The Prize of All the Oceans: Amazon.co.uk: Glyn Williams: Books

Review

In 1740 Commodore Anson began what was to be both the most tragic and yet one of the most triumphant voyages in the history of the Royal Navy since the times of Raleigh and Drake. The Lords of the Admiralty required him to 'distress and annoy' the Spanish king by raiding his ships and settlements on the Pacific coast of South America. Anson was poorly supplied with men and provisions and his first task was to round fearsome Cape Horn. It took three months and cost his fleet dearly through shipwrecks and disease. Anson continued to carry out his orders with the diminished squadron growing ever weaker until only his flagship remained with a tiny fraction of the original crew to work it. Nevertheless the ship captured a huge cargo of Spanish gold and Anson returned to Britain and a hero's welcome. To write this outstanding history of the expedition Williams has brought together many strands, political, social and personal, to create a rounded picture both of the voyage and its times. In addition to the many published works on the subject, the author has had access to a number of previously unpublished letters and journals that give intimate pictures of the personalities and events. It is clear that Anson was a remarkable leader, stoic, vigorous and unselfish, ready to stoop from command to do the work of a common seaman when necessary, as on this voyage it often was. As well as receiving a substantial share of prize money, Anson was promoted to Admiral and within four years became First Lord of the Admiralty. In this post he put in hand many reforms that would result in the creation of the mighty Navy that dominated the Napoleonic Wars. (Kirkus UK)

Product Description

History of Anson’s voyage round the world in 1740.

Anson’s voyage of 1740-44 holds a unique and terrible place in British naval history. The misadventures of this first attempt by Royal Navy ships to sail round the world make a dramatic story of hardship, disaster, mutiny and heroism. Only one of Anson’s squadron, the flagship CENTURION, completed its mission. The other vessels were wrecked, scuttled or forced back in shattered condition. Out of 1850 officers and men who sailed from Spithead in September 1740, almost fourteen hundred died, most from disease or starvation.

With crews ravaged by scurvy, Anson’s ships were battered by relentless storms as they attempted to round Cape Horn. Two of the six men-of-war in the squadron turned back, their captains to face later accusations of desertion. A third, the WAGER, was wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Chile in circumstances in which all discipline vanished; Williams’ account of the ensuing mutiny and the survival of the largest group in a tiny makeshift vessel sailing hundreds of miles south to safety in appalling conditions is a classic account in what is, I think, itself set to be a classic sea history.

When Anson reached the coast of China in November 1742 he was left with one ship and a handful of men, some of whom had ‘turned mad and idiots’. Despite this he was determined to capture ‘the Prize of All the Oceans’, the legendary Spanish treasure ship making its annual voyage from Acapulco to Manila. In this he succeeded, and returned home a hero; like Drake himself, one of the great British masters of the sea.

Glyn Williams has recently retired as a Lecturer in history at Queen Mary’s; to say that what he has written is a kind of nonfictional Patrick O’Brian has some truth, especially since two of O’Brian’s novels are based on incidents from this voyage: the sheer narrative power of this perfectly recounted history is a joy, and it is delivered with all the poise of someone completely in command of his subject.

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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

Maritime History at its best 7 May 2002

By Neil Limbert

Format:Paperback

Enjoyable & evocative account of Anson's expedition to the South Seas in 1740-44. Brings home the perils of long distance naval voyages of the time. Of the 1900 men that set out, less than 500 returned;the rest died due to disease & starvation.The author has managed to conjure up the awful image of being on board during the worst of times. How they navigated when the known information was scanty and often inaccurate; how they coped with typhoid,dysentery & scurvy; how the rock-like presence of Anson himself kept the expedition together; and finally the capture of the Spanish treasure Ship & the return home. Well researched & very enjoyable.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

An amazing adventure, superbly told 2 Feb 2010

By bookelephant TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Another cracker from Glyn Williams! If you had ever thought that Patrick O'Brian maybe used poetic licence wih the sheer extremity of his stories, read this and think again.
Poor Commodore Anson is sent off on an extremely ill-thought out mission to make inroads on the Spanish South American settlements and capture the annual treasure ship, laden with implausible amounts of silver. His mission is thoughtfully leaked to the Spanish, his military forces consist of a bunch of unfortunate Chelsea pensioners (some over 70 years of age) and he barely has a full complement of crew, even after pressing hordes of starved countrymen (it was a bad winter that year too - but in those days that meant people starved). Of the 1600 men who set off, barely 400 return alive - the majority killed off by disease (notably scurvy for which no-one has yet discovered a cure, and which is treated with a random variety of remedies - some involving sulphuric acid). But against all the odds - wrecks, mutinies, broken masts, mislaid islands (no-one has yet discovered a reliable chronometer either!) his handful of half mad crew take the fabled "Prize of All the Oceans" (manned by 500 healthy Spaniards) and make their fortunes (that much the greater, given the smaller numbers alive to share in the prize...).
Admittedly this is a story which has much to recommend it even without good writing. But Williams brings to it an excellent communicative writing style (you can tell that he has learnt how to hold an unwilling audience and how to stop attention flagging through his teaching!) and the absolute wealth of knowledge which is actually necessary to bring the story fully alive - since he treats of a very different world in terms simply of dstance of time, and the rarefied nature of maritime adventures. He even manages to make the contortions of the Prize system clear and interesting - and that really is high praise.
A wonderful read - and hugely informative.

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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Complete narrative but little analysis 8 Feb 2004

By Navigateur

If you are looking for a complete narrative of Anson's voyage, this is an excellent and quite complete text, very readable and enjoyable. However, my major criticism of this book is the lack of analysis or critical review of the events. Perhaps this is because of the dearth of source material, though the records of this time are quite abundant. The context of the voyage is not explained as well nor as completely as it could have been. The 'why' of events and decisions, except for immediate events, is often omitted, leaving the reader with a yarn, but not a complete history. A more thorough historical analysis of Anson's voyage is still needed.