But he’s about to learn thatthere’s another, much boozier side to the Americans’ story.
Coming in February …Hostile Shores
Thomas Dunne, $25.99, Hardcover / $12.99 Kindle
The Beckoning Iceby Joan Druett
(Amazon, $6.99 Kindle) InFebruary 1839 ships of theUnited States ExploringExpedition are thrashing aboutdreaded Cape Horn, on their wayto a rendezvous at OrangeHarbor, Tierra del Fuego, on acrazy mission to be the first tofind Antarctica. A sealingschooner hails the brig Swallowwith a strange tale of sighting amurdered corpse on an iceberg –surely a case for Wiki Coffin, whorepresents American law andorder with the fleet. But circum-
stances are against him. As he has been banished from theSwallow to the Peacock, where he is forced to battleracism, and vengeful sealers, the puzzle is surely too mucheven for this experienced sleuth. Then Wiki is tested evenfurther when he uncovers a brutal murder on board. Tosolve this double mystery, he is forced to make a danger-ous voyage to the utmost fringes of the beckoning ice.
By George!
incessant questions from me aboutFalmouth and the landmarksprominent in the Bolitho series. Falmouth, which lies on theestuary of the beautiful River Fal,was initially the site of PendennisCastle, built in 1545 by Henry VIII,and one of several castles runningalong the south west coast ofEngland. The town was foundedabout 1613 by John Killigrew. Arriving in the small Cornishcity, my eyes were focused on thewaterfront and the ancientstructures, which could well havebeen in existence during RichardBolitho’s lifetime. I practice“selective viewing” when visitinghistoric places like London orPortsmouth, filtering out themodern environment. Luckily, wefound parking along a road leadingto the headland on which sitsPendennis Castle. The castle, with its iconic roundtower, overlooks Falmouth Bay andCarrick Roads. The dark bluewaters teemed with sailboats as westrolled across the green beneaththe castle. As I cast my eyes castseaward, I imagined CaptainBolitho’s frigate, HMS Phalarope,anchored “well out in FalmouthBay, her sleek shape black andstark against the sea and waterysunlight,” in To Glory We Steer. I had fervently hoped to see theBolitho home described inMidshipman Bolitho and theAvenger: “… the big grey house,square and uncompromising,almost the same colour as the low,scudding clouds and the headlandbeyond.” But sadly the structure
Continued from page 4
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Soldier of Crusadeby Jack Ludlow
($29.95, Hardcover / 10.63 Kindle / $10.63NOOK) 1096. The Pope has called for a crusadeto free Jerusalem, and half the warriors of Europehave responded. Among them is the Norman,Count Bohemund, one-time enemy of Byzantium,whose help is required if progress is to bepossible. In company with his warrior nephew,Tancred of Lecce, Bohemund must once morecross the Adriatic to the lands of the ByzantineEmpire. His first task, pushing back the infidelTurks, calls for an uneasy alliance with old enemyEmperor Alexius. But can the Crusaders trust thewily Emperor, and is he really on their side? Withold tensions and grudges arising, and the violentbattles of the People’s Crusade bringingdestruction upon middle Europe, the strength ofthis reluctant truce, and the de Hauteville dynastyitself, is truly put to the test. Bohemund is faced
once again with the opportunity to gain power, land and riches for himself, butdo the risks of doing so outweigh the rewards? The Crusaders must contendwith sieges, open battles, hunger and want on their journey to mighty Antioch,where they face the stiffest test of their mettle. As defeat threatens, only Normandiscipline can save the day.
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This is the house on Cornwall after which the Bolithohome is patterned. The photo was taken by DouglasReeman while living in Cornwall in preparation forwriting the first Alexander Kent novel.
selected by Douglas for the housewas located on the RoselandPeninsula across Carrick Roads.Perhaps another time, I thought. The Church of King Charles theMartyr, where so many importantevents in the lives of Bolithos take
place, remains today just upfrom Falmouth Harbour. Striding along thewaterfront, smelling the seaair, passing small shops, Ihad the sense Geoffrey andI were tracing RichardBolitho’s footsteps muchlike he and Martyn Dancer“… strode through the mudand slush, past the oldchurch and ancient trees…”in Midshipman Bolitho andthe Avenger. The old church stillstands, along with
Pendennis Castle and Falmouth’snarrow winding streets. I recall thissmall bit of Bolitho’s world eachtime I return to Alexander Kent’seloquent words.For more on Bolitho’s world, visit DouglasReeman online at douglasreeman.com.
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THE RICHARD DELANCEY NOVELSby C. Northcote Parkinson
QUARTERDECK | JANUARY 2013
1 - The Guernseyman(McBooks Press, $18.95, US TradePaperback / $7.99 Kindle / $8.99NOOK) Richard Delancey,inadvertently embroiled in Liverpoollabor riots, sidesteps punishment by“volunteering” for the Navy. Ranked asa midshipman, he is no sooner aboardthan his ship sails for the port of NewYork, where he meets Charlotte, hisattractive cousin. But when the eventsof the American Revolution and theongoing hostilities between Englandand France send him back across thesea, Delancey finds himself instru-mental in defending the Isle of Jerseyand, later, the Rock of Gibraltar.
2 - Devil to Pay(McBooks Press, $19.95, US TradePaperback / $7.99 Kindle / $8.99NOOK) 1794 . . . A lieutenant’s rankbelying his undistinguished navalcareer, Richard Delancey finds that hisfluency in French lands him a secretmission, but to his chagrin, it goesawry. Casting about for freshopportunity, Delancey becomesinvolved in customs collection on theIsle of Wight and in thwarting the high-stakes activities of smugglers. Hissuccess lands him in command of aprivate man-of-war, the 22-gunNemesis, to embark on furtheradventures.
3 - The Fireship(McBooks Press, $17.95, US TradePaperback / $7.99 Kindle / $8.99NOOK) Having obtained a position on
the Glatton, Richard Delancey is soonto see action in the Battle ofCamperdown. But the Nore andSpithead mutinies intervene to upsetthe course of his career. As witness toa mutiny and participant in thesubsequent court martial, Delancydevises an original legal defense tohelp free a fellow officer accused ofmurder. He acquits himself well, butfalls afoul of the naval establishment.To his chagrin, he misses the generalpromotion of all in his rank after thevictory at Camperdown. Mollified byappointment to command a curiouslyantiquated vessel – the fireship Spitfire– Delancey uses this unlikelyopportunity to best effect.
4 - Touch and Go(McBooks Press, $19.95, US TradePaperback / $7.99 Kindle / $8.99NOOK) 1794 . . . With his Royal Navycommission in hand, Richard Delanceyis posted to Gibraltar to command thesloop Merlin for convoy protection inthe Mediterranean. Overcomingproblems with his crew, Delanceyquickly proves his mettle during thesiege of Valletta and the battle ofCadiz. While there, Delancey hears ofa rich prize ripe for the taking, but it’stouch and go whether he will make thecapture in time.
5 - So Near So Far(McBooks Press, $19.95, US TradePaperback / $7.99 Kindle / $8.99NOOK) 1794 . . . Temporary peacehas been negotiated. During this
precarious cease-fire, RichardDelancey seems hell-bent onjeopardizing his career by falling inlove with a spirited Drury Lane actressand engaging in a yacht race withmembers of the opposition party. Butthis brilliant tactician is soon called intoaction once more, as Britain preparesfor the threat of a new French assault.Disturbing rumors are circulating aboutNapoleon’s new weapons of war:vessels driven by steam-engines, newexplosive devices, and, most troublingof all, a French secret weapon namedNautilus, which can travel underwaterand attach explosive devices below thewaterline. Using wildly unorthodoxtactics,Delancey will have to defeatthese new weapons of war, as well asthwart a plan to kidnap the BritishPrime Minister from Walmer Castle.
6 - Dead Reckoning(McBooks Press, $19.95, US TradePaperback / $7.99 Kindle / $8.99NOOK) 1794 . . . In this gripping finalbook of Parkinson’s series, CaptainRichard Delancey heads for the EastIndies on the 32-gun frigate Laura totake part in the capture of the Cape ofGood Hope. His ingenious tactics gainthe attention of his superiors, whorecruit him for a high-stakes mission:to seek out and destroy the Frenchprivateer Subtile. In the meantime, onthe island of Mauritius, Delanceypursues a more personal vendetta: tohunt down the infamous "Fabius," asadistic enemy agent who has eludedDelancey for years.
