The colonial Navies of England and Spain were plundering and fighting halfway across the world in the mid-18th century. England launched a squadron of five ships including one named The Wager in 1741. Their mission was to attack a Spanish galleon off the coast of Patagonia and capture the silver, gold, and porcelain that Spain had pirated.
Over 250 men set off on The Wager’s ambitious voyage. All was not fun and swagger, however. The Admiralty’s officers had the most to gain from the bounty. The rest of the crew ranged from those forced into service to outlaws and others with dim prospects at home in England. The ships had dwindling provisions, and the crew endured rough seas, sickness, famine and despair. Most perilous was navigating the dreaded Drakes Passage around Cape Horn at the southern tip of the South American continent.
The Wager became separated from the other ships and shipwrecked along the western coast of Patagonia. What ensued was a wrenching experience of survival and mutiny against the ship’s captain. A gunner and a carpenter, low in the Navy’s hierarchy, led a rebellion of survivors who set off in a small makeshift vessel to return to England. So began their harrowing voyage east through the Strait of Magellan. Thirty made it as far as Brazil.
“The Wager” is a compilation of perspectives from various personal accounts of the voyage. Author David Grann, author of the celebrated, “Killers of the Flower Moon” researched the history of the journey in detail from ship logbooks, journals, correspondence, and newspapers. The product is one gripping story of endurance, suspense, deceit, and the testing of loyalty under extreme conditions. Ultimately, the surviving mutineers had one of their greatest challenges: surviving the English Navy’s system of court-martial.
This book draws you into 1741 high seas drama in the first few pages and never lets you go. David Grann has earned another winner on the bestseller list.
“The Wager” is available from the Park City and Summit County libraries.