The Prize of All the Oceans: Commodore Anson's Daring Voyage and Triumphant Capture of the Spanish Treasure Galleon

Anson's voyage of 1740-44 holds a unique and terrible place in British naval history. The misadventures of this first attempt by Royal Navy ships to sail round the world make a dramatic story of hardship, disaster, mutiny and heroism. Only one of Anson's squadron, the flagship Centurion, completed its mission. The other vessels were wrecked, scuttled or forced back in shattered condition. Out of 1850 officers and men who sailed from Spithead in September 1740, almost 1400 died, most from disease or starvation.

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LibraryThing member oparaxenos

This was a much better book than I expected when I cracked the cover. It had been sitting on my "to-read" shelf for over 10 years, and I am sorry I did not get to it sooner. Anson's voyage belongs to an era before British supremacy at sea was taken for granted, and I was surprised to learn, for

example, that Royal Navy officers and men in the 1740s did not have a standard uniform. This, is a very readable and informative account of an epic voyage with an equally-epic mortality rate from scurvy. Another account of "men of iron sailing in ships of wood".

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LibraryThing member untraveller

Excellent book covering Anson’s voyage in the appropriate detail. Also does a nice job summarizing the book about the voyage written afterwards and who the true author might be. Finished 20.06.2020.

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