Horatio Nelson   

 

Angus Konstam, Osprey Publishing, (2011), 63 pages.

Reviewed by Rear Admiral William J. Holland, Jr., USN, (Ret.)

Angus Konstam's description of Nelson's advancement easily identifies why he was protected by his seniors and promoted by the Admiralty. He fought and won! Nevertheless this biography is too short to fully describe Nelson's very complex personality. The highlights of his life and career are clearly described but without the depth to understand or explain the many complexities of his character or appreciate the magnitude of his skills.

The defects of Nelson's personal character and conduct are reported: he was personally vain, a self-aggrandizing promoter grasping for personal honors and recognition, and a public adulterer. Less well covered were his attributes as a splendid and accomplished seaman and navigator who was unmatched in personal and organizational courage. In addition, Nelson invariably demonstrated great initiative, and was unflinchingly aggressive in combat. Those qualities that made him admired, beloved and almost adored by his subordinates - all the way down to the hands in the lower decks - are not well developed because to do so would require more pages than Kostam has available in this brief volume. How he generated such adoration among his Captains is merely touched upon and in this biography one does not get an appreciation of the depth of his personal magnetism and professional skills that were the basis for his success and reputation.

On the other hand Nelson's major actions are not only completely and clearly described but the accompanying diagrams by Peter Dennis of the dispositions and maneuvers at Cape St Vincent, the Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar are without parallel. These alone are worth the modest price of the volume. Other excellent images, several modern illustrations of various battle scenes, other selections of art from the nineteenth century, flesh out this handsome volume.   

The final contribution from Konstam's work is a list of 37 books on Nelson or the battles in which he fought. No matter how many of these volumes one might have on the shelf, this small volume is a valuable and pleasant addition to any marine historian's library.

Rear Admiral Holland is the Vice President of the Naval Historical Foundation.

Decatur's Bold and Daring Act: The Philadelphia in Tripoli 1804 

 

By Mark Lardas, Osprey Publishing, (2011). 80 pages.

Reviewed by J.J. Ahern

In the last decade the number of titles published which focus on the early years of the U.S. Navy - and more particular the Barbary Wars of the early 1800s - has seen a mild increase. Granted the number has yet to even broach the expanse of other periods of study such as the American Civil War. Yet as important as studies of the Civil War are to understanding the transitional effect it had on many facets of the country, the Barbary Wars were also an integral part of the development of America's young Navy and its place in the landscape of the Atlantic community of the early Nineteenth Century. One central event which is included in all of these recent studies of the Barbary Wars is Stephen Decatur's raid to burn the USS Philadelphia in Tripoli Harbor in 1804. That event is the focus of Osprey Publishing's latest edition to their new Raid series. In Decatur's Bold and Daring Act: The Philadelphia in Tripoli 1804 veteran Osprey author Mark Lardas gives an in depth look at the events that surrounded Decatur's raid. As with all Osprey books - Decatur's Bold and Daring Act fits within a specific formula of pages, wonderfully illustrated by original and historical images, and written in a clear straightforward manner which makes the work accessible to various audiences.  

To understand the significance of Decatur's raid, it is important to know why the Philadelphia was in Tripoli and the events that lead up to her capture. Lardas covers this in the first two chapters of the book. First by recounting the events which lead Captain William Bainbridge to run his ship aground while blockading the harbor, and then by looking at the relationship between the United States and the Barbary Coast Nations during the Early Republic and the state of the U.S. Mediterranean Squadron at in 1803. In ten pages the reader gets a well-rounded briefing of the situation in the Mediterranean Sea in the early 1800s, summarizing what other authors have spent entire monographs describing. The loss of the Philadelphia had a significant impact on the strength of the U.S. Squadron by leaving USS Constitution as the most powerful warship at the disposal of Commodore Edward Preble (whom the author repeatedly refers to as Edwin). Additionally, with the Philadelphia in Tripoli's hands their fleet was suddenly on par with the American Squadron. Preble obviously concluded the Philadelphia must be either recaptured or destroyed. In reviewing the strategy for the raid, Lardas examines the many aspects which Preble faced. The condition of the Philadelphia bought him time as she would need significant repairs to make her seaworthy. However, those same conditions also made it impossible for a cutting out operation to return her to U.S. control. To put this in prospectus Lardas reviews what went into a cutting out operation in the 1800s, and the trouble a raiding party would encounter in trying to sail the ship out of Tripoli.

Lardas next turns his attention to analyzing the plan which was developed to burn the

Philadelphia and how Stephen Decatur - a young lieutenant at the time - came to command the raid. Nothing was left to chance in order to accomplish the goals of this mission. Preble selection of Decatur and Lieutenant Charles Stewart to command the expedition provided the raid with officers with the proper mind set to accomplish the mission, putting success over efforts for personal glory. In addition, only volunteers were selected to crew the captured ketch which became the Intrepid into the harbor. What is occasionally overlooked in other accounts is the preparation that went into the raid. Every detail of the raid was planned out, from the supplies that would be needed to burn the ship, to training of the raiding parties aboard Constitution to insure familiarity. Additionally, original artwork showing exactly how the raiders would have been dressed provides another layer of understanding to events. Most contemporary artwork depicting the raid shows officers and crew dressed in their Western naval uniforms - not the clothing of Mediterranean sailors. 

The raid itself is broken down into specific events for the night of February 16, 1804. After the storm that delayed the Intrepid's arrival in port, Lardas examines the raiders approach to the Philadelphia, boarding her and clearing the decks of the crew, the work of the incendiary parties, how the defenders reacted, and finally the raiders escape. Just how flammable a frigate during this period was is well described, highlighting why burning the Philadelphia was the proper course of action. This also demonstrates the importance which the planning played into the success of the night. From the inclusion of the password "Philadelphia" - which kept Decatur from injuring Midshipman Charles Morris on two occasions, to the addition of Salvatore Catalano as their pilot. Lardas concludes the chapter state of confusion as Intrepid sailed out of Tripoli, blending in with the other ketchs moving frantically about the harbor. Lardas summarizes by an analysis of the raid, and following events in the Barbary Wars through the end of Preble's tenure as commodore. As he notes, "American success at Tripoli was not pre-ordained, despite the seeming ease with which it was accomplished." (64) The summarization looks at how the specific orders Preble provide Decatur, along with Decatur's ability to make critical decisions, and careful preparations removed the Philadelphia from Tripoli's control permanently. Particularly without the loss of life on the part of the raiding party.

As with all Osprey books, Decatur's Bold and Daring Act is well written and illustrated. Providing the reader, regardless of background, with a complete yet concise overview of events. The only misgivings to the work, aside for the Preble misnaming, are timeline used and the Further Reading chapter. Instead of a one page timeline, the publishers opted to disperse it throughout the book, often on pages that have little connection to the timeline highlighted. Under Further reading, the current literature on the Barbary Wars is completely overlooked, leaving the reader on their own to track down additional material. Despite these two items, the work itself is a nice addition to the literature of the Barbary Wars and to the bookshelf of any historian of the early U. S. Navy.

J.J. Ahern is an archivist with the University of Pennsylvania.

 

by Dr. Barbara G. Jones. 2010, The Edwin Mellen Press, Box 450, Lewiston, NY., 515pp.

Reviewed by Charles H. Bogart

Dr. Barbara Jones has penned a well-written and interesting history of the escort carrier USS Casablanca (CVE 55). The story is told using official records, personal reminiscences, and secondary sources. The author divides her account into four periods: an account of how the United States got into the war, the development of the escort carrier concept, a description of the Casablanca enlivened by accounts of the day-to-day routine on board, and her war time service.

Casablanca was the lead ship of fifty escort carriers built by Henry Kaiser at his Astoria, Oregon, yard. A propeller defect resulted in Casablanca being retained stateside for use as a training ship that offered pre-commissioning cruises for the commissioning crews of the other Casablanca Class carriers. This pre-commissioning training was conducted in Puget Sound and its adjacent waters. Pre-commissioning crews from sister ships spent two weeks on board Casablanca learning how to operate her equipment and carry out ship maneuvers. Thus, when their ship was commissioned these men already had a working knowledge of their ship's characteristics. During this period, the Navy also monitored Casablanca's material readiness and ship handling capability. Lessons learned during her service as a training carrier were incorporated into the hulls of sister ships still under construction. This training mission lasted from August 1943 to August 1944.

In August 1944, with her propeller defect corrected, Casablanca sailed for the war zone. Her job was to transport aircraft, men, and equipment to Manus Island. Upon completing this duty, she returned to Puget Sound to serve as a pre-commissioning training ship for Commencement Bay class escort carriers. While conducting this training, Casablanca was damaged in a storm and went to San Diego, California, for repair. Upon completing her repairs, Casablanca sailed for the Philippines carrying aircraft, men, and equipment for the war zone. After delivering her cargo and personnel to the war zone, Casablanca sailed transporting medically unfit men back stateside for additional treatment. Once stateside Casablanca was reloaded with planes, equipment, and personnel wanted in the war zone. She delivered these to Guam, and while there the war ended.

With the war over, Casablanca was converted into a troopship to bring men back home. She made three Magic Carpet voyages before being ordered to Norfolk, Virginia, for decommissioning. At Norfolk she hauled down her flag on 30 May 1946 and entered the reserve fleet. She would never again answer the call to colors and her end was under the cutting torch.

The book's primary audience appears to be descendants of those who served in Casablanca. The author performs a splendid job in describing life on board ship. We are treated to a series of vignettes about various aspects of navy life on board ship and ashore. What is lacking is a diagram of Casablanca so that one could locate where these events are taking place on board the ship. The book is a nice easy but educational read, marred by some errors of fact, i.e. 30 mm ammunition instead of .30 caliber and B-35 aircraft instead of B-25. However, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the social history of the World War II Navy and the training establishment that turned men into highly skilled sailors. Due to the price of the book ($139.95), I would advise getting a copy of the book via inter-library loan.

Charles H. Bogart is a frequent contributor to Naval Book Review. 

Books Currently Available for Review    

Due to overwhelming demand by our members for books to review, we are currently restocking our available books and will present an updated list with our next edition of Naval History Books Review. Many thanks to all of the members for their excellent contributions! 

Quarterly NHF Book Sale    

We are gearing up for our next Naval Historical Foundation Book Sale, with a tentative date of 12-13 September. As always, we'll have hundreds of books about naval and military history for sale. In addition to enriching your home or work library, the money raised will help support the Foundation's mission for the education, preservation, and commemoration of naval history through our continuing support of the National Museum of the U.S. Navy. In addition, as always, a portion of the proceeds will go to support Navy-Marines Corps Relief Society programs. Stay tuned for further details as the event date draws closer.  

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