The Shining Sea: David Porter and the Epic Voyage of the U.S.S. Essex during the War of 1812

by George C. Daughan

A few months after the outbreak of the War of 1812, Captain David Porter set out in the USS Essex on an epic, seventeen-month cruise to the South Seas. Porter was pursuing fame and riches, and by most accounts his odyssey was a stunning it brought glory to the fledgling American navy, cemented Porter's reputation as a daring and talented commander, and has long been celebrated as one of the greatest maritime adventures in U.S. history. Less well known, however, is the terrible price that the crew of the Essex paid for their captain's outsized ambitions.

In The Shining Sea , award-winning historian George C. Daughan tells the full story of Porter's thrilling, action-packed voyage, revealing the heights of Porter's hubris and the true depths of his failure on this fateful cruise. Intent on achieving personal glory, Porter made the treacherous journey around Cape Horn and into the Pacific Ocean, where he planned to capture a British man-of-war. From Valparaiso to the Galapagos to the Marquesas, the Essex roamed the South Seas, seizing British whaling and merchant ships, wreaking havoc on British commerce, and earning Porter and his men wealth and acclaim. Flush with his victories, Porter welcomed the news that a British frigate-the HMS Phoebe -was on his tail, and he resolved to capture her. But Porter could not overcome the Phoebe's superior firepower. Over the course of a desperate, bloody battle, he lost the Essex and over two-thirds of her crew-a shocking end to a daring journey.

A swashbuckling tale of risk and ruin on the high seas, The Shining Sea brings to life the monomaniacal quest of one of the most misunderstood commanders of the War of 1812. Porter's singular voyage, Daughan shows, stands as a cautionary tale for any leader who would put personal glory and ambition ahead of cause and countrymen.

Genres: History, American History, Maritime, Military History, Naval History, Nonfiction

376 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2013

About the author

George C. Daughan earned a Ph.D. in American history and government from Harvard University. He has taught at the United States Air Force Academy, Connecticut College, the University of Colorado, the University of New Hampshire, and Wesleyan University.

Reviews

[Peter Corrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid account of the titled ship and her erratic commander, David Porter. The U.S. Navy was a small little fraternity back then (no drag queen recruiting campaigns either), Porter's son was a big name in the Civil War and young David Farragut (also later of Civil War fame) was basically an adopted son of Porter. Farragut actually served as a 12-y.o. midshipman on the 'epic voyage' of the Essex. Epic voyages in 1812 often included a rounding of Cape Horn (! Correction) in South America which the Essex accomplished with the usual storms and horrible seas of such journeys. The ship also made significant rounds of the Galapagos Islands which are more extensive than I ever realized. They also reached the so-called Marquesas Islands way, way out in the South Pacific. There it was usual slaughter of recalcitrant natives and fervent crew enjoyment of the apparently very willing opposite sex. Porter saw very clearly what the arrival of the modern world would do these 'innocent' people but did nothing to lessen the impact and in fact tried to 'capture' these islands for the U.S. For what good reason is anyone's guess. Anyway the book has some nice pictures, good maps and naval terminology glossary all to the positive. It does wander a bit into other areas like Peruvian-Chilean politics in the wars to end Spanish rule.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid book covering one of the less covered topics of the American Pacific campaign against British naval interests, particularly their whaling fleets. Daughan provides a tremendous amount of detail on David Porter, and gives the reader a good feel for how the man thought, worked, and captained his USS Essex.

The actual text is not overly long, though at times it feels a bit "stretched" to add to the page count. There are large amounts of references provided however, which is always a favorite thing for me to see.

The book reads well, and is even a bit exciting, so it does get good marks from me for that. History does not need to be dry and mind numbing. I felt a bit more material should have been presented on the British forces pursuing him, but I suppose the book's focus was on Porter.

I think this book deserves a 3.5 Star rating, but am rounding up to 4 Star for the added entertainment and excellent references.

[Miles Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good history of the USS Essex in the War of 1812, which served as an inspection for *Master and Commander.*

[Jerome Otte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-written book on an interesting episode of the War of 1812. The voyage of the Essex is quite an interesting tale. Although I’ve read the story of this cruise in many other books, I still found Daughan’s book quite enjoyable.

David Porter’s exploits are the stuff of legend, and Daughan does a great job bringing the story alive. He gives us a good portrait of Porter: his brilliance as a commander, his concern for his men, and his painstaking efforts to keep his crew healthy and contented. He was a superb tactician, and he was also an arrogant fame-obsessed glory hunter, but such attitudes were not unusual in the US navy at the time, or in any wartime navy for that matter.

During his second commerce-raiding cruise, Porter, on his own initiative, sailed around Cape Horn, becoming the first US warship to reach the Pacific. Porter’s orders were to meet a US squadron in the South Atlantic and harass British shipping there. However, he missed his rendezvous and decided that his orders allowed him to cruise to the Pacific and harass the British whaling fleet there. Around the Galapagos Islands he captured so many British whalers that he nearly wiped out the British whaling industry in those waters. Lacking a US base in the area and to avoid being trapped in a port by the British, Porter decided to sail 2, 500 miles to the Marquesas in the Pacific. He tried to claim those islands as America’s first overseas possessions, which he had no authority to do, and wound up in the middle of brutal tribal warfare. Porter was eventually defeated and captured in a naval battle off Chile.

A very interesting story. However, upon perusing the bibliography, it seems like Daughan could have utilized more sources: often Daughan relies solely on Porter’s self-serving memoir, and seems to ignore others, such as crewmen’s journals or accounts of the British squadrons hunting for Porter, and the like. The prose is somewhat dry, and Daughan frequently uses naval terminology that has long been forgotten, at least by landlubbers like me, but, in all, this was a great read.

[QOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent introduction to Porter's role in the War of 1812. It's a good book for people who aren't already familiar with the war in the Pacific or Porter himself.

I'm glad to see the war in the Pacific getting some attention. I find Porter fascinating, because he was incredibly flawed: arrogant, conceited, vain--and he lost his ship when he was trying to run away. But yet he was considered a hero at the time. (Sorry, I can't hear you over the cognitive dissonance.) The British hated him, though, which probably does say something for him.

And his naval career implodes in dramatic fashion in the 1820s (unfortunately, not related in any detail in this book). Pro tip: don't have it out with your junior officers in the newspapers.

But.

I'm familiar with the primary source materials and I think there was too much interpolation (particularly imputation of motives without evidence). In the book, source material in general is problematic: where a section of text might be supported by notes (the text, at least in the Kindle edition, is not footnoted, so you'll have to go look in the back on your own), the source may only support one aspect of an entire section of facts. Or it may not even do that.

Although Daughan does use primary sources and cites to them, there is heavy reliance on secondary sources and unreliable primary sources (e.g., Porter's Journal--which came out in two separate editions, the first being much more interesting reading than the second, and which prompted a scathing review by William Gifford in the Quarterly Review, which in turn prompted Porter's editing of and lengthy preface to the second edition of his Journal--or his Memoir, which was authored by Porter's son.)

The absolute gold standard for Porter's life is David Long's 1970 NOTHING TOO DARING. If you want to dig deeper, it's the place to start.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth, well-researched book about Commodore David Porter. It was, at times, a bit heavy on the details. But I didn't read it for the naval history, I read it to learn more about David Porter. The book sheds light on his character - well-liked, and well-regarded, but a bit of a hot-head. However, I did enjoy the naval history and appreciated learning more about the War of 1812. David Porter and the Essex were an important piece of history that I didn't know much about.

[Infromsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, too much info in some areas, felt like author was filling up the pages.

[Reet Champion · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shining Sea is George Daughn's newest addition to the world of War of 1812 literature. He follows the daring and hubristic voyage of a man and his ship destined for great things and ultimately failure. David Porter and the USS Essex have become renowned figures of the United States Navy. Porter's exploits in the Pacific whaling ground were nothing short of dangerous to British merchant shipping (if only he hadn't gotten too cocky!). Although he commanded an oddball ship that was armed with weapons he detested Porter made do. Combined with a good crew, the element of surprise and wily maneuvers Porter insured a name for himself in American history.

In a masterful retelling of a truly momentous adventure George Daughn narrates the story of an "epic voyage" wrought with peril and deception. The good part is that Daughn doesn't attempt to sugar coat the facts. He strips away all the glory and heroics to reveal a very flawed man (I must admit, I had my suspicions, but now that those suspicions have been confirmed my respect for Porter has plummeted. On another note I think there was too much focus on certain inappropriate actions). And there is minimal bias either; if Porter was wrong he was wrong, if he was right he was right. Likewise with the Royal Navy. And if we're in doubt Daughn presents us with research that sways the reader's thinking so that we have an idea of what would have been acceptable at the time, what wasn't, who overreacted, etc.

Overall this was a more "maritime" read. Readers who struggle with nautical references should be able to clear up any confusion by consulting the glossary located in the back of the book. In some ways this was a more complete retelling of the USS Essex's voyage compared to The USS Essex.

DISCLAIMER: In accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising” we would like to note that we have not received compensation for our book review of “The Shining Sea”.

[David Eppenstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well written and detailed portrayal of a little known event in the histories of our War of 1812 and the U.S. Navy. It is also an unusually fair biography of one of our Navy's early heroes, David Porter. Porter was the father of David Dixon Porter and the "adopted father" of David Farragut who would both become naval heroes during the Civil War. Unfortunately, this event and its telling probably will be of little interest to any but a dedicate fan of American history or naval history and, in particular, history of the age of fighting sail. What impressed me the most about this book was the author's willingness to criticize Porter's reckless, delusional, and, at inappropriate times, arrogant behavior. This book certainly makes a strong case for the fact that these character flaws led to the unnecessary deaths of many American sailors and to the end of Porter's naval career. In sum, a good book for anyone interested in the period.

[Gregory Flemming · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the action-packed story of the voyage of Captain David Porter aboard the USS Essex during War of 1812. The voyage of the Essex spanned both Atlantic and Pacific -- it was, in fact, the first USS warship to round Cape Horn and sail into Pacific. Porter made many captures, negotiated with the leaders of South American and Island states, and made multiple stops at Marquesas Islands. Porter's journey culminates with his brutal battle against two British warships, the Phoebe and the Cherub, in Valparaiso, when Porter lost nearly 60 of his 255 men. Daughan provides great and detailed descriptions of a significant voyage during the War of 1812.

[Elizabeth Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy did David Porter get cocky in the Pacific. His exploits during the War of 1812 are mildly cringe-worthy (especially the bit on his "claiming" an island as a U.S. territory and leaving behind all of twenty men to protect his claim to an inhabited island) but sometimes exciting- harking back to a period where battles were fought by commanders whose highly developed sense of proper conduct and gentlemanly behavior no longer fit the modern sensibilities of warfare. Daughan does a pretty good job of turning this history into a great story. That said, the authors opinions about this figure do sneak in to the narrative a bit more than I'd prefer.

[Jeff Mincy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those frustrating history books that just ends with your kindle showing a little over 50% read. It's as if he just ran out of material and stopped the book. Close to half of the eBook is epilogue, acknowledgements, glossary, and notes. Probably should have been a chapter or two in his War of 1812 book instead of its own title. To rub salt into my purchase it is now a kindle unlimited title. It is not a waste of the naval history readers time and effort, but it would have been much more enjoyable as an unlimited selection and not a stand alone book purchase.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book on a little written subject: the US navy during the War of 1812. I really enjoyed the first half of the book , after that it just got a bit repetitive.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful introduction to the Pacific phase of the War of 1812 and the story of Captain David Porter.