The Wager was originally an East India Company trading ship, purchased and refitted by the British Navy in 1739, and selected to be part of a squadron under the leadership of Commodore George Anson assigned to a secret mission to intercept a Spanish galleon off the coast of Chile and bring home to England her prize of riches. England and Spain were each rapidly colonizing the globe, battling over the riches to be found overseas by gaining mastery of the seaways.

Leaving in 1740, the entire squadron encountered the twin threats of scurvy, disease due to vitamin C deficiency, and the treacherous, stormy waters of Cape Horn, the tip of South America. Ships had to find their way around Cape Horn to reach the Pacific Ocean, with many wrecking or foundering in those violent seas. Anson’s ship, The Centurion, succeeded, while Captain David Cheap, turned The Wager north before successfully getting clear of the islands of Patagonia, wrecking the ship and making castaways of his crew.

Anarchy ruled as the crew struggles to survive with no shelter and insufficient food. Grann leaves it to the reader to assign blame, and there is plenty of blame to go around. The crew quickly fall into two groups, one led by Captain Cheap, the other led by gunner John Bulkley. A survival story, members of both groups ultimately find their way back to England, prepared to tell their version of events and thereby save themselves from court martial and possible hanging.

The crew of the Wager doubtless had many bad breaks. When comparing the story of the Wager with other survival stories, such as The Endurance, we see the power of strong and compassionate leadership. The men blamed Cheap’s poor judgement for the wreck, then Cheap goes on to lead on land with a heavy hand. He seems to have a poor relationship with his crew, and never gets the feel for how to properly lead and care for their welfare. He seems to miss the entire point of being a leader. I read this book at the same time as I read The Wisdom of the Bullfrog by ADM William McRaven (ret) (which I highly recommend), and the mistakes in Cheap’s leadership pile up. He is so obsessed with the mission and covering himself in Naval glory, that he forgets to make the welfare of his crew foremost. I highly recommend this book, which might make a good book club selection. Debates will ensue as to who is at fault.