The Wooden World

by N.A.M. Rodger

W.W.Norton

ISBN 0-393-31469-3

With the popularity of the Patrick O'Brian series of books featuring Captain Jack Aubrey and Ships Doctor Stephen Maturin and C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower series (now on TV and Video), The Wooden World provides a fascinating explanation of eighteenth century life in British society and its Navy. Chapters cover: shipboard life, victualling, careers, manning, discipline, patronage and politics. While the author has selected 1740 - 1775 as his time frame, all Navies, have always been slow to change and the Royal Navy was no exception, very little had changed twenty-five years later in the time of the fictional Captain Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower.

Impressment by the Press Gang, how could this be in freedom loving Britain? Didn't William Pitt (1708-1778) state: "The poorest man may in his cottage bid defiance to all the forces of the Crown. It may be frail -- its roof may shake -- the wind may blow through it -- the storm may enter -- but the King of England cannot enter -- all his force dares not cross the threshold of the ruined tenement!"

Rodger's states 'Englishmen prided themselves on their liberties, by which as a rule they meant the rights of local authority against central government'. However this was a time of near constant war and the Royal Navy needed seamen for its ships. Rodger's explains the political reality; while impressment of seamen was legal, at times the Officers and men of the Press Gang, would be charged and jailed by local magistrates. He recounts how in Massachusetts (then a colony), how two Press Gang men on leave, were imprisoned for 'impressing at sea'. In Bristol, England, a Captain Graves and his Lieutenant were charged 250 pounds each for a wrongful 'Impressment'. Graves as a successful Captain could afford to pay, Rawlings, his Lieutenant could not, and was in debtors prison six years later, insane and his wife and children starving.

It is difficult to assess the numbers of seamen 'impressed' as some would quickly 'volunteer' and thereby receive a 'bounty' and choice of ship in which to serve. Apart from smugglers and debtors (you were imprisoned for debt and if the debt was small the Navy 'bounty' might clear it), the Navy accepted no one from prison, as a thief aboard a man of war would destroy the mutual trust essential for crew morale.

It is calculated that there was heavy turnover in crews each year. Larger ships might spend up to 40% of their time in port and there was the opportunity for the crew to desert. At Gibraltar in 1805, USN Commodore Preble was successful in encouraging British deserters (who claimed to be American) to enlist aboard the USS Constitution, at the same time, one of his acting midshipmen, John Bartell was helping American seamen (who claimed to be British), desert into H.M.S Termagant close by!

Patronage and promotion at this time went hand in hand, surprisingly Rodgers shows that it could be efficient. Nelson (a country Vicar's son) was a nephew of the Controller of the Navy. Rodney, kinsman of the Duke of Chandos. Admiral Hawke (a protege of Anson), who with no charts of the French coast, in a rising gale followed the French Fleet into Quiberon Bay to defeat them and thereby render any invasion of England impossible. The risk was enormous, if the battle had gone the other way, England would have been defenseless against the planned French Invasion.

Rodgers by concentrating on the time of the Seven Years' war (1755-1763), gives a picture of not only British Society but that of the 13 Colonies, and the Officers, Petty Officers, Seamen and Landsmen drawn from that society, to maintain a Navy, for the protection of the British Isles and Colonies.

The Captain or Admiral who hoped to acquire and keep young men as his followers had to be able to show that he could advance them. He had to show to his superiors and the Admiralty, that he was a man of sound judgement, whose recomendations were sound and could be relied on. Patrons were therefore careful, they could not afford for their credit to be spoiled over a bad recomendation.

As Rodgers concludes his chapter on Patronage. "... it is difficult to see what other system was possible in the eighteenth century, and far from clear that any method since devised has identified and promoted merit any more efficiently."

Some 150 years later with Royal Navy (Marines and Army) promotion based on merit, did not necessarily show the improvement one would expect. The failure in WW1 at the Dardenelles, at Jutland, and in WW2 the sinking of the battleships H.M.S. Prince of Wales and H.M.S. Repulse by Japanese aircraft off Malaysia and the consequential surrender of Singapore. Commander of the WW2 Singapore Fleet, Admiral Tom Phillips did not believe in 'air power', he sailed without carrier or any land based air support, he was last seen walking down the side of the capzing POW with his Flag Captain, one wonders if he had changed his mind on air power as he entered the shark infested Timor Sea, he did not survive to be asked. 'Know the limitations of your equipment', 'know your own limitations' , 'know the limitations of your superior's' is now taught in the service. Nelson knew this 200 years earlier, when on April 2, 1801, he placed his telescope against his blind eye and failed to 'see' the recall signal from his Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, and went on to win the battle of Copenhagen!

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