The Fleet Book of the Alaska Packers Association, 1893-1945: An Historical Overview and List

Donald H. Dyal

The last large American fleet of ocean-going sailing ships was that operated by the Alaska Packers Association, seasonally carrying workers from San Francisco Bay to the mouths of Alaskan rivers and creeks to can salmon. This salmon canning business was very lucrative, second only to lumbering on the West Coast in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The ships that made up this fleet were very miscellaneous. None of them was purpose-built for the Association; all were purchased, usually rather cheaply, after hard service lives of fifteen to twenty-five years in the worldwide oceanic trades. (It is worth remembering that fifteen to twenty-five years was regarded at the time as the usually working life for a merchant vessel.) Remarkably, most went on to provide twenty-five years or more of service with the Association’s fleet, despite the rigors of the Alaska canning trade.

Donald H. Dyal set out to research the extant fleet books in the archives and consolidate the information they contained into a single comprehensive fleet listing that would tell the remarkable half-century story of these vessels (and their steam or diesel-powered fellows). The heart of the book comprises thirty-six individual “biographies” of the sailing vessels of the fleet. Each vessel’s origins are presented in tabular form, followed by a short history covering its operations prior to, during, and after service with the Association. Dyal also includes remarks on surviving artifacts from the vessels, two of which (Star of India and Balclutha) are preserved to this day as museum ships. The powered ships are treated much more briefly, as are those vessel chartered by the Association and the Liberty and Victory ships it operated during World War II.

One of the most interesting features of this new Fleet Book is the author’s excellent summary of the history of the Alaska Packers Association that opens the work. This presents not only a chronological summary of the Association’s story but also material on the routine of its operations; both important to provide context for a fuller understanding of the industry and the vessels in its service.

Overall, The Fleet Book of the Alaska Packers Association is an invaluable reference for both researchers and aficionados of the later days of oceanic sailing ships. It is packed with useful material and, equally importantly, replete with pointers toward sources for those interested in greater detail.

Reviewed by Henry Farrar, Baltimore, Maryland

Silent Strength: Remembering the Men of Genius and Adventure Lost in the World’s Worst Submarine Disaster

D. Allan Kerr

Silent Strength (which takes its name from the motto of USS Thresher) is a compilation of articles by D. Allen Kerr published during 2013 to commemorate to fiftieth anniversary of the boat’s loss as tributes to the men who served aboard the submarine. As such, it does not concentrate heavily on the design or construction aspects, nor on details of Thresher’s loss, but more on its legacy.

From an operational perspective, Thresher’s most important legacy (as Kerr notes frequently) was the development and implementation of SUBSAFE: the Navy’s quality assurance program designed to maintain the safety of the nuclear submarine fleet. Thresher also was the lead boat for the fleet’s advanced attack submarines designed to hunt down and overcome the Soviet Union’s expanding nuclear submarine force through speed, silence, deep-diving ability, and the deployment of advanced technologies.

 Thresher’s human legacy is the lives of the 129 sailors lost in this tragic disaster. The story of many of their lives is the central element of Kerr’s book. Kerr’s skillful writing brings out, over and over again, the accomplishments of seemingly ordinary men, from a whole range of social and educational backgrounds, who came together as a cohesive team to operate this submarine that was on the cutting technological edge of its time, thanks to training, dedication, enthusiasm, selflessness, and commitment. This is a fascinating exploration of the often obscure nature of the submarine service’s social history.

Silent Strength’s melding of operational and technical history with evocative retellings of the lives of Thresher’s crew is a wonderful tribute to these men.

Reviewed by Michael O’Brien, Tampa, Florida

Submarine Torpedo Tactics: An American History

Edward Monroe Jones and Shawn S. Roderick

During two world wars, the menace of submarine warfare against merchant shipping loomed large in naval strategic and tactical discussions. Germany’s U-boats came extremely close to forcing the Allies to the negotiating table during World War I and were a major threat to Allied success in World War II. How ironic it then is that the single incontestably successful submarine campaign against merchant shipping should have been that of the United States Navy against Imperial Japan in World War II.

Submarine Torpedo Tactics lays out, in a wonderfully readable manner, the story of this evolution in the United States Navy from just before World War I to the present (within the limits of information publically accessible). The authors bring together a vast array of material, much of which has been published previously in snippets but never before presented together in such a coherent format. The net result is probably the best explanation yet of how submarine attacks have been and are now conducted. If a reader wants to know why American submarines were so successful in their assault on Japan’s shipping during World War Ii and they proposed to keep Soviet ballistic missile submarines at bay during the Cold War, this is the place to find the answers.

Of necessity, the requirements of their thesis obliged the authors also to explain the development of submarine design in the United States. Their success is such that Submarine Torpedo Tactics may well be the best short outline of this process yet in print. It is concise, it highlights the major milestones, and it presents sufficient technical detail to make its case without overwhelming the non-specialist reader with esoteric terminology or concepts.

Submarine Torpedo Tactics also includes a major bonus in the form of stories illustrating the lives of the operators, ranging from the antics surrounding theft of a totem pole by crewmen from the missile boat Growler through the installation (and use) of a Steinway grand piano aboard the attack submarine Sturgeon to vivid descriptions of underwater gyrations by American and Soviet submarines during the Cold War.

Though short (in light of the magnitude of its topic), Submarine Torpedo Tactics displays excellence on so many levels. anyone—academic, lay researcher, or simply interested reader—can only learn from this most enjoyable and informative study.

Reviewed by Steven Fitzgerald, Wilmington, Delaware

Sveti Pavao Shipwreck: A 16th Century Venetian Merchantman from Mljet, Croatia

Carlo Beltrame, Sauro Gelichi and Igor Miholjek

Many people forget (or never knew) that much of the eastern coastline of the Adriatic Sea was territory of the Republic of Venice until well into the eighteenth century. As a result, the waters off the coast of Croatia and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Montenegro and Albania are likely to be the final resting places of many Venetian ships, wrecked while trading within the Adriatic or voyaging from elsewhere in the Mediterranean.

During the past twenty years, in particular, archaeologists have been searching these waters in the expectation of locating wrecks of Venetian ships. This book about the Sveti Pavao shipwreck is a preliminary report on six years of work on the site by members of a joint Croatian-Italian project that has been excavating and conserving objects from what is almost certainly a sixteenth-century Venetian merchant vessel, one of a number of such craft located in the same general area over the past thirty years.

The wreck is quite deep (about 40 meters (130 feet) below the surface) and also quite concentrated. Because the team had very limited funding, it took a somewhat innovative approach to recording the site by making extensive use of photogrammetry. This both substantially cut the amount of time divers had to spend on the bottom recording data, since they could use photographs rather than manual measurements, and also opened up interesting possibilities for interpretation, because the imagery could be manipulated both to uncover information that might have been missed during a visual scan and to generate three-dimensional representations of the wreck and site.

This particular preliminary report concentrates primarily on objects that have been recovered and undergone initial conservation. There is much cargo—mainly high-end luxurious metallic and ceramic vessels—coinage, and animal remains that may represent livestock transported as cargo or for consumption by crew and passengers. There is also an impressive array of mid-sixteenth–century ordnance, most of which are breech-loaders. It is interesting to note that the barrels of the breech-loaders are bronze, while the breech chambers are iron; an interesting detail for researchers.

 The remains of the hull are very limited. Nevertheless, photogrammetry and subsequent three-dimensional modeling proved very useful in interpreting the remains for archaeologists and, especially, for public display (since the team had decided to leave the hull elements in situ rather than raise them for conservation and display).

This preliminary report provides a fascinating insight into elements of sixteenth-century Venetian trade and the ships that conducted it. We can only look forward to more information as research funding permits.

Reviewed by David Djanogli, Chippenham, Wiltshire

Voyage of The Slave Ship: J.M.W. Turner’s Masterpiece in Historical Context

Stephen J. May

In the preface and introduction of The Voyage of The Slave Ship: J.M.W. Turner’s Masterpiece in Historical Context, Stephen J. May declares his intent to evaluate the background, history, previous reviews and his own opinion of Turner’s painting The Slave Ship. In the following chapters, he does just that, exceeding expectations with a copious amount of detail. He immediately catches the reader in the preface and deftly guides them through the first few chapters with a colorful historical background, setting the scene for the introduction of the painting, Turner, and the major players involved in the fate of the painting.

May goes on to chronical the life of Turner and the painting. In the evaluation of the creation of the painting, he makes strong, declared postulations based on historical connections between those involved in the abolition movement and Turner. This gives a district life to the painting that would otherwise be missing. However, at times, May makes certain declarative statements without clear evidence or a disclaimer, such as his belief that The Slave Ship portrayed the savage acts aboard the slaver Zong, due to the extensive news coverage of the trail and, therefore, Turner’s enviable knowledge of the tale. Yet, May did not provide any hard evidence that Turner was absolutely aware of the incident or that he was directly influenced by it. While this is a fair conclusion given the facts, it is not certain.

The discussion of the composition of the painting is sprinkled throughout the book, there is no one chapter dedicated to the content, brushwork or technique. Nor is there any discussion of the painting from a technical standpoint. This does not detract from the book, as May’s intent is not a simple discussion of the artistic qualities of the painting. Rather than throwing around confusing artistic terms, May choses to focus on the painting as a whole, such as how a laymen would see it, making the painting a more accessible experience for the reader.

May does an exceedingly thorough job of explaining and examining everyone who had any influence on the fate of the paining; some might argue too thorough of an examination in some cases. Occasionally, he provides such an intense level of information about an individual other than Turner it begins to pass from supporting dialog into unneeded information, leaving the reader slightly confused about how the additional biographical facts connect to Turner or the painting. Some trimming of this excess may help streamline the points and connections May is trying to make. However, in many of the examples, the author’s digressions, as lengthy as they are, circle back around to make a point about the painting or Turner, such as in the case of his discussion of the sublime; which at first seems like an over explained idea, but then consistently reemerges throughout the examination of the life and players of the painting.

Although at times May can delve a little too in-depth for the average reader, overall, he provides an accessible evaluation of the history and life of J.M.W. Turner’s The Slave Ship and those men directly connected to it, that even the most historically or artistically challenged reader can relate to, enjoy, and understand.

Reviewed by Michele Panico, East Carolina University

The Ship that Held Up Wall Street

Warren C. Riess with Sheli O. Smith

 In January 1982 a backhoe digging a trench at a New York City construction site uncovered the remains of a buried ship—an old one. The trench, one of four, was part of an archeological survey prior to clearing the site for the foundations of a thirty-story office building in Manhattan’s financial district.           

It was soon apparent the ship likely dated from the early eighteenth century. It offered insights on a little-understood period of naval architecture. Construction could be delayed for only a short time. Any study or recovery of the ship in situ had to be completed by March 1.

The Ship that Held Up Wall Street, by Warren C. Riess with Sheli O. Smith, tells what happened next. It reveals the story of a month-long sprint to unearth the ship and the decades-long marathon to unlock the secrets of the find.

The book opens describing the 28-day site dig. Riess relates an urban adventure worthy of an Indiana Jones movie. The excavation took place in February in pre-Giuliani New York City. The archeologists not only had to fight time and February weather, they had to contend with picket lines and gang violence. (Local community activists protested the lack of minority workers at the dig site until they learned the diggers were low-paid archeologists, not high-paid construction workers. A street gang attempted to fire-bomb the ship for reasons still unknown.)

This is followed by a section describing preservation of artifacts and explains what was chosen for preservation and why. It provides a clear, understandable introduction to the science behind stabilizing fragile timber and artifacts.

Riess next unravels the identity of the ship uncovered by construction. The chapter reads like a first-rate mystery novel, as Reiss pieces clues together. Evidence as diverse as the design of the ship, the timber used in construction, and even the species of shipworm which attacked the hull provided critical data. Combined with archival research, it allowed a tentative identification of the ship.

For those most interested in sailing era naval architecture, this is likely the most fascinating chapter. The ship is revealed as a transitional design, a cross between the Dutch fluyte (or flyboat) and British merchant frigate. It was significant find.

After developing the probable career of the ship, Riess explains how and why this ship ended up buried one-tenth of a mile from Manhattan’s present coast. To do this he examines the history of early eighteenth-century New York City. He takes readers into the commercial life of the city, and introduces them to the individuals who developed the lot in the 1740s and 1750s.

The Ship that Held Up Wall Street is a delightful book on several levels. In addition to adventure, mystery, and history, Riess introduces touches of comedy and tragedy describing missteps, near-catastrophe, and dropped opportunities occurring in every effort with tight deadlines and many participants.

The only real disappointment—for model-makers—is a lack of technical detail about the ship’s design and construction. Riess promises that in a second book about the ship, one he is currently preparing. The Ship that Held Up Wall Street will hold model-makers until then.

Reviewed by Mark Lardas, League City, Texas

The Gathering Storm: The Naval War in Northern Europe, September 1939-April 1940

Geirr H. Haarr

Haar’s book covers the initial naval conflict in the European theater of World War Two. The writing covers important developments prior to the outbreak of hostilities in September 1939. Events relating to submarine, merchant marine, surface navy, and naval aviation are described. The author presents Allied, Axis, and neutral actions during the period. Geographically, attention focuses on the Baltic and North seas. Some global events and expeditions are covered as they relate to events under discussion.

Several key themes are contained within this book. Contrary to popular opinion, Haar presents the opening months of the war as anything but a ‘phony war.’ The British Royal Navy’s experience is described as a painful rebirth. Finally, the image of Germany’s Kriegsmarine is constantly presented as efficient, if still imperfect.

Detailed descriptions of important events in the opening months of World War Two help debunk the image of a ‘phony war’ during this time. Extreme detail is provided for the most important occurrences, like the Altmark incident. A great level of detail is provided for more general developments as well. Diaries, war records, correspondence, official reports, and radio logs all help paint an intricate picture of a very active theater of war. As mentioned in Haar’s work, hostilities commenced within hours of war being declared and continued virtually unabated for the entire period under consideration.

The British Royal Navy experienced a painful and difficult rebirth in the opening months of the Second World War. The Admiralty failed to adjust to new developments like advanced submarines and naval aviation. Warnings about German aggression were not heeded and a rapid mobilization of reserve naval forces took time the British could ill afford to waste. Adjusting to advanced submarine tactics cost the British dearly. Many merchantmen and several warships, including the aircraft carrier Courageous and the battleship Royal Oak, were lost. Increased defenses against aggressive German U-Boat tactics could have prevented this. British submarine actions and naval intelligence left a great deal to be desired. Hard earned lessons were rapidly taken to heart, however, and the British soon worked hard to regain naval supremacy in Northern Europe.

Germany’s Kriegsmarine was well prepared for war with disciplined and well trained crews and officers. Personnel were proficient and familiar with modern technologies, tactics, and strategies. However, inadequate testing of German naval technologies, most notably submarine torpedoes, resulted in several missed opportunities to further cripple British naval might early in the war. Adolf Hitler’s policy of restricted submarine warfare at the outset of war, however, limited offensive capabilities. If this policy had been lifted, Germany could have crippled British naval might early in the war.

Haar presents a balanced and well researched picture of the opening months of the naval conflict during World War Two. He presents convincing arguments without bias. A vast collection of photographs and other archival material help complete the image Haar creates. Information in the appendices is thoroughly researched and supports Haar’s arguments. All though a great deal of detail is presented, Haar does not lose site of the larger argument and constantly references back to his key arguments.

Reviewed by Ivor R. Mollema, East Carolina University

The US Navy and the War in Europe

Robert S. Stern

Robert C. Stern endeavors to bring attention to the efforts of the Atlantic campaigns of the United States Navy during World War Two in the book, The US Navy and the War in Europe. Believed to be overshadowed by the grand naval battles of the Pacific, Stern describes the efforts of thousands of ordinary men working in the Atlantic to ultimately achieve victory over Nazi Germany. Stern details the importance of the United States Navy to overcome vast shortages of resources in the Atlantic, as well as manage an allied partnership that was often strained, to achieve victory in Europe. These accomplishments, although often perceived by many as not being as renowned as those in the Pacific, are examples provided by Stern as he emphasizes the strategic importance of the United States Navy in the Atlantic to bringing about victory and the end of World War Two.

The US Navy and the War in Europe is well developed in both research and structure. Stern manages to incorporate a vast array of resources to develop a chronological history of the ever changing role of the United States Navy in the Battle of the Atlantic and the war in Europe. Those unfamiliar with the history of this period will appreciate detailed events and important individuals involved throughout the course of the war, allowing for a broader understanding of the issues as they unfold. Presented information and references are cited throughout, albeit unconventionally, but are clearly identified within a detailed listing of the numerous sources and appendixes, allowing access for further research. Photographs and maps provide a sense of context, assisting the reader to better understand the involvement of the various individuals and vessels fighting in this theater.

Stern has provided a quality resource for a general understanding of the United States Navy and its involvement in the Atlantic during World War Two. Although the resources are vast, the information presented sometimes leaves the reader wanting more. At times, certain events are detailed much more in depth than others, for example, when detailing the early struggles of the Navy to acquire vessels following the attack on Pearl Harbor. This aspect separates Stern’s work from being a general history of United States Naval involvement in the Atlantic from truly presenting and differentiating this war from that of the war in the Pacific. Stern’s goal was to amplify the discussion of the work of the United States Navy in the European theater, but it ultimately fails to meet this mark. Stern detracts from his intentions by not expanding upon available information and not capitalizing on the opportunity to present the incredible effort expended by so many that was necessary to turn the tide against Germany. Even so, Stern has still put together a very well researched and resourced historical piece that should appeal to general readers interested in the naval war in Europe.

Reviewed by William S. Sassorossi, East Carolina University

The Ships of Scapa Flow

Campbell McCutcheon

There are special places in the world that, due to the very nature of their geography, have stood witness to some of the most significant events in human history. Scapa Flow, nestled in Scotland’s Orkney Islands, is just such a place. As a natural deep-water harbor bounded by islands and strategically located at the entrance to the North Sea, Scapa Flow lends itself well to the historical roles it has played as an important naval base in both world wars and throughout the twentieth century.

In The Ships of Scapa Flow, author Campbell McCutcheon employs historic photographs and postcards to take the reader on a visual tour of this special place in the North Atlantic. Through nearly 150 sepia-toned images, dozens of twentieth century vessels come to life, as do the hundreds of sailors who manned them.

McCutcheon loosely follows chronological order as he examines and explains the situations that brought both German and British ships to Scapa. Whether disastrously sunk, deliberately scuttled, or diligently salvaged, the stories of these vessels shed light on a complex time in twentieth century naval history. Through well-chosen images and fairly thorough captions, McCutcheon details some of the major actions that define Scapa: the disastrous loss of the 804 men aboard HMS Vanguard, the legendary phantom fleets of World War I, and the vital salvage operations that continue today.

McCutcheon does allude to Scapa Flow’s current status as a world-class diving destination; however, visual aids and input from the diving community is entirely absent and would have fleshed out a more complete character of Scapa Flow, not to mention improving the book as a resource for divers. Underwater imagery would have also strengthened and enhanced what is the beginning of an interesting study of the entire life of a ship. But even without such visuals, McCutcheon has offered some insight into the different scenarios that await modern vessels at the end of their primary service. The Ships of Scapa Flow demonstrates the ingenuity that humans are capable of when it comes to salvaging vessels in the cold, dark waters of Scapa Flow.

Lacking an index, readers of The Ships of Scapa Flow can expect to refer back and forth in the text to keep up with the different ships’ accounts. A simple table, list, or timeline would have been welcome, particularly with the number of ships reviewed. And, although McCutcheon does credit postcard photographers throughout, the lack of a bibliography is a bit disappointing and limits (not eliminates) the book’s usefulness as a resource for researchers of Scapa Flow.

Overall, The Ships of Scapa Flow is a good collection of compelling and historic photographs, augmented by brief narratives that tell some of the most interesting and unique histories of the area. Not a stand-alone resource, the book rather serves as an excellent introduction to the area’s rich maritime seascape.

Reviewed by Stephanie Gandulla, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: The Royal Australian Navy in Vietnam 1965-1972

John R. Carroll

John Carroll’s volume on the Royal Australian Navy’s support of Australian troops in Vietnam is welcome as a study of seaborne logistics—an area too frequently neglected for the tracers and blood that fascinates most readers. The author, a naval veteran of the conflict himself, traces the Royal Australian Navy from its initial commitment in 1965 to the last voyages home in March 1972. At the heart of his narrative lies HMAS Sydney, a Majestic-class carrier modified to serve as a troop transport, and her frequent escorts: the light carrier Melbourne and half-a-dozen destroyers and frigates.

An appendix, with line drawings for each vessel, describes the ships, names their captains, and lists the deployments in which each vessel participated. Numerous photographs, many snapped by crew during their tours, enliven the pages. Several good quality maps support the narrative, as do three additional appendices. The bulk of the narrative builds upon frequent primary source quotations that often illustrate the potential danger, especially while unloading in ports, offered by underwater sappers, shore to river ambushes, and mines. Carroll stresses the difficulty of maintaining both security and alertness, insisting (quite correctly) that, even though the Royal Australian Navy avoided damage or losses, it did operate in a most dangerous environment.

Carroll concludes with lengthy examinations of two issues that outlasted the war itself: herbicide exposure (the Agent Orange issue in the United States) and the Australian government’s refusal to allow benefits and entitlements to the crews involved in the Royal Australian Navy sealift. The struggle by veterans to achieve fiscal recognition is worth the study, especially in comparison to similar incidents in American history.

Books dealing with seaborne logistics are in short supply, especially as related to long campaigns or wars. With Australia’s small commitment to Vietnam (relative to that of the United States, at any rate), Carroll managed to offer a rather complete examination of naval logistical operations. This makes Out of Sight, Out of Mind well worth perusing by those scholars of the maritime world who recall the old saw that amateurs study tactics while professionals study logistics.

Reviewed by Wade G. Dudley, East Carolina University