Putting the sea back in Britain
NICHOLAS RODGER is a professor with a mission: nothing less than “to put naval affairs back into the history of Britain”. And in this book he succeeds triumphantly. “The Command of the Ocean” is the second in a planned three-part series. The first, “The Safeguard of the Sea”, covering the period 660-1649, appeared seven years ago to a 21-gun salute from the critics; the present volume brings the story up to 1815 and deserves the same.
It is a book of impressive scholarship and intellectual versatility. Conducting his research in 11 languages, Mr Rodger is able to digress seamlessly from naval affairs to make informed, and always pertinent, points about geography, politics, economics and more. So, for example, he traces in authoritative detail the development of Britain's fiscal system and shows how, without it, the country could never have sustained such a hugely expensive enterprise as a standing navy—in marked contrast to its two main European rivals, France and Spain, whose precarious finances were constantly threatened by the cost of their navies.
Indeed, Mr Rodger's informed understanding of the maritime history of the nations to which Britain found itself opposed is one of the most notable aspects of the book, setting it apart from rivals. It tells a genuinely international story; repeatedly, this broad view challenges, and refreshes, the essentially Anglocentric narratives that have served for so long.
All the same, Mr Rodger carries his scholarship lightly. Throughout, the book is written in an accessible style, enlivened with flashes of wit. So, for example, commenting on the exaggerated figures given in some modern works for the numbers of deaths from scurvy, Mr Rodger remarks that, if they are to be believed, “every man who ever served in the Navy died of scurvy approximately twice.”
The book is particularly insightful in its study of social history. The author, after all, was the first to challenge the hoary myths about appalling social conditions in the Royal Navy of the 18th century, in his ground-breaking book, “The Wooden World”, published nearly two decades ago. Yet that was a highly focused study, dealing only with the period of the Seven Years War. Now, Mr Rodger ranges over 160 years with equal authority, dispelling yet more myths in the process, including some new ones. His analysis of the cause of the 1797 mutinies, and his demolition of the increasingly preposterous conspiracy theories that have emerged of late, is both masterly and entertaining. Regarding the idea that there must have been some mysterious genius who organised the mutiny at Spithead, but who covered his tracks so well that he can no longer be traced, Mr Rodger concludes that: “we are in the presence of the conspiracy theory in its purest form in which the entire lack of evidence only serves to prove the fiendish cunning of the conspirators.”
If the book is strong on social and administrative history, the great battles are not neglected. Here, too, Mr Rodger challenges old myths. The “line of battle” was never as rigid and as neat as the carefully drawn plans in the tactical textbooks have led us to believe. The late 18th-century navies were far more innovative tactically than the old naval histories used to suggest. So, Nelson's battle plans were not the work of a lone revolutionary genius, but were the product of cumulative experimentation—and as much by the French as by the British.
When the drama of the narrative requires it, the author rises to the occasion with vivid descriptions: as, for example, when Edward Hawke chases the French fleet into the dangerous waters of Quiberon Bay, in the fast fading light of a November afternoon in 1759.
The main text is supported by an impressive array of appendices, “notes on conventions” and plans. The bibliography is worth reading in its own right for the wickedly caustic judgments on some of the featured works. Over two-thirds of the material quoted dates from after 1970. This is a striking demonstration of a recent surge of scholarly interest in naval history, and of its increasing influence on mainstream British historical studies. It is an influence, perhaps, that Mr Rodger himself has done more than any other scholar to bring about.
The book itself has been handsomely produced, printed in a clear, attractive typeface and lavishly illustrated. Author and publisher have benefited from the National Maritime Museum's involvement with the project. The 56 images, all drawn from the museum's collections, include a number of unfamiliar and fascinating prints and paintings. The same level of scholarship has been applied to the picture selection, it seems, as to the text.
This emphatically is not a book just for students of naval history. It places the sea squarely where it belongs: at the very heart of the island's story. As such it should be essential reading for all interested in that story. As Mr Rodger demonstrates on almost every page, if you do not understand the importance of British maritime history, you can never fully understand Britain.