Feb-Mar-Apr, May-June-July 1972 - Navy League of Australia

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SEA POWER IN THE
MEDITERRANEAN
A history of the struggle for sea
power in the Mediterranean from
the seventeenth century to the
present day.
By: S. W. C. Pack. 233 pages,
numerous photographs.
Price: $8.75. Publishers: Arthur
Barker Ltd.. London. 1971.
Reviewed by: Lieutenant Commander
B. R. Nield. B.A.. R.A.N.R.
(Retd.)
Captain Pack, who has had years
of service in the Mediterranean
area and has published several
books on naval history, gives us in
this book a short history of naval
warfare in that area.
As he shows skilfully and concisely.
the part played there by the
Royal Navy has been decisive, both
in the history of Britain and in the
general history of Europe. As extensive
literature on this subject has
already been published, but much
of it would be bewildering to a
beginner. Naval historians often
write as if their readers already know
the main facts: besides, the technicalities
of naval warfare have never
been simple. This book provides a
clear narrative which contains
sufficient historical background
to explain naval strategy. Captain
Pack derives his facts from published
material, but he writes as an
enthusiast, not as a dull compiler
— more than once, he writes in
effect: "I was there." He has his dislikes
as for King George the Second
and for Sir Winston Churchill's political
contemporaries, and his likes,
as for Pitt the Elder and for Churchill.
This partisanship., against
which historical evidence can be
produced, is only a small part of the
book, and it actually adds colour to
the story.
In discussing Napoleon's war and
Hitler's war. which were both very
complicated. Captain Pack gives
accounts which could be followed by
readers quite unfamiliar with the
facts. Such readers, if they read this
short book with reasonable care,
will at the end be prepared to study
more detailed works, such as the historical
writings of Richmond and
Mahan. the collections of original
documents published by the Navy
Records Society, and personal narratives
such as Cunningham's
Sailor's Odyssey.
This book. then, is recommended
for historians who have not studied
naval affairs, for naval men who
have not studied history, and for
anyone who wants to know.
• • •
THE SAGA OF THE
SS GREAT BRITAIN
By: John O'Callaghan. 178 pages.
24 photographs.
Price: $7.65. Published by: Rupert
Hart-Davis. London.
Reviewed by: Shtandardt. Book
supplied by Hicks Smith & Sons
Pty.. Ltd.. Sydney.
A book of this type must embody
several qualities. First and foremost
the author must ensure that
his presentation of the facts is accurate.
The overall story (which
embodies these facts) should be
assembled in such a fashion that it
flows smoothly and could therefore
be read by both enthusiast and
researcher with equal facility. On
the points of accuracy and depth of
research I have absolutely no complaint.
However when taken as a narrative
this book was a disappointment
to me. In fact I would go so far
as to say that I have seldom encountered
a more difficult book to read.
The author has employed the
"flashback" method of presentation
which, whilst normally being a
perfectly legitimate method of
expression when used once or possibly
twice in a story. I feel has been
carried to excess in this particular
instance. For example. Chapter 1
begins with the actual launching of
the Great Britain but at this point the
author halts, goes back, and relates
the entire circumstances of the
ship's birth. This virtual background
information almost takes
the form of the sub-plot and it continues
in this manner till the close of
Chapter 2.
The first page of Chapter 3 states
that
(a) the Great Britain started her first
voyage, and
(b) the fact that she ran aground on
the Irish coast during that voyage.
Author O'Callaghan then devotes
the next twenty-odd pages to an
explanation of how she came to be
aground in the first place. Chapter 4.
which is entitled "Steam Pioneers",
deals principally with the origin and
progress of The Great Western
Steamship Company, the firm that
was responsible for the building of
the Great Britain. In my opinion it is
this chapter which should be titled
Chapter 1. The story could then have
proceeded through the various
stages of her design and construction
through to her "launch" by
Prince Albert, the fitting out. followed
by her maiden voyage, and
subsequent grounding.
As it is the author has taken each
principal event in the ship's life,
stated it as a separate entity, and
then proceeded to tell the story of
each of these episodes separately
and in flashback. This results in a
very broken story, one which cannot
be put down and picked up with an
Page Sixty
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