The Great Mutiny

by James Dugan

A gripping and thorough account of the great British naval mutinies at Spithead and the Nore in 1797 when the sailors of the Royal Navy rose up in revolt against their appalling working conditions and withholding of pay. The author contrasts the unexpected success of the Spithead mutiny, in which the sailors were granted most of their demands, with the story of the Nore mutiny where, under the leadership of a seaman called Richard Parker, the revolt took an altogether more tragic course.

Genres: Naval History, History, Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Nautical

511 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

James Dugan was a historian, editor and magazine article writer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jacques Cousteau.

Dugan had a long-lasting connection with Jacques Cousteau. Dugan first met Cousteau in 1944 during the liberation of France. At this time he was a Yank magazine correspondent. Much of his writing in the 50's and 60's concerns underwater exploration with Captain Jacques Cousteau. Dugan received the Grand Prix, Cannes International Film Festival award for the documentary The Silent World in 1956. He was also part of the team that produced the Academy Award-winning documentaries The Silent World (1956) and World Without Sun (1964). Dugan wrote the narration for both films. Dugan edited Cousteau's books The Silent World (1953) and World Without Sun (1965) and co-authored The Living Sea (1963) with Cousteau.

James Dugan died June 3, 1967 in Panama City, FL from a heart attack at the age of 55. He was buried at sea.

Reviews

[Ian Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book appears to be well researched it is let down by its lack of authorities. Very few sources are quoted or acknowledged. The reader is expected to take Dugan's word for it, which is unsatisfactory to a serious researcher. A good read which could have been much better.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

The subject matter offers a lot of potential, and the length is not daunting given the possible scope the book could have taken. Essentially he describes the events of England's most widespread mutiny in their history in the summer of 1797, which I knew nothing about. Dugan has an occasional flair for the dramatic, and he has a good amount of firsthand evidence. However the weaknesses win out.

1. Despite the length Duncan offers no 'grand narrative' possible explanations as to why it happened as it did and when. Given the fact that it is England's most serious mutiny, I think this is needed. One can surmise on one's own -- French Revolution, high presence of Irish seamen, etc. -- but Duncan himself should at least offer theories.

2. Duncan dips into using an anecdotal style and pithy witticisms. I am not generally a fan of either.

3. Dugan's most serious problem is the utter one-sidedness of his account. The Admiralty, PM Pitt, all of them had no reason other than high living or personal power to oppose the demands of the mutineers. Even if this were in fact true, people like Pitt would not have seen it that way. I would have been very interested to see Pitt's perspective on the mutiny from the inside. His style reduces him, however, to quips about the perfidy of aristocracy, the insanity of George III, and so on.

Most anyone would sympathize with the sailors, given the reasonableness of their demands, their lack of pay, the conditions and so on. Indeed, I rooted for them the whole time. But unless you believe history can always be reduced to the oppression of the weak by the strong, there must be other things going on here. What were the conditions of British sailors compared with those in France, Holland, Spain, and so on? Why was impressment, which Dugan points out as one of the worst aspects of the British navy, seemingly not a concern at all with the mutineers? Issues like this beg for a chance to look at the event from different angles but Dugan does not do this.

This fault reaches its peak ironically when Parker is at his best. His account of the trial and execution of the mutineer Richard Parker is excellent. He uses first hand trial accounts well. He lets suspense build. He spends a couple pages on Parker's time with a chaplain before he is hung, but then closes with yet another jibe about Parker's obedience to "state religion." Whether or not Dugan believes in the psalms, confession, and so on, clearly Parker did without reserve or sense of irony. And yet even here Dugan can't escape his single solitary lens and acknowledge that maybe there is more going on here than he understands.

Dugan has made me curious to read more about this, but all in all, a disappointment.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1797 the conditions within the British Navy were so nasty and degraded that the sailors mutinied in their harbors and dockyards. This was in the years of great civil unrest (just after the American and French Revolutions) and the sailors were quite innovative in their organization. Of course, they were inevitably put down bloodily and brutally, but their attempt at gaining rights and recognition was admirable.

(Libraries that have this can be found via Worldcat.)
 

[Poet Felon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most informative book you can find on the Spithead mutiny.