John B. (cwousn) - , reviewed on 2/21/2024 + 90 more book reviews

Slow starting but well written.

The first section of this book is background information giving details about the personnel on HMS Wager as well as details about the ship and the mission of the flotilla to which it was attached. Once the ship is underway, the tale gets more interesting. Descriptions of the ills which plagued the crew before and after tragedy befell the ship are horrific as are descriptions later in the narrative concerning the sea battle between the Spanish galleon and the Commodore Anson's vessel. The wonder is that any of the Wager's crew survived. The author cites many references and though they are contemporary to the actions documented, one can only wonder about the veracity of those accounts. All in all, an intriguing look at the hazards and perils of a life at sea in the mid eighteenth century.

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