Divided into ten chapters,
How to Survive in
the Georgian Navy introduces readers to a wide
range of topics concerning life in the Royal Navy during
the reigns of George I, II, III, and IV. When the War of
the Spanish Succession ended in 1715, Britain possessed
more naval ships than any other European nation. Her
merchant trade was expanding to encompass the entire
world and the ships carrying imports and exports
required protection, which necessitated a naval presence
in the far reaches of the British Empire. This, in turn,
required both financial backing and a good
infrastructure to support the ships and crews stationed
in these distant ports and waters.
Chapter one focuses on the
navy’s personnel, officers and ratings alike, and what
they did aboard the ships. The next chapter is concerned
with how these men joined the Royal Navy. War
necessitated a large number of men, but in times of
peace, far fewer were needed. For example, at the time
that the wars with France ended in the early nineteenth
century, 145,000 men served in the Royal Navy. The
majority (126,000 to be precise) soon found themselves
unemployed.
It was important that a
ship’s crew work together; rules and regulations
provided for the smooth running of the ships and, as a
result, sometimes required men to be disciplined. This
is the topic of chapter three: Crimes and Punishment:
Discipline in the Georgian Navy. The flip side of this
was the need to not only feed the crew and allow them
periods of downtime, but also to maintain their health.
The latter was particularly important since the majority
of deaths stemmed from disease or accident. For example,
one in thirty-one men died each year as a result of
these two culprits between 1792 and 1815, whereas one in
403 succumbed in battle. These are the topics discussed
in chapters four and five: Victuals and Time Out: Food,
Drink and Recreation in the Georgian Navy, and Keeping a
Healthy Crew: Medicine in the Georgian Navy.
During an eighty-one year
period, beginning in 1714, the navy lost 1,027 ships.
More than half of these foundered; the rest were the
result of wrecking, fire, colliding, or mutiny. While
chapter nine specifically examines “Mutiny in the
Georgian Navy,” chapter six explores “A Matter of
Survival: Storms, Shipwreck and Fire on Board Ship.”
Chapter seven discusses naval expeditions of a
scientific nature, whereas chapter eight concerns
warships and sea battles. The latter includes firsthand
accounts of the battles of Cape Passaro (1718), at
Finisterre (1747), and of Quiberon Bay (1759). Most such
accounts come from a ship’s officers, but the author
also includes one written by an ordinary seaman who was
aboard HMS Orion
during the Battle of the Nile in 1798.
The last chapter talks
about “Women at Sea in the Age of Sail.” Often seen as
bad luck, the historical record mentions that in 1379,
the French attacked during a bad storm. The sailors
blamed the sixty women who were aboard and tossed them
into the roiling sea. Some were of questionable
character, but others were members of the upper crust.
Between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, they
could be found on navy ships, sometimes to entertain the
men who weren’t allowed shore leave. Other times women
actually worked in some semi- or unofficial capacity, or
found themselves aboard because they were fleeing from
enemy troops. A minority chose to disguise themselves in
male attire and join the navy.
The epilogue discusses the
Georgian navy’s legacy during a critical period in
history. As Pappalardo writes, “aided by both the
technological advances of the equipment and techniques
and the attitude, training and skill of the men of the
Royal Navy . . . gained Britain undisputed supremacy of
the seas for the next century and firmly established
Britain as a leading global power.” (136)
Interspersed throughout the
144 pages are black-and-white illustrations. The
endpapers are in full color. The front depicts the two
halves of the world; the back is a painting of Admiral
Earl Howe’s victory over the French fleet on the
Glorious First of June 1794. The use of a very small
font size is the only drawback, but to use a larger one
would have necessitated making a book of either greater
dimensions or additional length. This volume also
contains a Timeline of Major Naval Battles and Events, a
bibliography, and an index.
Pappalardo, Principal Records
Specialist (Naval) at The National Archives in London,
packs a wealth of knowledge into this pocket-sized,
hardback book that is entertaining and informative. The
narrative is both a historical introduction to the Royal
Navy between 1714 and 1820, and a collection of
contemporary, illustrative quotations from the officers
and men who served aboard British warships or in
administrative capacities. How to Survive in
the Georgian Navy is an excellent overview for
those unfamiliar with this period of British naval
history, or an exceptional summary for those seeking to
reacquaint themselves with it.
Review Copyrighted ©2019 Cindy
Vallar
Pirates
and Privateers
