Imprint:
United Kingdom : Seaforth Publishing, 2013
Notes:
Like many a restless teenager before him, Charles Nordhoff craved excitement, and in 1844 managed to talk his way into the US Navy. He was better educated than most of his fellow seamen, and was well-equipped to describe what became a three-year round-the-world adventure. His ship, U.S.S. Columbus, a 74-gun ship of the line, was to be sent on a diplomatic mission to China, and then to Japan, in an abortive attempt to open the latter to American trade, and during this voyage, Nordhoff was to see many corners of Southeast Asia and the Far East, before crossing the Pacific, visiting South America, rounding Cape Horn, and finally returning to Norfolk, Virgina.
Much of the interest in this book lies in a boy's view of naval life and the running of the ship. The US Navy followed very conservative principles, with an emphasis on discipline, routine and training that would have been familiar a centry earlier, but it was also subtly different: more humane in its treatment of the crew, less draconian in punishment, and a promoter of what would be considered 'Victorian moral values'. Nordhoff offers us an entertaining and highly detailed account of life in the last days of the sailing warship.
Bookmark Link:
https://hampshire.spydus.co.uk/cgi-bin/spydus.exe/ENQ/KIDS/BIBENQ?BRN=2922995
