Jack Tar

My guess is that most history buffs captivated by the age of fighting sail are really closet swashbucklers at heart: we get into our subjects so deeply that we can picture ourselves on a heaving deck obediently snapping to the orders of Alec Guinness’ fictional captain in the movie “Damn the Defiant.” And in our fantasies, we are on a squared away ship with neat rigging, spanking clean decks, looking forward to sharing the next hearty meal (to say nothing of grog rations) with our messmates.Inevitably, books like “Jack Tar” rouse us from our reveries. As one pages through this absolutely delightful account of life in the Georgian navy, the question that begs is not why the whole enterprise worked sometimes fitfully but how it worked at all. Although there are several books purporting to describe the daily regimen of British sailors of the time (one very good example is Dudley Pope’s “Life in Nelson’s Navy”), I haven’t discovered one that comes even close to as comprehensive a treatment as “Jack Tar.”The author’s secret sauce in my judgment is his extensive use of first-person accounts to tell the story. They are used to complement what is obviously his vast knowledge of the subject matter. Suffice to say, as one might expect, that the life of the average seaman was not one to be envied. That the British Navy was able to cobble together crews (with the occasional expedient of the press gangs) that served so cohesively and fought so gallantly is a tribute to both the quality of its administration and of its officer class, a mindless seniority system notwithstanding.The upshot is that if you are fascinated by the period, you owe it to yourself to read “Jack Tar,” and I’ll let you know if I find better. Don’t hold your breath.

The Adkins' book, Jack Tar: The extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy, is a welcome addition to my naval history library and I've given it a special place on the "frequently used" shelf alongside N.A.M. Rodger's The Wooden World: An Anatomy of the Georgian Navy. The husband-and-wife archaeologists Roy and Lesley Adkins have collaborated on four books and have written others independently. Having read two of them (Jack Tar and Roy's Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World) I will certainly be reading more by these historians.Jack Tar is a beautiful piece of historical writing. The authors incorporate so many first hand accounts of officers and seamen - well chosen bits of letters, logs, and diaries - all of which bring the ship to life without the authors ever having to add imagined detail or other intrusions. The result is imagery so real it often seems to jump off the page. The authors' skillfully include all the angles of life aboard a British sailing ship during the "Age of Nelson", adding bits of explanation and insight where necessary. The result is a complete and compelling experience of the British warship during this period. Chapter notes, bibliography, index, timeline, charts and other images make this a valuable resource for writers as well as readers of history and maritime fiction.Jack Tar is one of the best nonfiction books in my maritime library, alongside Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World (Roy Adkins)and the work of N.A.M. Rodgers. Although there is some overlap in the material presented in Jack Tar and Nelson's Trafalgar, these books have different scopes and neither is redundant for the naval enthusiast. For the more general reader looking for just one book covering the period and depicting life aboard a British warship I would recommend Jack Tar.I will certainly be referring to the Adkins' work and re-reading for pleasure and amazement the "extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy."In a word, superb.Linda Collison, author of  Barbados Bound (Patricia McPherson Nautical Adventure)  and  SURGEON'S MATE: Book Two of the Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series

Jack Tar: Life in Nelson's Navy by Roy & Leslie Adkins, subtitled "the extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen in Nelson's navy" is a fascinating look into life aboard British war ships during the Napoleonic wars.One of the criticism of many books addressing Nelson's time are that they either romanticize or are overly harsh is their descriptions of conditions aboard the ships of the Royal Navy. Jack Tar does neither. It provides a wealth of detail and description, which neither glorifies nor vilifies the complexity and contradiction of life aboard a man of war. The image that emerges is full and nuanced, sketching the mix of culture and rank in the teeming and cramped society that was a King's ship.Beyond an introductory note to provide the reader an historical timeline and a bit of background about the ships themselves, Jack Tar stays focused exclusively on the seamen and officers of the fleet. In a literal sense, Jack Tar gives the long lost lost sailors voice, by the extensive use of letters, excerpts from diaries, and official reports. The hopes, fears, concerns, grievances and often wry humor of the seamen and their officers come through vividly to a modern reader.We hear the stories told by pressed men, carried away from their homes or from merchant ships, as well as sailor's complaints about food, both the monotony and quantity. We read of fogs and bad weather and storms and ship's sinking. Likewise, in the Chapter "A Wife in Every Port" we hear of the women aboard ships, the legions of prostitutes and even a few wives, rowed out to be with their men while the ships were at anchor. The sailors were rarely allowed ashore to prevent desertion.There are chapters on shipboard routine and discipline, on sailing with convoys and the results of enemy capture, of shipboard medicine and surgery, as well as leisure time. We also see the ships and sailors in bloody battle. The details are vivid and the prose is gripping. The final chapter addresses victory, prize money and finally peace, when the Royal Navy, which employed 145,000 dropped to less than 20,000 in 1817, sending many thousands of sailors ashore without employment or prospects.Roy & Leslie Adkins are both archaeologists, historians and authors. Individually and as a team they have written numerous books over a wide range of historical or archeological topics. Roy Adkin's Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World is widley admired as is Leslie Adkin's Empires of the Plain: Henry Rawlinson and the Lost Languages of Babylon. In 2008 they teamed up to write, The War for All the Oceans: From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo and wrote Jack Tar in 2009. Available in Great Britain, it has only recently become available in paperback in the United States.Jack Tar is immersive and fascinating. Highly recommended.

Simply put, one of the greatest social histories I’ve ever read in any category imaginable. Absolutely riveting. (Pun intended).But seriously, this is the kind of book that keeps you up at night because you want “just one more chapter”.The only other writing I can compare it to for sheer depth and dedication is the work of Peter Ackroyd. It’s just fantastic. I’ve now bought it for two other people as a gift and they’ve loved it too. Am about to read my copy for the second time.

I chose this book to learn more about the Royal Navy in Nelson's time and definitely made the right choice. This is well written, carefully researched and the two authors have selected excellent first-hand accounts from seamen of all ranks.In addition to providing me with detailed information about the subject, there are some astute observations on the primary source material and this book is far more readable and entertaining than I would expect from non-fiction. It covers a wide range of topics and I seriously recommend it for RN enthusiasts!

I purchased this book as discovered my gt. x 3 grandfather had been a mariner around 1800, perhaps a bit earlier, on a coastal trade vessel between the Orkneys & the Forth & Tyne. Whilst this book centers mostly on the RN, nonetheless it has given me a much clearer idea what my ancestor's daily life could have been like, from the work involved to food provided & risks too. The author has done a lot of research, and quoted many examples, so written statements from both seamen & Officers of the time. Very much interesting.

If you have any interest in Nelsons Navy or military history, this is worth the read. Including facinating facts along with actual recollections of those there at the time, its invaluable to anyone interested in history. I have especially enjoyed learning about the many terms and phrases we use today, that can be traced back to the men on these wooden castles. This book really has it all, the good (Prize money), the very bad (The food) and with the punishments, the very ugly.

Having just read 'A dream of Glory' and 'Sword of Albion' 'Jack Tar' had two hard acts to follow. However I wasn't disappointed, this book is well researched, informative and interesting throughout, I can recommend it. I did have one minor complaint ( very minor) On more than one occasion the authors referred to "the second dog watch" unless it's a recent innovation there was never such a thing as a 'second' dog watch in the Royal Navy but that obviously does nothing to spoil a very good read.