by David Grann, 2023, Doubleday, New York

This is the story of the Wager, a ship that was shipwrecked on the coast of Chile during the War of Jenkin’s Ear between England and Spain in 1740.

The ship was part of an armada that was assembled to attack a Spanish galleon of the Pacific coast of South America. Unfortunately, the ships encountered raging gales during their passage around Cape Horn and the sailors were significantly sickened by scurvy. The Wager eventually was shipwrecked near an island and the crew (or what was left of them after so many had died) managed to get to shore. Their struggles to survive as well as the eventual outcome is revealed in the book.

The book is well researched and written. The story, however, is depressing and unfolds very slowly. It is a long-forgotten episode in British naval history and deserves to be remembered for the insights and lessons it provides.