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The Wager Disaster: Mayhem, Mutiny and Murder in the South Seas
In 1741, the British warship HMS Wager crashed on the shore of an uninhabited island off the coast of Chilean Patagonia. One hundred and forty men reached land. Only thirty-six made it back home. The "Wager" Disaster is the extraordinary story of human endurance and the perseverance of those soldiers in the face of unthinkable adversity.
Britain and Spain were at war, and the Wager was part of a small British squadron sent to extend the battle to their Spanish possessions in the South Seas. Unfortunately, there were no accurate charts of the west coast of South America, and much of the navigation was determined by guesswork. Vicious hurricane-force winds wrecked the Wager, separating it from the squadron. Starvation, exhaustion, hypothermia, and drowning quickly claimed most of the soldiers who survived the wreck. The rest rose up against the unpopular captain and set off in an open boat with no chart, resulting in one of the greatest survival voyages as the castaways made their way 2,500 nautical miles back to Britain.
Drawing on the firsthand accounts of the survivors, The "Wager" Disaster tells the compelling story of a dramatic fight for survival under extreme conditions.
Britain and Spain were at war, and the Wager was part of a small British squadron sent to extend the battle to their Spanish possessions in the South Seas. Unfortunately, there were no accurate charts of the west coast of South America, and much of the navigation was determined by guesswork. Vicious hurricane-force winds wrecked the Wager, separating it from the squadron. Starvation, exhaustion, hypothermia, and drowning quickly claimed most of the soldiers who survived the wreck. The rest rose up against the unpopular captain and set off in an open boat with no chart, resulting in one of the greatest survival voyages as the castaways made their way 2,500 nautical miles back to Britain.
Drawing on the firsthand accounts of the survivors, The "Wager" Disaster tells the compelling story of a dramatic fight for survival under extreme conditions.
336 pages, Paperback
First published January 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 11, 2022
Synopsis- In 1741, the British warship HMS Wager crashed on the shore of an uninhabited island off the coast of Chilean Patagonia. One hundred and forty men reached land. Only thirty-six made it back home. The "Wager" Disaster is the extraordinary story of human endurance and the perseverance of those soldiers in the face of unthinkable adversity.
Britain and Spain were at war, and the Wager was part of a small British squadron sent to extend the battle to their Spanish possessions in the South Seas. Unfortunately, there were no accurate charts of the west coast of South America, and much of the navigation was determined by guesswork. Vicious hurricane-force winds wrecked the Wager, separating it from the squadron. Starvation, exhaustion, hypothermia, and drowning quickly claimed most of the soldiers who survived the wreck. The rest rose up against the unpopular captain and set off in an open boat with no chart, resulting in one of the greatest survival voyages as the castaways made their way 2,500 nautical miles back to Britain.
Drawing on the firsthand accounts of the survivors, The "Wager" Disaster tells the compelling story of a dramatic fight for survival under extreme conditions.
Review- I'm just going to stand up and give three cheers to Mr Layman. 1). He made olden war times interesting. 2). He made a naval story interesting. 3). He made a non-fiction nearly unputdownable.
I love history but not really the war stuff. Generally, I tend to find that all a bit snooze worthy. I like the human interest stuff, the impacts and effects of war, yes. The actual war details, no. So for me to read a naval story, set during Britain's forever ongoing war with Spain, in four days says alot about the story and the storytelling.
What Mr Layman did brilliantly is compile the info and lay it all out in insanely easy readable chunks. Chapters were never more than ten pages and he included interesting graphics. I never felt bogged down, even though most of the story is told in the survivors own words which is old timey speech. Luckily, like Shakespeare, it's a bit jarring at first but I soon got used to structure and words.
The story of the Wager was insane. From the outset it was madness and it never stopped. The Admiralty, in all of their wisdom, decided to top up the Wager's numbers from the Corps of the Invalids, 60 - 70 year old pensioners, many of whom had serious war wounds like missing limbs. Unsurprisingly, most of these guys got "lost" on route to the port. So the crew of the Wager was already understaffed and also under-supplied. This is all before taking sail. Once on the seas, they suffer scurvy, starvation, exposure, slavery, becoming prisoners and several ship/boatwrecks. Plus the titular mutiny and murder. It literally is 5+ years of mayhem. Honestly, it couldn't be made up.
As its effects were significant to the Navy, I'm really surprised it's not more popular. I will end it with this crazy fact. The Wager was one of eight ships, seven of which were ultimately lost, sent to antagonise the Spanish. Of the 1854 men sent out amongst those eight ships, 1666 never returned to Britain. But Anson, the fleet's commodore, was hail as a hero and greeted with much fanfare when his lone ship returned. Of course it was bearing huge amounts of spoils. The biggest in naval history. So though 90% of the men under his command perished and 7/8 of his ships were lost, the boon was worth it. 🤨
Rating - Three and a half rounded to four mayhem and madness stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really liked it, consumed within days
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average
⭐⭐ - Meh
⭐ - Absolute drivel
Britain and Spain were at war, and the Wager was part of a small British squadron sent to extend the battle to their Spanish possessions in the South Seas. Unfortunately, there were no accurate charts of the west coast of South America, and much of the navigation was determined by guesswork. Vicious hurricane-force winds wrecked the Wager, separating it from the squadron. Starvation, exhaustion, hypothermia, and drowning quickly claimed most of the soldiers who survived the wreck. The rest rose up against the unpopular captain and set off in an open boat with no chart, resulting in one of the greatest survival voyages as the castaways made their way 2,500 nautical miles back to Britain.
Drawing on the firsthand accounts of the survivors, The "Wager" Disaster tells the compelling story of a dramatic fight for survival under extreme conditions.
Review- I'm just going to stand up and give three cheers to Mr Layman. 1). He made olden war times interesting. 2). He made a naval story interesting. 3). He made a non-fiction nearly unputdownable.
I love history but not really the war stuff. Generally, I tend to find that all a bit snooze worthy. I like the human interest stuff, the impacts and effects of war, yes. The actual war details, no. So for me to read a naval story, set during Britain's forever ongoing war with Spain, in four days says alot about the story and the storytelling.
What Mr Layman did brilliantly is compile the info and lay it all out in insanely easy readable chunks. Chapters were never more than ten pages and he included interesting graphics. I never felt bogged down, even though most of the story is told in the survivors own words which is old timey speech. Luckily, like Shakespeare, it's a bit jarring at first but I soon got used to structure and words.
The story of the Wager was insane. From the outset it was madness and it never stopped. The Admiralty, in all of their wisdom, decided to top up the Wager's numbers from the Corps of the Invalids, 60 - 70 year old pensioners, many of whom had serious war wounds like missing limbs. Unsurprisingly, most of these guys got "lost" on route to the port. So the crew of the Wager was already understaffed and also under-supplied. This is all before taking sail. Once on the seas, they suffer scurvy, starvation, exposure, slavery, becoming prisoners and several ship/boatwrecks. Plus the titular mutiny and murder. It literally is 5+ years of mayhem. Honestly, it couldn't be made up.
As its effects were significant to the Navy, I'm really surprised it's not more popular. I will end it with this crazy fact. The Wager was one of eight ships, seven of which were ultimately lost, sent to antagonise the Spanish. Of the 1854 men sent out amongst those eight ships, 1666 never returned to Britain. But Anson, the fleet's commodore, was hail as a hero and greeted with much fanfare when his lone ship returned. Of course it was bearing huge amounts of spoils. The biggest in naval history. So though 90% of the men under his command perished and 7/8 of his ships were lost, the boon was worth it. 🤨
Rating - Three and a half rounded to four mayhem and madness stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really liked it, consumed within days
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average
⭐⭐ - Meh
⭐ - Absolute drivel
May 11, 2024
This was a fantastic read - the author places the reader on the boat in the 18th century. You can smell the salt, the sickness and feel the sorrow. The struggle to survive required men of courage and willing to make hard decisions. What a tragedy would play out in the lives of the survivors.
August 27, 2023
This book was painstakingly put together by Rear Admiral Layman by working with material that was used at the Courts-Martial of the surviving officers and men who made it back to England. Unlike other books, it focuses on the actual material presented to the court of thirteen Admirals, and those testimonies and memorials either testified at the Court or from notarized statements from the survivors.
There is little or no opinion contained in the narratives of Admiral Layman, who has tried as much as possible to only use the words of the survivors as they present their cases and answer questions from the Admirals on the Board.
A small intro to the actual fleet put together for the original voyage and some statements by those who were presented to the Admiralty for informational purposes.
There is little or no opinion contained in the narratives of Admiral Layman, who has tried as much as possible to only use the words of the survivors as they present their cases and answer questions from the Admirals on the Board.
A small intro to the actual fleet put together for the original voyage and some statements by those who were presented to the Admiralty for informational purposes.
January 29, 2025
I found this book when searching for The Wager, by David Grann.
Here's my review of that book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
I found this book to be much better for me, personally.
This book deserves more publicity than it got and more than Grann's version.
Example of timing and marketing, I suppose. Beyond one's direct control.
This book was much more technical, yet very readable.
Was much more objectively written as well, with very little editorializing or modern-commentary.
Very fun reads towards the end about the actual search and finding of the suspected location and wreckage.
Many great maps and images.
Includes thorough section about how Anson did actually catch up with the Spaniards and their battle in Southeast Asia.
Here's my review of that book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...
I found this book to be much better for me, personally.
This book deserves more publicity than it got and more than Grann's version.
Example of timing and marketing, I suppose. Beyond one's direct control.
This book was much more technical, yet very readable.
Was much more objectively written as well, with very little editorializing or modern-commentary.
Very fun reads towards the end about the actual search and finding of the suspected location and wreckage.
Many great maps and images.
Includes thorough section about how Anson did actually catch up with the Spaniards and their battle in Southeast Asia.
March 5, 2024
The Wager Disaster is a true story told through the historical documents from the Navel inquiry interviews of the survivors. England is at war with Spain and sends a fleet to harass Spanish colonies on the west coast of South America. The Wager falls behind the fleet and is ship wrecked succumbing to weather as she rounds the horn. In short order the survivors break into different groups and mayhem ensues. The voyage and survival of those that actually make it back to England is truly amazing.
April 6, 2024
Published in 2015, 'The Wager Disaster' tells the sorry tale of the loss of HMS Wager in 1741 off the coast of Chile, and the subsequent ordeals of the various survivors. In 1741, the ship was part of a Royal Navy squadron under the overall command of Commodore Anson, sent on a mission to play havoc with Spanish colonies as part of the 'War of Jenkin's Ear'. This rates a couple of stars alone... Just amazing.
January 7, 2024
Excellent non-fiction book of the Wager and the officers and company of the ship.
The result loss of the ship which lead to amazing escapes to get back to England. The surviving groups arriving at different times each have a different version of the story of what happened. The book clearly written with maps was an enjoyable read. Ending with the 2006 archaeological attempt to find the ship.
The result loss of the ship which lead to amazing escapes to get back to England. The surviving groups arriving at different times each have a different version of the story of what happened. The book clearly written with maps was an enjoyable read. Ending with the 2006 archaeological attempt to find the ship.
August 2, 2021
Interesting story. Dry and pendantic but tells about a very interesting historical moment.
June 2, 2023
Fascinating story of survival told through the journals of the crew of the HMS Wager.
June 22, 2023
A little difficult to read because of its choppy style and reliance on original journals, but this is a fascinating story of shipwreck and survival from the 1740's.
October 28, 2023
Fascinating story of a shipwreck, an open boat voyage and the subsequent recriminations.
March 10, 2023
Great story told by the men themselves and a surprisingly small proportion of the book is written by the author. Despite the English being from about 300 years ago and sometimes quite flowery, you can mostly understand what’s being said. Now I can see how this true story inspired so many other fiction stories we’ve seen in media over the years.
October 26, 2016
The story of the Wager in this wonderful compilation of accounts from the time is truly unbelievable. The story of what happened to the crew of this ship simply couldn't have been created in the most vivid imagination. A series of events that individually could deal enough inspiration for a Hollywood film, collectively however this story is simply astonishing. As to why this book is currently not reviewed is a crying shame.
The language used and the descriptive manner in which the accounts are written are at times unintentionally comedic. I found a great deal of enlightenment and learning from the sublime use of words to describe such suffering and observations, something I wish I would find more often in my reading of books.
Overall this book and the accounts contained within it should be essential reading for fans of any genre.
You must read this
The language used and the descriptive manner in which the accounts are written are at times unintentionally comedic. I found a great deal of enlightenment and learning from the sublime use of words to describe such suffering and observations, something I wish I would find more often in my reading of books.
Overall this book and the accounts contained within it should be essential reading for fans of any genre.
You must read this
April 13, 2017
Excellent History Telling
Really enjoyed this book. Story well told from several perspectives. Particularly enjoyed links with various significant historical events in subsequent years.
Really enjoyed this book. Story well told from several perspectives. Particularly enjoyed links with various significant historical events in subsequent years.
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