Angus Konstam

"The Pirate Menace" by Angus Konstam is an overview of piracy in the Caribbean, specifically between 1690s and ~1718, beginning in Jamaica. Before the earthquake of 1692, Port Royal was the busiest harbor in the Caribbean. Port Royal was home to the original buccaneers, Henry Morgan, and a constant threat of French privateers. When a Spanish treasure fleet sank in 1715, Jamaican privateers-turned-pirates Henry Jennings and John Wills clashed with pirate Benjamin Hornigold for a bit of the bullion. They eventually joined forces and Jennings witnessed the true pirate haven that Hornigold built in Nassau. Searching for more gold, Jennings encounters pirates Black Sam Bellamy, his cohort Pulsgrave Williams, two of the most successful pirates. We then meet the infamous Blackbeard, who originally sailed with Hornigold; and where there's Blackbeard, there's Stede Bonnet. Then of course there's Charles Vane, the leader of Nassau and Calico Jack! Eventually the era would end with the death of Bartholomew Roberts.

Overall a lively read, but it's a good thing I've read other piracy books already. It actually covers the pirate community of the later years rather than the entirety of the Golden Age, but it's dense! In the first two chapters, names fly by as Konstam sets the stage for Nassau. Throughout, there's not enough context for larger political events, and English vs Spanish vs French can be confusing. Corrupt Royal governors were actually the major cause of the early rise of piracy, but this isn't really discussed until Gov. Spotswood and Woodes Rogers emerge. There are also a few unnecessary diversions, which could've been removed to lighten the narrative. However, I thought the chapter on the structure of the pirate community was the best. Konstam successfully argues that it was a "commune" rather than a "republic." I would definitely read more of Konstam's work if they chose a narrower topic and would've enjoyed this more if say, it had focused solely on Jennings and Hornigold.… (more)

It's been some time since I've read an account of the hunt for the "Scharnhorst," probably a short overview by Vincent O'Hara in his survey of German surface-ship actions, so I wanted to read something with a little more detail. Konstam does a very good job giving you a concise telling of this fight, putting it into contemporary strategic context, and taking into account the impact of "Ultra," as the British were prepared to use a convoy as bait. This last point almost bit the British back, as the German destroyer escort came close to tripping over the British convoy on their own.

As for the fight itself, the short version is radar - don't leave home without it. In a fight fought mostly in darkness in a howling gale, the gunnery of the "Scharnhorst" was severely limited due to electronic inferiority, though she wound up dying very hard; Konstam tersely describes the action as an "execution." This is particularly since only 36 men survived; Admiral Erich Bey and the other 2000-odd crewmen going to the deep.

The thought that comes to mind is that this action is a last reflection of the institutional cultures the British and German naval forces came out of the Great War with. The British being fixated on aggressive action when the opportunity presented itself, a result of the botched hunt for the "Goeben" and the disappointment of Jutland. The Germans trying to maintain a fleet in being, while at the same time keeping themselves relevant, and living down the mutiny of the surface fleet in 1918. From this battle on, the British are looking for ways to make themselves useful to an American naval hierarchy who really doesn't want them, and the German naval command is trying to salvage a useful submarine force, while offering assistance to the German war effort in the Baltic.… (more)