The Wager, by David Grann

 

Initial group of ships – August 23, 1740
Centurian – squadron’s flagship, heading around Cape Horn to attack Spain, returned to England June 15, 1744 with Spanish treasure George Anson – captain Reverand Richard Walter – published book about his account Pascoe Thomas – ship’s schoolmaster, published book with his account   Gloucester – leaking, buried at sea, April 1743   Pearl – turned back   Severn – turned back   Trial – abandoned April 1743   The Wager – separated from other ships David Cheap – captain after first captain, Kidd, died Robert Baynes – lieutenant, second-in-command John Byron – midshipman, age 16 John King – boatswain Master Clark -navigator Thomas Maclean – cook John Bulkeley – gunner, kept a journal throughout ordeal, published book based on journal   Anna and Industry -cargo ships accompanying squadron, Industry sent back after supplies gone, Anna abandoned because of leakage
April 10, 1741 – Wager separated from squadron May 14 – Wager hit rocks and broke apart Speedwell – ship built from parts of main ship
Groups of survivors returning to England
March 1742	January 1, 1743	March 1746	July 1746
Baynes – wanted to be the first to return and plant blame elsewhere for what happened	Bulkeley – A Voyage to the South-Seas, in the Years 1740-1 Cummins	David Cheap Thomas Hamilton John Byron   Campbell – initially stayed behind but then returned to England	Isaac Morris and two others John Duck – free black man, sold into slavery upon return Morris and 7 others had been left behind when sent to island from Speedwell to gather supplies

 

 

NOTE: Page numbers are from the hardback edition.

1.      In the author’s note at the beginning, Grann wrote “I’ve tried to present all sides, leaving it to you to render the ultimate verdict – history’s judgement” (page xiii).  Who, if anyone, is to blame for what happened?

2.      When there was a shortage of trained seamen, the ships were fully staffed in a variety of ways: “press gangs” kidnapped men on the street, cities sent their undesirables and prisoners, and raw recruits who had never been on a ship.   What did you think of this practice?  Was there any alternative?

3.      John Byron, age 16, was a midshipman on The Wager.  His sleeping space was “a glorious seven inches more room than was allotted to ordinary seamen” (page 27).  The author commented “As on land, there was a premium on real estate, and where you lay your head marked your place in the pecking order” (pages 27-28).  Is it the same today?  Does space equal privilege or status?

4.      The author told the reader on page 29 that John Byron would become the grandfather to poet Lord Byron.  How did this foreknowledge of John’s fate affect your reading, if at all?  Why do you think the author gave you that knowledge when he did?

5.      The author credited this time period and sailing ships as the beginning of many terms we use today: “toe the line, pipe down, scuttlebutt, three sheets to the wind, and turn a blind eye” (page 35).  Were you surprised to learn this?

6.      In the end there was no decision at the court martial hearings.  “There was not even a hearing on whether any of the men had been guilty of desertion or quarreling with a superior officer” (page 241).  Do you agree that no one was really at fault?

7.      Why did some men survive while others perished?  Was it good general overall health, stamina, or just luck?  How do you think the survivors felt knowing that so many others had perished?

8.      Can we compare the seamen going to sea in the mid 1700’s for an extended period of time to astronauts going to the space station for a long time?  What about the two that were stranded for nine months?

9.      Discuss your reading experience.  Did knowing this was a true story make a difference to your enjoyment or your reading method?