Review of The Trafalgar Chronicle New Series 8

The Trafalgar Chronicle: Dedicated to Naval History in the Nelson Era: New Series 8 by Judy Pearson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The 1805 Club annually publishes The Trafalgar Chronicle, a collection of articles about the age of sail between 1714 and 1835. Each issue focuses on a particular subject; this time around the “The Navies of the Georgian Era – An International Perspective” is the theme. Thirteen contributors from six countries showcase different navies prominent during this time period. What they share allows readers to see how fighting at sea was only one aspect of gaining the upper hand in each nation’s desire for naval superiority.

Anthony Bruce writes about “The Battles of Cape Finisterre, 1747.” The Western Squadron had a three-pronged mission during its cruises: protect commercial ships, defend against invasion, and keep watch over the French. In this particular year, the Royal Navy engaged the enemy twice at Cape Finisterre. Vice Admiral George Anson was in command during the first encounter while Rear Admiral Edward Hawke, the second.

Nicholas James Kaizer examines sea engagements involving individual vessels, particularly sloops, in “Hornet versus Peacock,/i>: The Lost Historical Significance of the Single-Ship Actions of the War of 1812.” These engagements may have lacked critical impact during the conflict, but the losses point out key weaknesses in competency and command. Change became inevitable because of these defeats and the resultant inquiries.

The East India Company couldn’t fully control the regions in which its ships sailed. To compensate for this, a fleet of ghurabs and galivats was formed to assist the Royal Navy in protecting English commerce in the Indian Ocean. Saikat Mondal explores the “Bombay Marine, the Vanguard and Precursor of the Royal Indian Navy.” He also talks about Kanhoji Angre, a man of great importance in the Indian Navy’s history but whom the English saw as a pirate. Also discussed is the Bombay Marine’s fight against piracy during the 19th century.

When Peter the Great decided to bring Russia into the 18th century, one of his reforms resulted in the formation of the Russian Navy. As time passed, the fleet deteriorated. Catherine the Great provided the necessities to make the Russian navy a force to be reckoned with. Kenneth Flemming examines this history and the roles Russia’s Navy played during various conflicts of the period in “Russian Naval Power during the Eighteenth Century.”

Although Vice Admiral James Saumarez fought when necessary, armed engagements weren’t necessarily the best way to handle volatile situations. Andrew Venn demonstrates this in “Diplomacy, Restraint and Protection: The Actions of Saumarez’s Baltic Fleet 1808-1812.”

While the above essays pertain specifically to the book’s theme, the second set of chapters are from The Baltic Cauldron: Two Navies and the Fight for Freedom. This book was published in celebration of the Royal Swedish Navy’s 500th anniversary. Peter Hore, a previous editor of The Trafalgar Chronicle and a retired officer of the British Royal Navy (RN), talks about “The Baltic Fleet 1715-1727 and Sir John Norris” and “Swedes at Trafalgar.” Christopher Hägg, a retired officer of the Royal Swedish Navy (RSN) and marine artist who did the cover art for this annual, discusses “Vice Admiral Lord Nelson Threatens the Swedish Fleet in Karlskrona 1801.” These chapters not only look at the history of the RSN but also its interactions with the RN in different capacities. Among topics covered are the Battle of Copenhagen, Swedes who served on RN ships during the Battle of Trafalgar, and the privateers commissioned by Swedish monarchs.

The third section of this Trafalgar Chronicle concerns biographical portraits. Andrew Field writes about Captain Charles Cunningham and how he extricated his ship and his men from the Nore Mutiny in “‘An Officer of Great Merit’.” Hilary L. Rubenstein examines two admirals who served during the reign of George III in “Rodney and Kempenfelt: How They Were Related.” Judith Pearson, one of the book’s editors, shares a discovery of remains found during the renovation of a church in Bermuda and her search to learn more in “A Dead Captain and a Sunken Ship: The Fates of Sir Jacob Wheate and HMS Cerberus in Bermuda.”

The last section of this annual concerns articles of general interest to readers. First up is Mark Barton’s “Duke of Clarence Swords,” the presentation swords awarded to RN officers and how the duke (and future King William IV) decided who was worthy of such honors. George R. Bandurek traces what happened to the first British vessel captured during the War of 1812 in “HM Schooner Whiting After Her Capture in 1812: The Cartagena Privateer San Francisco de Paula.”

One quote often associated with Horatio Nelson is ““The conduct of all privateers is, as far as I have seen, so near Piracy, that I only wonder any civilized nation can allow them.” Ryan C. Walker analyzes what Nelson truly thought of pirates and privateers and where the quote originated in the last essay of the collection, “‘I only wonder any civilised nation can allow them’: Nelson’s Actual Opinion of Privateer.”

In addition to the notes that accompany the various articles, the reprinted chapters from The Baltic Cauldron include titles of books for further reading. There are illustrations, both black and white and color, found throughout the book, as well as a section of color plates. These include portraits, paintings, maps, and informational charts.

I usually prefer to read the print book of this annual, but review copies were only available in electronic format this time. For readers unfamiliar with reading the ebook format, I do caution where you press to turn pages. There are links to the endnotes and if your finger lands on one of these numbers, the book automatically pages to the specific endnote. This can be disconcerting initially, but there is usually a way to easily return to where you left off reading. The ebook is remarkably well done in layout, formatting, and editing. The only exception to the editing came when I noticed that words beginning with “d,” such as Danes or Dr (abbreviation for doctor in front of a name), were uniformly not capitalized.

Always informative, this edition of the Trafalgar Chronicle will be of interest to readers who enjoy naval history as well as piratical or privateering history. All are captivating reads, while a few particularly held my attention. Many English histories present Kanhoji Angre in the negative light of piracy. Saikat Mondal skillfully shows the flipside of that coin, that Angre was a great Indian admiral. The inclusion of how the Bombay Marine helped suppress piracy in later years is equally compelling. Having read several fictional portrayals of the Nore Mutiny, I was wonderfully surprised to learn about how one captain kept his crew and ship safe despite the overwhelming odds for his men to join the mutineers. Walker’s analysis of Nelson’s quote is also very revealing and makes an interesting case for not taking things at face value. The Trafalgar Chronicle New Series 8 is highly recommended, entertaining, and enlightening.


(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/TrafalgarC...)




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