Great Naval Blunders (9781780120508) by Geoffrey Regan

Author:Geoffrey, Regan [Regan, Geoffrey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Carlton Books Ltd
Published: 2012-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Roderick Random and Jenkins’ Ear

The English author Tobias Smollett undertook some interesting field research for his novel Roderick Random by serving as an assistant surgeon in Admiral Vernon’s fleet when it attacked the Spanish American port of Cartagena in 1741. Smollett – or, as we shall call him from now on, Random – thus had first-hand experience of one of the most disastrous amphibious operations of the century. Ignoring the evidence from Admiral Hosier’s expedition to Porto Bello in 1726 – and presumably not even reading the contemporary poem Admiral Hosier’s Ghost, which gave a ghastly warning to those who spend too much time in the pestilential Caribbean – the British Admiralty, at the insistence of Vernon – known far and wide as ‘the angry admiral’ – sent a strong expedition to attack Cartagena and restore British prestige on the Spanish Main. As to why it needed restoring we must refer to a British captain named Robert Jenkins.

In 1739, Jenkins had been asked to attend the House of Commons, bringing with him a nasty looking object – his mummified ear – in a glass bottle. According to the good captain, he had lost this ear at the hands of Spanish privateers, who first half-hanged him and then cut off the ear, bidding him present the bleeding object to his king – George II – with their compliments. This insult was all that the opponents of the government needed to embarrass the ‘peace-party’ of Sir Robert Walpole. Spanish privateers had long preyed on British merchants in the Caribbean and the time had come to teach the Spaniards a lesson. The House of Commons buzzed with delight and Captain Jenkins’ ear became the pretext for war against Spain. On 19 October 1739, hostilities were declared, and as London’s bells pealed out, Robert Walpole observed ruefully, ‘They may ring their bells now, they will be wringing their hands before long.’

The responsibility for carrying the war into the Caribbean rested with Admiral Edward Vernon, who convinced the British government that a blow against Cartagena would weaken Spain’s influence and trade, force her to open her harbours to British traders, and deprive her of Peruvian bullion. To carry out the attack Vernon estimated that he would need some 9,000 British and American troops to capture the city and hold it. In addition, he feared that a combined Franco-Spanish fleet of 30 ships might oppose him in the Caribbean and so he would also require the strongest fleet that could be assembled. But after a long period of peace Vernon might as well have asked for the moon, for the navy was very short of seamen. Although by mid-August 1740 the contingent of 6,000 British troops were ready aboard the transports they were kept in port by shortages of naval personnel. There was no alternative but for General Cathcart, commander of the land forces, to turn over two of his line regiments and 600 of his new marines, to act as sailors for the duration of the voyage.

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