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Book Reviews Roger Branfill-Cook. ShipCraft No. sions, crew, engine, speed, guns, and 26: Riverine Craft of the Vietnam Wars. armour. Period black and white photo- Barnsley, S. Yorks: Seaforth Publishing, graphs illustrate full length and design www.seaforthpublishing.co.uk, 2020. details along with scale profile draw- 64 pp., illustrations, bibliography. UK ings for most ships. Those for smaller £14.99, US $24.95, paper; ISBN 978-1- field-modified craft are naturally more 5267-4906-2. rudimentary, and the paired profiles of This work is the twenty-sixth entry original designs versus riverine mod- in the ShipCraft modeling and visu- ification provide the most interesting al reference series, and author Roger detail. Branfill-Cook’s first contribution. A The Model Products section, locat- professional translator used to working ed after the French conversions text, is with French documents, Branfill-Cook divided into four different sections by covers not only the American vessels of scale, with a note on compatible fig- the Vietnam War, but French examples ures at the end. Two vessels are listed from the Indochina War as well. As is as available under unusual ‘Box Scale’ the pattern of the series, Riverine Craft sizes, fifteen for the combined 1:72 and consists of a main text, model products 1:76 scale, five for 1:56, three for 1:48, guide, and model showcase. These and a final twelve for 1:35 scale. Most cover the historical background of ves- listings showcase either the kit’s box art sel types, available kits for representing or a completed example, accompanied various vessels, and fully constructed by a short text on the model’s avail- example models respectively. A single ability, accuracy, and necessary con- page of Selected References listing fin- version notes. Some personal levity is ishes out the work. introduced in this section as well, such The main text of the work is split as the author noting his rare 1:48 RAG roughly in half by the modeling section, Boat kit “had obviously detonated a VC with the first half covering the introduc- mine beneath the engine compartment” tion and French vessel conversions and due to being badly cracked inside the the second half covering South Viet- box (22). namese and American designs. The The 21-page, full colour Modelmak- text is largely used to explain vessel er’s Showcase section is naturally the details for modelers, and as such, there centerpiece of the work, offering mul- is no overt analysis beyond mentioning tiple views of 19 different models con- the effectiveness and service life of the structed by nine different individuals. individual designs. Ship types have Some of these are stand-alone pieces, their name bolded in the text when in- but many are shown in diorama format, troduced, with technical information in either underway or carrying out an op- a side bar listing date of launch, dimen- eration. Perhaps most impressive are The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord 31, No. 1 (Spring 2021): 79-124
80 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord
the dioramas of Jan Vererstraeten and black and white, even though many co-
Jack Carrico, with the former being a lour images of American vessels exist.
highly detailed Riverine Patrol Boat Said images would be helpful to readers
and Command and Communications by showing the period colour schemes
Boat diorama, and the latter being mul- and markings, rather than just relying
tiple detailed pieces created using kits on the models in the showcase section.
from Masterpiece Models. Unsurpris- Riverine Craft of the Vietnam Wars is
ingly, Branfill-Cook includes many of a decent primer on these vessels and a
his own creations in this section, offer- good reference guide for those seeking
ing good examples of kit conversions to to model the Indochina and Vietnam
represent French and South Vietnamese Wars. While the text may be relative-
craft as well as a variety of American ly minimal, there is a good selection of
vessels. images and profiles, especially of the
In terms of possible improvements, early French conversion efforts often
several come to mind. As this is a work overlooked in the historiography. For
primarily intended to help model build- modelers, the products section offers a
ers, Branfill-Cook’s note that profile good rundown of available kits paired
drawings of conversion type vessels are with commentary on their availability
“highly speculative” and readers should and accuracy, augmented by the stand-
reach out if they have plans should be alone and diorama builds of the Show-
located in the introduction rather than case.
as an image caption (10). Additionally,
Charles Ross Patterson II
at least two of the photographs have in-
Yorktown, Virginia
correct information. One of the 11-me-
tre FOM pictures states that the visible
weapon is “not a .50 cal Browning, Donald Collingwood. The Captain
and is probably a 20 mm Oerlikon,” Class Frigates in the Second World
when the weapon is quite clearly an M2 War. Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen & Sword
Browning with the early slotted barrel Maritime, www.pen-and-sword.co.uk,
support of the pre-war Colt contracts 2020. 224 pp., illustrations, bibliog-
(11). Another identifies the turret used raphy, index. US $26.95, paper; ISBN
for the LVT(A)-5 as coming from an M5 978-1-52678-223-6. Originally pub-
Light Tank, when it is actually from the lished 1999 and re-released April 2021.
M8 ‘Scott’ Howitzer Motor Gun Car- (E-book available.)
riage (13). Statements like these could
lead to unintentional inaccuracies by Overall, this is a very interesting book
modelers. The former Japanese junks describing the history of the Captain
used by the French are also not covered -class frigates (destroyer escorts) in the
in the main text, though model sugges- Royal Navy during the latter part of the
tions are provided in the availability Second World War. The Battle of the
section, and there is just a single stern Atlantic, and the U-boat peril, often has
photograph of an LSSC when many been described as the only event that re-
more profile and detail images exist. ally worried Winston Churchill during
The main text also seems heavily bro- the war. Without the machinery of war,
ken up by photographs and drawings. raw materials, food and troops from the
This may be the style of the work, but United States and Canada, there was no
it does affect the flow of information. way of defeating Nazi Germany and it
Finally, all period photographs are in all had to come via the Atlantic Ocean.Book Reviews 81 The Nazis equally knew that if they rather than lengthy in-paragraph infor- could stop this seaborne trade and troop mation. These flaws aside, Colling- movements, they could prevent a land wood has produced a readable and in- war on two fronts. Without the Allies formative narrative of life at sea in the winning the battle at sea, there would Captain-class ships on the Atlantic and have been no landings at Normandy and Arctic convoy routes and the English hence, no defeat of Nazi Germany. Channel patrols during the Normandy Convoy escorts were, thus, a vital landings and opening up of the port of part of getting the convoys through and Antwerp. while Britain had the men to operate The author undertook extensive ‘hard such ships, they did not have enough copy’ archival research in the 1980s and ships. Earlier in the war the United 90s to put this history together but also States had loaned 50 old destroyers to uses first-hand information from other the Royal Navy to fill the gap, but by Captain-class personnel who were pres- 1943, new and more capable ships were ent at the many actions in which these required—enter the USS Buckley and ships took part. The story begins in ear- Evart class destroyer escorts (DEs) 78 ly 1943 with the commencement of ship of which eventually served in the Royal construction in US east coast shipyards Navy. While classified as destroyer es- and the overwhelming support provid- corts by the US Navy they were ‘down- ed by the US Navy in getting the ships graded’ to frigates by the Royal Navy ready for sea. Certainly, the high qual- due to weapons fitted. The ships were ity American food and the onboard liv- classified as the Captain class by the ing conditions, such as the use of bunks British and took on the names of former rather than hammocks, were comment- Royal Navy captains from the Napole- ed on by all who commissioned the onic Wars (but with a few from earlier frigates. There were often Royal Navy campaigns). crew shortfalls and some of the frig- Donald Collingwood’s book was first ates were steamed to England by Royal published in 1999 but recently repub- Canadian Navy ‘delivery voyage only’ lished in 2020. Collingwood served as crews. Many of the ships conducted an ordnance artificer in one of the DE’s work-ups off Bermuda before arriving (HMS Cubitt) during the war so had in England where they were assigned to first-hand experience of these ships and various escort groups. easy access to many other ex-Captain- While U-boats were rarely seen in class men. This has its good and bad as- the mid-Atlantic by late 1943, they con- pects throughout the book with rumours tinued to attack Allied convoys right up sometimes becoming fact. until the end of the war and the Cap- The book is written in an easy-going, tains saw their fair share of action. On conversational style but at times as- the plus side, the frigates sank at least sumes the reader has an in-depth knowl- 38 U-boats (with some wartime ‘prob- edge of Royal Navy techniques, tac- able’ kills not being confirmed until tics, procedures, practices, equipment, well after the war when German re- ranks, history and customs. Colling- cords were analysed). Some were indi- wood’s writing, at times, is verbose vidual ship efforts while others were a and clumsy—using a dozen words or team effort and often including aircraft more to describe an event when five or to locate and harass the enemy subma- six will do. The book lacks footnotes/ rines. During the post D-Day channel endnotes which could have been used patrols several Captain’s were involved
82 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord
in night-time running gun battles with ny; effectively half her crew. The ship,
German E-boats but only one frigate however, did not sink and she had to be
(HMS Kingsmill) was ever credited sunk by gunfire, by the Colony-class
with shooting down a German aircraft. frigate HMS Anguilla, the following
The frigates did not have it all their day. A testimony to the rugged design
own way. U-boats, mines or enemy and quality construction of the Cap-
aircraft sank or badly damaged 17 of tain-class—but equally sad as many of
the frigates and while some returned to Goodall’s men died in the final days of
port, they were ‘written off’ as a con- the European war and thus did not live
structive total loss and scrapped. Many to see the victory that they had fought
Captain’s suffered severe damage due so hard to achieve.
to weather or enemy action but thanks
Greg Swinden
to their very sturdy construction, stayed
Canberra, Australia
afloat and were taken back to port for
repair. Others did their convoy escort
duties with barely a shot fired. Fortu- Richard D. Cornell. The Chippewa:
nately, apart from actions with E-Boats, Biography of a Wisconsin Waterway.
they managed to avoid action with Ger- Madison, WI: Wisconsin Historical So-
man warships as the frigates’ three-inch ciety Press, www.wisconsinhistory.org,
guns, firing a 12-pound shell, were de- 2018. 200 pp., illustrations, map, notes,
scribed by her gunners as next to use- bibliography, index. US $20.00, paper;
less with the shells often bouncing off ISBN 978-0-87020-780-8.
the hull of surfaced U-boats.
At the end of the European war, some Mariners spend their lives on water—
of the ships were prepared for service seas, lakes and rivers. Many see, but
in the Pacific theatre but the Japanese fewer actually observe the waters, their
surrender ended that plan. Most of the origins, their flow, their banks and the
ships were returned to the United States towns along them. The Chippewa
in 1946-47 for scrapping under the chronicles author Richard D. Cornell’s
Lend-Lease agreement. A few, how- exploration of the western Wisconsin
ever, were retained for use as floating waterway. Over several years he, along
power stations at various naval bases with his daughter, KC, and son Drew,
and one, HMS Affleck, was forgotten canoed it from its headwaters to where
about and kept up this unsung duty at it empties into the Mississippi. This is
Tenerife until 1957 before finally being not a linear travelogue with a start, tran-
scrapped. sit and finish. Cornell presents a series
Of the many actions fought by the of floats that, when combined, encom-
Captain-class during the war, there is pass the whole river.
one action that stands out for me and The headwaters were a riddle for
epitomizes the hard life at sea for the Cornell to unravel. Glidden Enter-
men serving in these ships. On 29 prise reporter, Pat Bonney, led Cor-
April 1945 HMS Goodall was part of nell to the origin of West Fork, while
the escort taking one of the last convoys the beginnings of East Fork are more
to northern Russia when she was tor- obscure. What is clearer is that they
pedoed by a U-boat in the Kola Inlet. merge in central Sawyer County. Like
The torpedo struck the frigate’s forward many waterways in this part of North
magazine and blew the entire bow off America, the Chippewa was formed by
with the loss of 95 of her ship’s compa- the glaciers that crushed and scrapedBook Reviews 83 the surface for thousands of years Running water is a long-tapped during the most recent Ice Age. The source of renewable energy and the river emerged ten thousand years ago Chippewa has a series of hydro-electric as small streams flowing under and to- dams. They not only power the valley, ward the edge of the Chippewa Lobe of but give Xcel Energy the authority to the great Laurentide Ice Sheet, which, “turn on the river”. Release of water along with the other lobes, the Superior, through the dam generates electricity Wisconsin Valley, Langlade and Green but also affects water temperature and Bay, shaped modern Wisconsin. As the erodes banks. Greg Haberman, man- glaciers melted during an earlier period ager of Winter Dam, balances his ob- of climate change, enormous rushes of ligation to Xcel with government reg- meltwater, ice blocks and rocks carved ulations and the demands of the local the Chippewa Valley. communities. The Chippewa has provided suste- Like Sherlock Holmes, Richard Cor- nance and transport to a sequence of nell observes: inhabitants. It watered woolly mam- “We paddled hard, through the last moths and musk ox as well as the no- glimmer of day and into the gathering mads who followed and hunted them. moonlight. Slivers of pink clouds re- It provided Ojibwe peoples with fish flected on the surface of the river. When and brought French fur traders, led by I heard the small rapids, I got out of explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson. It saw the canoe, grabbed a rope and prepared the land divided into Indigenous reser- to guide us through the rocks. Water vations that still border its stream. swirled around my legs as I picked my The Chippewa flows through lands way through…At the end of the rap- where white pine was king and floated ids the canoe dipped, and what seemed in its waters during the logging days. It like a million mayflies surrounded her. runs alongside cities and towns, such KC shielded her eyes with her hands. as Glidden, the self-proclaimed Black I imagined her covered in fairy dust, Bear Capitol of Wisconsin; Eau Claire, though she doesn’t remember it that where professional baseball met Henry way. I felt the canoe push gently into Aaron; Chippewa Falls, the upstream the upper edge of the island…We ex- limit of the steamboats; and Durand in plored the island under the sliver of Pepin County, that gave the world Lau- moon and chose the lower end to pitch ra Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little our camp” (37). House on the Prairie. The Chippewa packs a lot into 231 Readers are introduced to people pages. Its black and white pictures, con- who live, or lived, along its banks in- temporary and period, are visual aids cluding the Ojibwe whose habitation to the text while the index directs you exceeds memory, Bill Nolte, owner of back to what you want to read again. “The Joynt” that has continued Eau The footnotes provide links to further Claire’s tradition of fine music, and lo- research. This work is travelogue and cal historian Marge Hebbring, a descen- history, exploration and discovery, riv- dant of Chippewa Valley trader Michel er science and industry, virgin waters Cadotte. We become acquainted with and managed use. You could read this the wild Chippewa between the Flam- quickly, but do not. Let it carry you at beau River to Jim Falls and the sections its own pace, like the river it chronicles. tamed by the dams astride it and the Savour it. It is a tale of a journey of workers who control their floodgates. man and daughter, one that the man ad-
84 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord
mits “I didn’t want this to end.” Neither late-nineteenth-century on, Caribbean
will you. turtlemen were often in the middle of
questions, and conflicts, relating to the
James M. Gallen
exercise and boundaries of national
St. Louis, Missouri
sovereignties. In particular, as the turtle
populations were depleted, turtlemen,
Sharika D. Crawford. The Last Turtle- who were largely from the Cayman Is-
men of the Caribbean: Waterscapes of lands, were forced farther afield in their
Labor, Conservation, and Boundary hunting voyages. This brought them
Making. Chapel Hill, NC: University of into conflict with nations such as Nic-
North Carolina Press, www.uncpress. aragua, Costa Rica, and Columbia who
org, 2020. xii+204 pp., illustrations, felt that turtles off their shores were,
maps, tables, notes, bibliography, in- by right, their natural resources. Those
dex. US $27.95, paper; ISBN 978-1- three nations, in particular, passed laws
4696-6021-9. and increased enforcement aimed at
protecting those resource rights, which
Turtles, particularly sea turtles, have raised questions about where national
played a significant role in the histo- boundaries were and should be drawn.
ry of maritime communities the world These debates Crawford argues were
over, and in many ways helped to en- important for two major reasons; the
able prolonged exploration and fervent first of which was that they served to
exploitative trade from the Age of Ex- push back against British Imperial argu-
ploration into the end of the Late Mod- ments relating to maritime jurisdiction.
ern Era. These large, slow-moving am- The British Empire had long pushed for
phibians were prized by sailing crews limited sea-based jurisdiction for any
for the large amounts of meat that could nation, preferring that the seas be kept
be harvested from their bodies—a taste open for the use of all nations, with mi-
for which spread to Europe itself, where nor concessions for national defense.
increasing demand helped to spur mul- As British Imperial power waned,
tiple extirpations across various ocean however, Caribbean nations seeking to
biomes—along with the plentiful eggs demark their sovereignty to a greater
that could be harvested from their extent placed a premium on protect-
clutch grounds. Further, the often-co- ing their maritime resources—seeking
lourful shells, long used by Indigenous to prevent total depletion, and ensure
cultures, proved to be valuable trade themselves a fair portion of any profit
items in and of themselves. In the case they generated.
of the Caribbean, a limited turtling in- More significant for the turtlemen,
dustry was able to continue to exploit these arguments around maritime re-
native turtle populations until the mid- sources and national boundaries meant
1960s when ecological, economic, and that they helped to define the modern
political pressures became significant boundaries of the Caribbean. While
enough to finally end it. It is the last much of their contribution in this shap-
century of this Caribbean turtling in- ing was incidental, rather than directly
dustry that Sharika Crawford focuses intentional, it was still notable, and for
on in her consideration of how it served Crawford’s study, it is a core tenet in
to shape the modern circum-Caribbean arguing for their historical significance.
world. Understanding this significance in her
Crawford finds that from the eyes will help to expand the historicalBook Reviews 85
understanding of the Caribbean away text certainly would have a spot in any
from a region dominated by the Europe- environmental history course, as well as
an-focused sugar plantations into a fully those focused on Atlantic and Caribbe-
complex zone of cultural and econom- an world histories. Pushing away from
ic exchange. Notably, the sea trades, the traditional plantation-based history
including turtling, drew heavily from of the Caribbean to consider the signif-
the free and freed populations—few icances of its maritime world promises
Cayman slaves participated in the mari- to be a major step in achieving a deeper
time trades. Much as Skip Finley notes and more profound history of the region
in Whaling Captains of Color, these as a whole. If nothing else, it is a vital
trades opened doors to economic and reminder that the maritime world is the
social prosperity that would have been often-forgotten component of histories
otherwise largely closed to those popu- the world over and that as historians we
lations, thereby enabling some amount would be well served to rectify those
of advancement. omissions.
The historical significance of the
Michael Toth
Cayman turtlers can also be seen in the
Fort Worth, Texas
rise of modern conservation efforts,
particularly those related to sea turtles.
The notable and alarming depletion Jesse Cromwell. The Smugglers’ World:
of sea turtle populations by the 1960s Illicit Trade and Atlantic Communities
meant that preservation of those species in Eighteenth-Century Venezuela. Wil-
was folded into the first international liamsburg and Chapel Hill, NC: Omo-
conservation movement—preventing hundro Institute of Early American
even greater harm to be done before History and Culture and University of
the need for help was noted. While the North Carolina Press, www.uncpress.
efforts of conservationists, along with org, 2018. 336 pp., illustrations, maps,
the increasing hostility of various cir- notes, index. US $39.95, cloth; ISBN
cum-Caribbean nations aimed at pro- 978-1469636887. (E-book available.)
tecting their remaining natural maritime
resources for themselves, served to end We often think of smugglers as shady
the Cayman turtlers’ industry, it is inar- people lurking on the outskirts of soci-
guable that they were able to be proac- ety, driven by greed and a certain dis-
tive rather than merely reactive. Thus, regard for authority. Cromwell’s The
turtlers inadvertently can be credited in Smugglers’ World convincingly flips
part with the preservation of the very that stereotype on its head by demon-
species they primarily profited from the strating that virtually everyone in eigh-
deaths of. teenth-century Venezuela had connec-
This illuminating and significant text tions to the illicit world of smuggling.
has been assembled from a variety of Government officials, religious leaders,
sources including oral histories held at merchants, ship captains, sailors, wa-
the Cayman Island National Archive, terfront workers, and every-day con-
diplomatic correspondences, and the sumers created a vast network of illegal
papers of Dr. Archie Carr, who was the trade that brought in foreign manufac-
leading sea turtle conservationist of his tured goods and foodstuffs in exchange
time. Marking the beginning of new for cacao, Venezuela’s cash crop. In
roads for research and consideration in other words, Venezuelan society and
the history of the Caribbean world, this its economy could not function without86 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord smugglers and smuggling. Through a seafarers navigated Spanish American combination of rigorous primary and waters to unload their illicit cargoes and secondary source research and aca- retrieve precious cacao, tobacco, and demic argumentation, Cromwell effec- hides. During this most treacherous tively places smuggling at the centre leg of the smuggling journey, foreign of eighteenth-century Venezuelan so- seafarers confronted the possibility of ciety, while carefully negotiating the death through combat with Spanish ves- complexity of law enforcement efforts, sels, imprisonment, disease, and forced inter-imperial struggles, and the vicissi- labour. Cromwell then moves ashore to tudes of an unforgiving Atlantic econ- examine merchant smuggling rings and omy. the tactics employed to avoid detection. Cromwell organizes The Smugglers’ He presents the interesting case study World thematically, except for Chap- of Luciano Luzardo and the merchant ter Eight. While allowing for a com- Nicolás Rodríguez, who found sup- prehensive analysis of each aspect of port and protection for their smuggling smuggling in Venezuelan society, this within religious circles. Unlike cap- approach has a few drawbacks, which tured foreigners or lower-class Venezu- will be discussed below. The first three elan smugglers, Luzardo’s smuggling chapters also have a certain chronolog- network faced few, if any, consequenc- ical coherency. The first chapter ex- es for their actions. Cromwell explains plains Spain’s closed system of Atlantic this discrepancy and leniency towards trade prior to 1700 and how that led to merchant elites by linking Venezue- scarcity and large-scale smuggling op- lan government officials to rampant erations in Venezuela. We consequent- smuggling in Chapter Six. The final ly learn in Chapter Two that the Ven- thematic chapter explores the complex ezuelan consumer developed a cultural relationship of free and enslaved people acceptance of and economic dependen- of colour to the system of smuggling. cy on smuggling during the early eigh- Enslaved Africans participated in the teenth century, becoming, in effect, a system as both smugglers and smug- smuggler society. The third chapter gled. Meanwhile, Cromwell argues, examines the creation of the Caracas free people of colour captured in the act Company in 1728 by imperial authori- of smuggling endured the added risk of ties to harness the growing profitability potential enslavement. of cacao and to address the rise of illicit Cromwell’s chapter on people of co- trade in Venezuela. lour is not only informative, but it also The next four chapters focus on best illustrates the organizational diffi- the groups most active in Venezuelan culties of The Smugglers’ World. Crom- smuggling, including foreign smug- well’s thematic approach dissects and glers (Chapter Four), Venezuelan mer- compartmentalizes Venezuela’s system chants and officials (Chapters Five and of smuggling. As a maritime historian, Six respectively), and free and enslaved I was particularly interested in Chapter people of colour (Chapter Seven). Four’s focus on the lives of smugglers These chapters have little chronological at sea and the ships they sailed. Unfor- awareness but rather seek to demon- tunately, it left me dissatisfied, in part, strate continuities within the Venezu- because some stories and aspects of the elan system of smuggling. Beginning maritime world had been placed in oth- with foreign smugglers, Cromwell ex- er chapters. For instance, both enslaved plores how primarily Dutch and English and free people of colour held important
Book Reviews 87
roles on board smuggling vessels, espe- thor has admirably discovered their
cially enslaved seafarers hired out by networks, both at sea and on land, and
their owners. Having no choice in their told their stories. Organizational issues
employment, they served an import- aside, Cromwell’s argument for placing
ant role in filling out smuggler crews. smugglers and smuggling at the centre
This information, however, should have of Venezuelan society is an important
been included in Chapter Four to obtain contribution to our understanding of
a more complete understanding of “For- colonial Venezuela and its place in the
eign Smugglers” and their crews. I was Atlantic world.
also disappointed by the lack of spe-
Steven J. J. Pitt
cific stories about individual seafaring
West Falls, New York
smugglers. Yet two chapters later, there
was the excellent story of John White or
“Juan Blanco,” a captured Irish smug- Jim Crossley. Churchill’s Admiral in
gler, who could have added a human Two World Wars: Admiral of the Fleet
face to foreign seafarers (206-207). Lord Keyes of Zeebrugge and Dover,
This organizational critique can be GCB KCVO CMG DSO. Barnsley,
extended to other themes and chap- S. Yorks: Pen and Sword Maritime,
ters. For example, in Chapter Six, we www.pen-and-sword.co.uk, 2020. 200
learn the fascinating story of Gover- pp., plates, maps, index. UK £25; US
nor García de la Torre, who developed $49.95, hardback; ISBN 978-1-52674-
a web of friendships and obligations 839-3.
among smugglers due to his leniency.
By regularly pardoning smugglers or Author Jim Crossley has written a new
overlooking their activities, he garnered book about one of the lesser-known
respect from many Venezuelans who twentieth-century Royal Navy admi-
enjoyed increased access to European rals, Roger John Brownlow Keyes.
goods, alcohol, and food. His activities Born in 1872, Keyes’ career spans the
prompted the creation of the Caracas first half of the twentieth century, co-
Company and led to his removal from inciding with a period of British naval
office and incarceration. De la Torre’s supremacy. Crossley’s account paints
story would probably have fit better an ambivalent picture of Keyes as an
in Cromwell’s analysis of the Caracas admiral who was popular and well-rec-
Company in Chapter Three rather than ognized for his noteworthy accomplish-
a hundred pages later. As historians, ments, yet someone who failed to reach
we often have to make difficult orga- the pinnacle of the career envisioned
nizational decisions with material, but for him and whose accomplishments
like Cromwell’s, placement can dis- appear more lacklustre in hindsight.
joint the narrative flow, impede analysis Keyes’ life and service reflect the
of important topics like maritime work- challenges and activities typical of oth-
ers and the development of the Caracas er naval officers who rose to the senior
Company, and create unnecessary re- ranks of the Royal Navy in the years
dundancies. bracketed by the two World Wars. De-
The Smugglers’ World is a well-re- spite Keyes’ many accomplishments,
searched, informed, and academical- he never became First Sea Lord when
ly-inclined study. Despite the efforts he was eligible for that top position of
of talented smugglers to remain hid- naval command in the 1930s, though he
den from the historical record, the au- was later made an Admiral of the Fleet88 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord and awarded a peerage. His outspoken- Keyes did not admire Queen Victoria, ness and lack of political instincts irri- impolitically terming her “an alarming tated many who outranked him, as did old lady.” His outspoken personality his relentless opportunism. did not serve him well in this post; he The son of a well-connected officer resented looking after the young royal in the British Indian army, Keyes al- princesses and, preferring his fighting ways wanted to be a naval officer. As role in the Royal Navy, found the social Crossley points out, the army in British obligations boring. His service on the India was larger than the total British Royal Yacht did yield an unexpected home army and made a major contri- boon—the friendship he formed with bution in the First World War. Keyes’ the future King George V, Queen Victo- father used his numerous connec- ria’s grandson—which helped him later tions—and money—to send his son to in his career. the “right” schools to provide him with Following his early assignments and the education he needed as an aspiring before the First World War, Keyes’ naval officer. global postings included Brazil, where He did not, however, excel in his he first encountered anti-British feeling; studies. The author speculates that the German naval officers he met there Keyes’ poor academic performance was did not hide their deep resentment of not for want of intelligence, but because the British Empire and its widespread of a learning disability. Based on the influence. After Brazil, Keyes served letters that Keyes wrote to his mother, in China during the Boxer Rebellion, which were poorly written and rife with where he bravely fought alongside fu- spelling errors, Crossley suspects that ture admirals John Jellicoe, Christopher Keyes had dyslexia, a disability not at Craddock, and David Beatty. Although all understood in his time. Physically, Keyes came into contact with Sir John Keyes was a small man, but Crossley Fisher and Lord Charles Beresford does not credit his diminutive stature during his career, he avoided being for his career shortcomings. In fact, the caught up in their ongoing internal na- combination of having trouble reading val feud, despite the resulting pressure and being smaller than other men may on him and his fellow officers to take have spurred him to be more of a fighter sides. In fact, Keyes never earned the than he might otherwise have been. esteem of Admiral Fisher, who was vol- Keyes’ first assignment in the Royal atile, opinionated, and headstrong. Navy took him to eastern Africa as a With the advent of the First World midshipman, where for three years he War, Keyes assumed a senior command helped to suppress the Arab slave trade in the Dardanelles–Gallipoli campaign, around Zanzibar. Respected for his per- where he came in close contact with sonal bravery and well-liked by his fel- First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston low naval officers, Keyes was regarded Churchill. His friendship with Chur- as an officer with a bright future. After chill was to last a lifetime, though it 1889, the Royal Navy entered a period had periodic peaks and valleys, some of of rapid expansion and reforms as it in- which Crossley describes. Among the creasingly feared rival naval powers, lows: Keyes had little use for campaign especially France and Russia. Keyes re- planning (the opposite of Churchill). ceived a major promotion when he was For example, Keyes had strongly op- posted to the Royal Yacht HMY Victo- posed the withdrawal of British forces ria and Albert, but as Crossley notes, from Gallipoli and wished for a “Ger-
Book Reviews 89
man Trafalgar” that would end German Keyes too old for senior naval com-
naval ambitions for all time. His prefer- mands (he was nearly 70), a view Keyes
ence was to “shoot from the hip,” which did not share. Instead, he became li-
led to ongoing policy clashes with his aison to Leopold III, the King of the
senior commanders and the Lords of Belgians, who, much to British official
the Admiralty, and made Churchill’s job displeasure, refused to go into exile and
more difficult. was later viewed as having cooperated
In April 1917, Keyes was promot- with the German occupiers. Despite
ed to Rear Admiral and took on the being tarnished by his association with
ill-equipped Dover Patrol, a separate Belgium’s king, Keyes was elevated to
Royal Navy command based at Dover the peerage as Baron Keyes in 1943.
and charged with protecting the En- Crossley’s rather short book adds a
glish Channel and preventing German missing element to Royal Navy litera-
naval vessels from entering the Atlantic ture, but it is not especially well-writ-
Ocean. To quash the German U-boat ten or well-constructed. Written in a
threats in the English Channel, Keyes relaxed, non-academic style, and very
planned and led raids on the German much for the general reader, the book
submarine pens in the Belgian ports lacks notes, and the bibliography is dat-
of Zeebrugge and Ostend. Though the ed. Churchill’s name in the book’s title
raids were a big morale boost to the does not reflect the book’s coverage; he
British public, and Keyes was high- is very much a side figure. The author,
ly decorated for his services, Crossley whose own father was a midshipman
views the raids as ultimately unsuccess- on the battleship HMS Resolution in
ful, since German submarines contin- 1916, can be frustratingly contradictory
ued to sink British ships. about Keyes. While claiming that the
Elected to Parliament in 1934, Keyes admiral never lived up to his potential
joined Churchill as an anti-appeaser because of his personality flaws and
and an ultimate critic of Neville Cham- his confrontations with other senior
berlain’s policies. Both men hated commanders, Crossley also describes
appeasement, believing it would lead Keyes as well-liked and brave, making
to disaster. As Crossley notes, Keyes’ it difficult to ascertain Keyes’ rightful
parliamentary career was not success- place in history. The author’s vacilla-
ful, due to his poor public speaking tion between praise and opprobrium for
and his failure to acquire the necessary Keyes throughout the book makes his
political skills, which may have been conclusion a surprise: “… his charac-
related to his learning disability and its ter and daring made him stand out as
impact on his ability to write well and a beacon among naval officers of his
deliver speeches. Yet despite his unim- time and as an example to future gener-
pressive oratory skills, at one point in ations.” Surely this is not the last word
1940, Keyes appeared in the House of on Keyes.
Commons in his full Admiral’s dress
W. Mark Hamilton
uniform to attack Chamberlain’s re-
Alexandria, Virginia
sponse following Germany’s invasion
of Norway. At the end of the speech, John Darwin. Unlocking the World:
he shouted, in unison with others, “In Port Cities and Globalization in the
God’s name, go!” Age of Steam, 1830-1930. London, UK:
With the advent of the Second World Allen Lane, www.penguin.co.uk, 2020.
War, Churchill and others considered 496 pp., maps, illustrations, bibliog-90 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord
raphy, index. UK £25.00, cloth; ISBN balization was indelibly marked by its
978-1-84614-086-0. Columbian inheritance,” (83) it was
also a marked departure in many re-
John Darwin is not a historian who spects. Steam power was key to the
thinks small. Over the past couple of growing divergence between the West
decades he has cemented his reputa- (specifically northwestern Europe and
tion as one of the foremost annalists of the United States) and the rest of the
imperialism, thanks to books that sur- world. And while Darwin notes the use
vey the global history of empire (After of steam power for manufacturing, he
Tamerlane), the second era of British sees its most revolutionary effects in its
imperialism (The Empire Project), and application to transportation. This was
the complexities and incoherence of most immediately evident in the appli-
Britain’s imperial development (Unfin- cation of steam power to river boats,
ished Empire). His latest book offers with ocean-going steamships becom-
both a shift in focus and a more subtle ing viable only with the development
examination of the dynamics that drove of more efficient engines that provid-
Western imperialism by examining the ed greater propulsive power with low-
influence of port cities during the cen- er coal consumption. Steam-powered
tury-long “age of steam” that spanned land transportation also played a vital
from the growing application of steam role in this process, as railway routes
technology in the early-nineteenth cen- more closely tied the economies of the
tury to the onset of the Great Depres- agrarian hinterlands to the developing
sion in the 1930s. global economy, making the port cities
These port cities, Darwin explains, the crucibles in which the process of
played an extraordinarily important role assimilation took place. Though steam
in the process of globalization that un- transport took much of the period to
folded in the nineteenth century. More become the dominant form of ocean
than just places of commerce, ports were travel, once it did so, its effects were
“gateway cities” that served as places of truly revolutionary, as steam power
exchange between different economies freed vessels from dependency on the
and cultures. While gateway cities were patterns of winds and currents, making
not always ports, ports were especially possible very different patterns of com-
suited to playing such roles and tradi- merce than ever before.
tionally did so throughout human his- Darwin details the impact by means
tory. Darwin describes the network of of over a half-dozen case histories of
ports that developed throughout Eurasia ports during this period. Using exam-
prior to the Columbian era, then how ples from the Northern Hemisphere, he
the addition of the Western Hemisphere includes a mix of ports with a long his-
disrupted this network by injecting new tory (Calcutta, Shanghai, the metropole
products and destinations into the mix. ports of Europe) and newer ones that
This was not a rapid process: though the boomed during the period (New Orle-
Americas became a source of precious ans, Montreal, Bombay, Hong Kong).
metals and plantation crops soon after All of them provide effective evidence
their European discovery, the process of the supercharged commercial and
of “Columbian globalization” was still urban growth brought about by steam
incomplete when the impact of steam globalization. For most, steam power
technology began to be felt. opened up rivers that had hitherto been
While Darwin notes that “steam glo- one-way routes, while railway lines ex-Book Reviews 91
tended the reach of their commercial reading for the connections detailed and
activities further inland than ever be- the processes described, especially giv-
fore. While most of these ports served en their relevance to the world in which
as cosmopolitan “bridgeheads” of a glo- we live today.
balized culture, Darwin notes with the
Mark Klobas
case of New Orleans their effects were
Phoenix, Arizona
not always dominant, as sometimes
the concerns of the hinterland won out
over the cosmopolitizing influence such Kenneth Howard Goldman. American
ports usually exerted, particularly when Yachts in Naval Service: A History from
economic interests were involved. the Colonial Era to World War II. Jef-
This proved increasingly the case af- ferson, NC: McFarland & Company,
ter the First World War. Whereas most Inc., www.mcfarlandbooks.com, 2021.
port cities until then enjoyed the benefits 218 pp., illustrations, notes, appendix-
of minimal “inland” intervention, mul- es, bibliography, index. US $45.00, pa-
tilateral free trade policies and the gold per; ISBN 978-1-4766-8260-0.
standard, the postwar world was one of
protectionism, managed currencies, and Kenneth Goldman’s ambitious work
restricted investment. As producers attempts to chronicle an obscure but
geared towards a global market faced fascinating segment of American naval
declining demand for their wares, many history. Goldman, a contributor to Na-
port cities experienced a drop in traffic vis Magazine, is quite knowledgeable
and its consequences: declining reve- about the construction, interior appoint-
nues, increasing unemployment, and a ments and history of yachts and yacht-
diminished influence as inland polities ing in both North America and abroad.
treated the cosmopolitanism that port The first challenge one encounters in
cities embodied with suspicion. What writing a book covering such a broad
recovery these economies experienced scope of nautical history is to define
came to an end with the onset of the the vessel called a yacht, a Dutch term
worldwide economic depression of the jacht schepens meaning hunting ship.
1930s, ending an era of increasing glo- William Smyth’s nineteenth-century
balization and signaling the start of a classic Sailor’s Word Book declares it
different and more uncertain world. a vessel of state for pleasure to convey
To describe the role that ports played great personages, while other authorita-
in the process of steam globalization, tive references add light, fast vessels of
Darwin draws upon a considerable various sizes, but used for leisure, sport
range of scholarly literature. His com- or competition and as a conspicuous
mand of the research is truly impres- status symbol.
sive, supporting his arguments with The first American yacht to be used
some of the latest work in maritime during the Revolutionary War as a com-
history, technological history, and the batant (a privateer) was George Crown-
insights drawn from several other fields inshield’s sloop Jefferson. Others fol-
of study. From this emerges an im- lowed, increasing in number during the
pressive survey that explains complex War of 1812 as mosquito fleets; swift
dynamics both clearly and insightful- vessels with men largely armed with
ly. Though written more for a general muskets and sabres used to disrupt en-
rather than a scholarly audience, both emy logistics, and surveil and assist
groups will find this book worthwhile in dispatching troops where needed.92 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord During the lull between conflicts, some (YP), and miscellaneous unclassified yachts practised nefarious pursuits, for (IX). example; the fast-sailing topsail schoo- Next Goldman describes the colour- ner Wanderer, that ended up on both ful if not always celebrated crews that sides of the political fence as a contra- served in state naval militias and one band smuggler and slaver. During the group known as the “Hooligan Navy.” Civil War, the Union prohibited private The latter were an assemblage “of col- armed warfare or privateering, but it lege boys, adventurous legends of shore thrived as a relatively successful busi- villages, Boy Scouts, beachcombers, ness for the Confederate States. South- ex-bootleggers, and rum runners, . . . ern yachts-turned-naval vessels were almost everyone who declared he could conscripted as blockade runners and reef and steer, and many who couldn’t” cruisers. Both sides occasionally had (115). Some vessels were ill-suited for ships with the same or similar name, their assignments, such as the one in but with totally different missions and which Ernest Borgnine served. Bor- different rigging or means of propulsion gnine, best known for his role in TV’s confusing their identity in the historical McHale’s Navy served onboard the con- context. verted yacht USS Sylph during the Sec- As the country prospered and more ond World War. When depth charges people took up yachting for pleasure, were rolled off aft during a U-boat en- some citizens sold or donated these counter, they failed to detonate. This prized possessions to the government. turned out to be good fortune because The best-known transferred yacht was the explosion would likely have torn the iconic America, the winner of the the stern off the vulnerable, slow-mov- “100 Guineas Cup” that still bears its ing wooden yacht. Upon laboriously name. As Camilla, she served the Con- chipping off paint from some remain- federacy in the Civil War, deployed as ing charges, their date of manufacture a commerce raider and later served as a revealed that they were manufactured training vessel at the US Naval Acade- in 1917! Still, donated, purchased or my. Under restoration for possible use confiscated, yachts played a role in both in the Second World War, she was part- world wars, but their significance could ly destroyed as the result of a blizzard be debated in spite of serving in harm’s on the naval academy’s grounds and fi- way. nally stricken from naval duty in 1945. Inexplicably, Goldman did not in- Another famous vessel was presidential clude Bowdoin (IX 50) in his extensive yacht Mayflower from which Theodore list of Second World War yachts. This Roosevelt reviewed the “Great White 88-foot, stoutly constructed schooner, Fleet” of battleships setting out on their built in 1921 for Arctic explorer Rear round-the-world voyage and their re- Admiral Donald MacMillan, participat- turn. Converted yachts also took part ed in Op Sail’s 1986 tall ship parade. in the short war with Spain, some dis- It is believed to be the oldest, Ameri- tinguishing themselves in their roles can-built, Second World War veteran as warriors. The purchase of private sailing ship still in service. From 1942- vessels for naval use goes back to the 1945 she saw duty supplying naval and United States Code 46, section 57105 air bases in Greenland and performed of 1936 with specific classifications of hydrographic surveying off that island patrol gunboat (PG), patrol yacht (PY), and Labrador. Currently the State of coastal patrol yacht (PYc), yard patrol Maine’s flagship, the white-hulled
Book Reviews 93
schooner with her distinctive crow’s 8.
nest atop her foremast is still active as a
merchant marine training vessel. John D. Grainger’s book examines the
Goldman includes an unusual num- naval history of the Hellenistic period,
ber of broad quotes delivered by pivot- an often overshadowed element of that
al historic figures or within documents time. Beginning with Alexander the
during consequential events. Unfortu- Great’s minimal use of naval power to
nately, American Yachts in Naval Ser- support his conquests, Granger investi-
vice struggles to cover all of American gates the rise and deployment of naval
naval history up to 1945 within a scant warfare in places such as the Successor
143 pages of text, while identifying kingdoms in the eastern Mediterranean,
hundreds of yachts and other vessels the naval powers of the western Med-
and their contributions. This makes for iterranean (particularly Carthage and
a “choppy literary sea” that, at times, Syracuse), the entrance of Rome into
appears shallow, but occasionally pro- the nautical world, and the emergence
duced striking graphic prose: “Even in of Roman domination of the sea. He
wartime, mundane routine, tedious du- also surveys the activities of the less-
ties and, throbbing engines that seem- er powers of the time, such as Rhodes,
ingly counted out each passing idle the Attalid kingdom of Asia Minor, and
second far outnumbered the adrenaline various Greek states.
rush of the call to General Quarters, ... While obviously focusing on naval
the excitement of spotting a thin peri- aspects, the author does not neglect the
scope and its feather wake, or the near relevant non-naval elements as well,
unbearable tension of navigating in a thus providing as clear a picture as pos-
fog obscured convoy when one could sible of the events and consequences of
barely see the bow of one’s own fragile various conflicts. Grainger maintains a
yacht let alone the looming bulk of an es- sympathetic view of those participants
cort freighter which might have zigged in the events who do not usually receive
when it should have zagged” (94). The individual recognition—the oarsmen,
book’s subject matter is unique and its sailors and shipwrights—frequent-
notes, three appendices, and extensive ly including statements such as; “As
bibliography are quite scholarly. There- usual, the consul survived; thousands
fore, this work is potentially useful to of his men died” (94). The very clear
any student interested in following the organization of the material by historic
wakes of some of the many historical chronology and naval powers presents
yachts unmoored and set adrift that col- the information in a precise and com-
lided with maritime history. prehensible format; no mean feat for
Louis Arthur Norton an extremely involved, and often con-
West Simsbury, Connecticut fusing, age. Each significant player is
addressed as they come to the fore, with
a detailed analysis of the causes and
John D. Grainger. Hellenistic and Ro- means of their respective ascents and
man Naval Wars, 336-31 BC. Barnsley, declines. While there is, by necessity,
S. Yorks: Pen & Sword Maritime, www. some chronological overlap from chap-
pen-and-sword.co.uk, www.pen-and- ter to chapter, this transitional difficul-
sword.co.uk 2020. 224 pp., illustrations, ty is effectively dealt with by means
bibliography, index. UK £14.99, US of brief references to and reminders of
$26.95, paper; ISBN 978-1-52678-232- previously described elements.94 The Northern Mariner / Le marin du nord
Grainger considers political, geo- Romans certainly did not ignore the im-
graphical, and incidental factors in the portance of the sea in exerting control
naval developments and fates of each over their interests.
player, making extensive use of prima- While the work is, overall, quite suc-
ry sources, both literary and epigraph- cessfully presented, there are a few ar-
ic. In cases where there are conflicting eas of concern. One is the use of Helle-
or unclear sources, the author typically nized forms of ancient names. Spelling
mentions all the relevant sources, while conventions are often outlined in the
expressing his own views and impres- introduction, and this work lacks that.
sions, accompanied by arguments ex- The use of Hellenized forms is partic-
plaining his interpretation. ularly problematic in the latter parts
The chronological organization is dealing with the western Mediterranean
paralleled by a geographical organiza- and Rome, as many of the names are far
tion. The events and the activities of more familiar to readers in their Lati-
the Hellenistic powers of eastern Med- nized form, e.g., Rhegium rather than
iterranean are examined in roughly the Rhegion (used by the author). This also
first third of the book. Grainger deftly presents a problem with the maps, as
weaves his way through the tangled some use Hellenized names and some
politics and relations of the Hellenistic Latinized names. Maps of the west-
kingdoms with one another and with the ern Mediterranean and entirety of the
other powers in the region. Mediterranean would be worthwhile,
The middle third of the book shifts as would a map of the harbour of Car-
the focus westward to Carthage and thage, considering its mention as one of
the emerging power of Rome. While the “four particularly notable harbours”
the events described in this section are (xii). Lastly, conceptual diagrams and
largely contemporaneous, there was illustrations of the significant vessels
minimal overlap between east and west, would be highly useful.
so the geographic transition is far more The aforementioned concerns are not
conducive to maintaining clarity than a significant enough to affect the overall
strictly chronological format would be. success of the work. The author does
This period in the west featured fewer an excellent job of presenting one of the
significant powers, and in many cases most involved and difficult- to-under-
more detailed sources regarding partic- stand periods of Greco-Roman history,
ular events; thus, the challenge of mak- addressing a somewhat overlooked as-
ing an understandable presentation of pect of that history. The book is both
the events is significantly reduced. This accessible to the lay reader and thor-
is not to say that Grainger’s work on ough enough for students and academic
this section is less skillfully wrought. readers, making it a welcome and im-
The final third brings east and west portant addition to the libraries of those
together, with Rome’s emergence as interested in the ancient Mediterranean
the dominant power, first in the western world.
Mediterranean, and then in the entire
Ronald Atchison
region—a situation that would endure
Pensacola, Florida
for the next three centuries. Notably,
Grainger refutes the common view that
the Romans paid little heed to naval John Grehan and Martin Pace. Des-
matters, effectively showing that, while patches from the Front: The Battle for
rarely spotlighted in the sources, the Norway 1940-1942. (Originally pub-Book Reviews 95
lished 2015). Barnsley, S. Yorks: Pen scope includes military operations
and Sword Maritime, www.pen-and- during the ill-fated attempt to counter
sword.co.uk, 2020. 186 pp., illustra- the German invasion, reports on both
tions, appendices, indices. UK £12.99, the naval battles and land battles around
paper; ISBN 978-1-52678-213-7. Narvik, as well as commando and naval
(E-book available) raids in Norwegian waters. The text is
well-buttressed by a limited number of
Norway essentially played three differ- very well-chosen and relatively con-
ent roles during the Second World War. temporary photographs. Given the type
It started as a stalwart neutral power, of paper chosen for this edition, the im-
then a hapless victim of invasion and fi- ages are remarkably sharp. Additional
nally the scene of several key comman- support for the text is provided by a
do attacks led by its belated, and ulti- helpful list of abbreviations, plus indi-
mately unsuccessful, former protectors. ces of key persons and naval, military
This paperback reprint focuses on the and air units.
last two stages of Norway’s experience Overall, the strength of this volume
during the war. Compilers Grehan and is found in the actual dispatches them-
Pace have selected a number of “des- selves. While many could argue that
patches” or reports that are intended to one or another operation had been over-
provide more information on how En- looked, one cannot dismiss the ones
gland tried to stem and then counter the that made the cut. Overall, they are pre-
German invasion and occupation of this sented in a highly readable fashion and
neutral country. The authors have con- have been faithfully reproduced from
tributed to most, if not all, the books in the originals. The only concession to
this series that cover England’s various modern publishing restraints is placing
campaigns throughout its modern histo- footnotes at the end of the dispatches.
ry, and their experience shines through. Perhaps the most disjointed attempt at
As this volume shows, once England historical accuracy is that the compil-
withdrew from Norway, it chose to ers’ insistence on using a capital “I”
mount several commando raids in the instead of a numeric “1” when citing
Norwegian archipelago. These kept times. The decision of the command-
Hitler’s forces off-guard and forced him er of the Lofoten Island raid of March
to maintain fairly strong forces in that 1941 to sink the German fish oil tanker
beleaguered country. Naturally, this Hamburg, instead of attempting to seize
slim volume doesn’t deviate from the her as a prize vessel, is an example of
well-established series format. Each of the kind of situational operation infor-
the chapters detail selected actions, fo- mation that is to be found in these dis-
cusing on both the relatively contempo- patches. Given the nature of this work,
raneous general summary reports that it does not include a bibliography, but
were filed by various commanders, as more casual readers might have been
well as a selection of appendices that better served with a small list of sug-
add additional commentary and obser- gested readings to investigate the story
vations from other officers and com- of these events further.
mands. The majority of the dispatches One thing that seems striking is that,
in this volume were penned by naval apart from the Artic convoys and air-
officers, which underscores the impor- raids on German bases and warships,
tance of Norway to the Royal Navy in the Allies shied away undertaking any
this far-flung theatre of the war. Their major raids or joint operations in Nor-You can also read
